Abstract

We show that an optical analog of Cherenkov radiation (dispersive wave) is observable in a nonlinear microring resonator generating Kerr frequency comb and containing linearly interacting families of equidistant modes. The radiation results from disruptions in the frequency dependent group velocity dispersion of the pumped cavity modes and is emitted into different mode families of the resonator. This effect reveals itself as a dispersive shaped structure in the spectral envelope of the frequency comb. We found that the dips in the comb spectrum correspond to peaks of the emission of the power in the other mode families of the resonator. The spectrum of the combs that includes both mode families does not have any dips, but peaks and resembles the Cherenkov radiation spectra frequently observed in Kerr comb systems. This Letter shows that a correct description of the Kerr comb in presence of mode anti-crossings should take into account not only the pumped mode family with modified dispersion parameter, but also the modes of the interacting families.

© 2016 Optical Society of America

Higher order mode suppression in high-Q anomalous dispersion SiN microresonators for temporal dissipative Kerr soliton formation

A. Kordts, M. H. P. Pfeiffer, H. Guo, V. Brasch, and T. J. Kippenberg
Opt. Lett. 41(3) 452-455 (2016)

Spatial-mode-interaction-induced dispersive waves and their active tuning in microresonators

Qi-Fan Yang, Xu Yi, Ki Youl Yang, and Kerry Vahala
Optica 3(10) 1132-1135 (2016)

Clustered frequency comb

Andrey B. Matsko, Anatoliy A. Savchenkov, Shu-Wei Huang, and Lute Maleki
Opt. Lett. 41(21) 5102-5105 (2016)

Real-time revealing of Cherenkov radiation evolution in optical fibers

Mengjie Zhang, Wenchao Wang, Tianhao Xian, and Li Zhan
Opt. Lett. 48(12) 3343-3346 (2023)

Theory and measurement of the soliton self-frequency shift and efficiency in optical microcavities

Xu Yi, Qi-Fan Yang, Ki Youl Yang, and Kerry Vahala
Opt. Lett. 41(15) 3419-3422 (2016)