Feshbach Resonances in Kerr Frequency Combs

TL;DR

This paper investigates how Feshbach resonances influence Kerr frequency combs in nonlinear resonators, revealing modulation effects on power and repetition rate caused by interactions between continuous wave pumping and optical pulses.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of Feshbach resonances in Kerr frequency combs and analyzes their impact on comb modulation in resonators with specific dispersion and quality factor properties.

Findings

Power and repetition rate are modulated by Feshbach resonances.

Modulation frequency relates to pump detuning from eigenfrequency.

Resonator dispersion and quality factor affect modulation behavior.

Abstract

We show that both the power and repetition rate of a frequency comb generated in a nonlinear ring resonator, pumped with continuous wave (cw) coherent light, are modulated. The modulation is brought about by the interaction of the cw background with optical pulses excited in the resonator, and occurs in resonators with nonzero high-order chromatic dispersion and wavelength-dependent quality factor. The modulation frequency corresponds to the detuning of the pump frequency from the eigenfrequency of the pumped mode in the resonator.