Nonlocal bonding of a soliton and a blue-detuned state in a microcomb laser

Laser cavity-solitons can appear in a microresonator-filtered laser when judiciously balancing the slow nonlinearities of the system. Under certain conditions, such optical states can be made to self-emerge and recover spontaneously, and the understanding of their robustness is critical for practical applications. Here, we study the formation of a bonded state comprising a soliton and a blue-detuned continuous wave, whose coexistence is mediated by dispersion in the nonlinear refractive index. Our real-time dispersive Fourier transform measurements, supported by comprehensive theoretical analysis, reveal the presence of an elastic bonding between the two states, resulting in an enhancement of the soliton's robustness. Cavity-solitons in microresonator-filtered fibre lasers are robust states with self-recovery capabilities that emerge when a delicate balance of energy-dependent nonlinearities is achieved. In this work, the authors make use of the dispersive Fourier transform to understand the dynamics leading to a soliton bonded with a quasi-continuous wave.

Automated summary

In this study, the authors investigate the formation of a bonded state between a soliton and a continuous wave in a microresonator-filtered laser using real-time dispersive Fourier transform measurements and theoretical analysis. They find the presence of an elastic bonding between the two states, resulting in an enhancement of the soliton's robustness.