Self-locked soliton generation with Brillouin and Raman scattering

Abstract

A technology that generates optical frequency combs in the form of soliton pulses based on microresonators with high Q values is being utilized in various research fields such as optical communications, optical frequency synthesis, spectroscopy, and precise clocks. However, due to the thermo-optical nonlinearity of soliton, it has been difficult to operate them stably. Previous studies have attempted to address this issue using methods such as power kicking, fast thermal tuning, and pulse-driving, but most of these methods require complex stabilization equipment, which increases the complexity of the system and makes it difficult to operate on a chip. This thesis presents a methodology and characteristics that employs Brillouin and Raman scattering to generate self-stabilized soliton that can be maintained extended periods. The generated soliton operated stably for up to 3 days without external stabilization equipment, and exhibited the lowest phase noise characteristics among reported self-locked solitons, with a level of -137 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz. Furthermore, the generation of soliton that capable of operating within vastly different wavelength ranges by employing both Brillouin and Raman scattering together has been achieved.