arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L. Gelens.
We study temporally localized structures in doubly resonant degenerate optical parametric oscillators in the absence of temporal walk-off. We focus on states formed through the locking of domain walls between the zero and a non-zero continuous wave solution. We show that these states undergo collapsed snaking and we characterize their dynamics in the parameter space.
Localized coherent structures can form in externally-driven dispersive optical cavities with a Kerr-type nonlinearity. Such systems are described by the Lugiato-Lefever equation, which supports a large variety of dynamical solutions. Here, we review our current knowledge on the formation, stability and bifurcation structure of localized structures in the one-dimensional Lugiato-Lefever equation. We do so by focusing on two main regimes of operation: anomalous and normal second-order dispersion. In the anomalous regime, localized patterns are organized in a homoclinic snaking scenario, which is eventually destroyed, leading to a foliated snaking bifurcation structure. In the normal regime, however, localized structures undergo a different type of bifurcation structure, known as collapsed snaking.
We analyze the formation of localized structures in cavity-enhanced second-harmonic generation. We focus on the phase-matched limit, and consider that fundamental and generated waves have opposite sign of group velocity dispersion. We show that these states form due to the locking of domain walls connecting two stable homogeneous states of the system, and undergo collapsed snaking. We study the impact of temporal walk-off on the stability and dynamics of these localized states.
In this letter we theoretically investigate the formation of localized temporal dissipative structures, and their corresponding frequency combs in doubly resonant dispersive optical parametric oscillators. We derive a nonlocal mean field model, and show that domain wall locking allows for the formation of stable coherent optical frequency combs.
We report a theoretical investigation of quadratic frequency combs in a dispersive second-harmonic generation cavity system. We identify different dynamical regimes and demonstrate that the same system can exhibit both bright and dark localized cavity solitons in the absence of a temporal walk-off.
We study the stability and bifurcation structure of spatially extended patterns arising in nonlin- ear optical resonators with a Kerr-type nonlinearity and anomalous group velocity dispersion, as described by the Lugiato-Lefever equation. While there exists a one-parameter family of patterns with different wavelengths, we focus our attention on the pattern with critical wave number k c arising from the modulational instability of the homogeneous state. We find that the branch of solutions associated with this pattern connects to a branch of patterns with wave number $2k_c$ . This next branch also connects to a branch of patterns with double wave number, this time $4k_c$ , and this process repeats through a series of 2:1 spatial resonances. For values of the detuning parameter approaching $θ= 2$ from below the critical wave number $k_c$ approaches zero and this bifurcation structure is related to the foliated snaking bifurcation structure organizing spatially localized bright solitons. Secondary bifurcations that these patterns undergo and the resulting temporal dynamics are also studied.
The origin, stability and bifurcation structure of different types of bright localized structures described by the Lugiato-Lefever equation is studied. This mean field model describes the nonlinear dynamics of light circulating in fiber cavities and microresonators. In the case of anomalous group velocity dispersion and low values of the intracavity phase detuning these bright states are organized in a homoclinic snaking bifurcation structure. We describe how this bifurcation structure is destroyed when the detuning is increased across a critical value, and determine how a new bifurcation structure known as foliated snaking emerges.
Bound states, also called soliton molecules, can form as a result of the interaction between individual solitons. This interaction is mediated through the tails of each soliton that overlap with one another. When such soliton tails have spatial oscillations, locking or pinning between two solitons can occur at fixed distances related with the wavelength of these oscillations, thus forming a bound state. In this work, we study the formation and stability of various types of bound states in the Lugiato-Lefever equation by computing their interaction potential and by analyzing the properties of the oscillatory tails. Moreover, we study the effect of higher order dispersion and noise in the pump intensity on the dynamics of bound states. In doing so, we reveal that perturbations to the Lugiato-Lefever equation that maintain reversibility, such as fourth order dispersion, lead to bound states that tend to separate from one another in time when noise is added. This separation force is determined by the shape of the envelope of the interaction potential, as well as an additional Brownian ratchet effect. In systems with broken reversibility, such as third order dispersion, this ratchet effect continues to push solitons within a bound state apart. However, the force generated by the envelope of the potential is now such that it pushes the solitons towards each other, leading to a null net drift of the solitons.
Spatially extended systems can support local transient excitations in which just a part of the system is excited. The mechanisms reported so far are local excitability and excitation of a localized structure. Here we introduce an alternative mechanism based on the coexistence of two homogeneous stable states and spatial coupling. We show the existence of a threshold for perturbations of the homogeneous state. Sub-threshold perturbations decay exponentially. Super-threshold perturbations induce the emergence of a long-lived structure formed by two back to back fronts that join the two homogeneous states. While in typical excitability the trajectory follows the remnants of a limit cycle, here reinjection is provided by front interaction, such that fronts slowly approach each other until eventually annihilating. This front-mediated mechanism shows that extended systems with no oscillatory regimes can display excitability.
Using the Lugiato-Lefever model, we analyze the effects of third order chromatic dispersion on the existence and stability of dark and bright soliton Kerr frequency combs in the normal dispersion regime. While in the absence of third order dispersion only dark solitons exist over an extended parameter range, we find that third order dispersion allows for stable dark and bright solitons to coexist. Reversibility is broken and the shape of the switching waves connecting the top and bottom homogeneous solutions is modified. Bright solitons come into existence thanks to the generation of oscillations in the switching wave profiles. Finally, oscillatory instabilities of dark solitons are also suppressed in the presence of sufficiently strong third order dispersion.
In Ref. [Parra-Rivas at al., 2013], using the Swift-Hohenberg equation, we introduced a mechanism that allows to generate oscillatory and excitable soliton dynamics. This mechanism was based on a competition between a pinning force at inhomogeneities and a pulling force due to drift. Here, we study the effect of such inhomogeneities and drift on temporal solitons and Kerr frequency combs in fiber cavities and microresonators, described by the Lugiato-Lefever equation with periodic boundary conditions. We demonstrate that for low values of the frequency detuning the competition between inhomogeneities and drift leads to similar dynamics at the defect location, confirming the generality of the mechanism. The intrinsic periodic nature of ring cavities and microresonators introduces, however, some interesting differences in the final global states. For higher values of the detuning we observe that the dynamics is no longer described by the same mechanism and it is considerably more complex.
It has been recently uncovered that coherent structures in microresonators such as cavity solitons and patterns are intimately related to Kerr frequency combs. In this work, we present a general analysis of the regions of existence and stability of cavity solitons and patterns in the Lugiato-Lefever equation, a mean-field model that finds applications in many different nonlinear optical cavities. We demonstrate that the rich dynamics and coexistence of multiple solutions in the Lugiato-Lefever equation are of key importance to understanding frequency comb generation. A detailed map of how and where to target stable Kerr frequency combs in the parameter space defined by the frequency detuning and the pump power is provided. Moreover, the work presented also includes the organization of various dynamical regimes in terms of bifurcation points of higher co-dimension in regions of parameter space that were previously unexplored in the Lugiato-Lefever equation. We discuss different dynamical instabilities such as oscillations and chaotic regimes.
We experimentally and theoretically study the characteristics of semiconductor ring lasers bidirectionally coupled by a single bus waveguide. This configuration has, e.g., been suggested for use as an optical memory and as an optical neural network motif. The main results are that the coupling can destabilize the state in which both rings lase in the same direction, and it brings to life a state with equal powers at both outputs. These are both undesirable for optical memory operation. Although the coupling between the rings is bidirectional, the destabilization occurs due to behavior similar to an optically injected laser system.
We characterize the operation of semiconductor microring lasers in an excitable regime. Our experiments reveal a statistical distribution of the characteristics of noise-triggered optical pulses that is not observed in other excitable systems. In particular, an inverse correlation exists between the pulse amplitude and duration. Numerical simulations and an interpretation in an asymptotic phase space confirm and explain these experimentally observed pulse characteristics.
We theoretically investigate optical injection in semiconductor ring lasers and disclose several dynamical regimes. Through numerical simulations and bifurcation continuation, two separate parameter regions in which two different injection-locked solutions coexist are revealed, in addition to a region in which a frequency-locked limit cycle coexists with an injection-locked solution. Finally, an antiphase chaotic regime without the involvement of any carrier dynamics is revealed. Parallels are drawn with the onset of chaos in the periodically forced Duffing oscillator.
In order to investigate the size limit on spatial localized structures in a nonlinear system, we explore the impact of linear nonlocality on their domains of existence and stability. Our system of choice is an optical microresonator containing an additional metamaterial layer in the cavity, allowing the nonlocal response of the material to become the dominating spatial process. In that case, our bifurcation analysis shows that this nonlocality imposes a new limit on the width of localized structures going beyond the traditional diffraction limit.
We show that a topological investigation of the phase space of a Semiconductor Ring Laser can be used to devise switching schemes which are alternative to optical pulse injection of counter-propagating light. To provide physical insight in these switching mechanisms, a full bifurcation analysis and an investigation of the topology is performed on a two-dimensional asymptotic model. Numerical simulations confirm the topological predictions.
We investigate both theoretically and experimentally the stochastic switching between two counter-propagating lasing modes of a semiconductor ring laser. Experimentally, the residence time distribution cannot be described by a simple one parameter Arrhenius exponential law and reveals the presence of two different mode-hop scenarios with distinct time scales. In order to elucidate the origin of these two time scales, we propose a topological approach based on a two-dimensional dynamical system.