Modeling of dual frequency combs and bistable solitons in third-harmonic generation

Third-harmonic generation frequency combs grant telecom pump laser sources the direct and simultaneous access to both the near infrared and the visible spectral regions. The authors model the broadband and temporally dispersive dual-comb generation, and identify conditions for accessing a regime supporting two distinct and coexisting cavity solitons. Phase-matching of the third-harmonic generation process can be used to extend the emission of radiation from Kerr microresonators into new spectral regions far from the pump wavelength. Here, we present a theoretical mean-field model for optical frequency combs in a dissipative and nonlinear chi((3))-based cavity system with parametric coupling between fundamental and third-harmonic waves. We investigate temporally dispersive dual-comb generation of phase-matched combs with broad bandwidth and anomalous dispersion of the fundamental field, individuating conditions for accessing a multistable regime that simultaneously supports two types of coupled bright cavity solitons. These bistable cavity solitons coexist for the same pump power and frequency detuning, while featuring dissimilar amplitudes of their individual field components. Third-harmonic generation frequency combs grant telecom pump laser sources a simultaneous and direct access to both the near-infrared and the visible regions, which may prove advantageous for the development of optical clocks and sensing applications.

Automated summary

Researchers developed a model to study the application of frequency combs in the infrared and visible spectral regions, and identified conditions for the existence of two distinct and coexisting cavity solitons.