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arXiv · 1711.06251

Kerr-microresonator solitons for accurate carrier-envelope-frequency stabilization

Travis C. Briles·Jordan R. Stone·Tara E. Drake·Daryl T. Spencer·Connor Frederick·Qing Li·Daron A. Westly·B. Robert Illic·Kartik Srinivasan·Scott A. Diddams·Scott B. Papp
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Abstract

Carrier-envelope phase stabilization of optical pulses enables exquisitely precise measurements by way of direct optical-frequency synthesis, absolute optical-to-microwave phase conversion, and control of ultrafast waveforms. We report such phase stabilization for Kerr-microresonator frequency combs integrated on silicon chips, and verify their fractional-frequency inaccuracy at <3x10-16. Our work introduces an interlocked Kerr-comb configuration comprised of one silicon-nitride and one silica microresonator, which feature nearly harmonic repetition frequencies and can be generated with one laser. These frequency combs support an ultrafast-laser regime with few-optical-cycle, 1-picosecond-period soliton pulses and a total dispersive-wave-enhanced bandwidth of 170 THz, while providing a stable phase-link between the optical and microwave domains. To accommodate low-power and mobile application platforms, our phase-locked frequency-comb system operates with <250 mW of chip-coupled power. Our work establishes Kerr-microresonator combs as a viable technology for applications like optical-atomic timekeeping, optical synthesis, and related directions.

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Travis C. Briles, Jordan R. Stone, Tara E. Drake, Daryl T. Spencer, Connor Frederick, Qing Li, Daron A. Westly, B. Robert Illic, Kartik Srinivasan, Scott A. Diddams, Scott B. Papp. 2017-11-16. Kerr-microresonator solitons for accurate carrier-envelope-frequency stabilization. https://arxiv.org/abs/1711.06251

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