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arXiv · 2607.18611

High-Energy Microresonator Soliton Generation

Abstract

Kerr resonators generate stable frequency combs in a compact platform with applications in coherent communications, sensing, quantum information processing, and astrophysics. Ultrashort pulses can be generated, moreover, with a wavelength and repetition rate flexibility inaccessible by traditional mode-locked lasers, which is desirable for high peak-power applications including in biomedicine and materials processing. However, for these applications, single-pulse energies will need to be significantly improved beyond the fJ level characteristic of sources today. Here we describe and demonstrate a simple approach for increasing the pulse energy in anomalous dispersion Kerr microresonators. Through scaling laws based on a mean-field cavity model and supported by experimentally-accurate numerical simulations, we show that pulse energy scales strongly with output coupling if supported by sufficient drive power. In strongly over-coupled cavities, femtosecond pulses can be stabilized with pulse energy beyond the pJ level. With this theoretical framework, by pumping a 12 GHz Si3N4 cavity with 30% output coupling with 2.6-ps time-lens generated pulses, we observe stable 74-fs pulses with a record output pulse energy of 6 pJ. High energy Kerr resonators are anticipated to improve performance for current applications and compliment mode locked lasers for high peak power applications.

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Zhenhua Guo, Sushant Kumar, Xue Dong, Yi Zhang, Jiewei Xiang, Arunima Nauriyal, Junchi Zhang, Elias Veilleux, Jaime Cardenas, William H. Renninger. 2026-07-21. High-Energy Microresonator Soliton Generation. https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.18611

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