Nonlinear dynamics of dissipative structures in coherently-driven Kerr cavities with a parabolic potential

TL;DR

This paper explores how a parabolic potential influences the nonlinear dynamics of dissipative structures in Kerr cavities, revealing stable solitons, high-order states, and chaotic behaviors through modal analysis and bifurcation diagrams.

Contribution

It introduces a modified Lugiato-Lefever model with a parabolic potential to analyze and understand the formation and stability of complex dissipative structures in Kerr cavities.

Findings

Potential stabilizes system dynamics and enables robust soliton formation

High-order breathers and chaoticons emerge with increased pumping

Phase diagrams map the complex dynamics landscape

Abstract

By means of a modified Lugiato-Lefever equation model, we investigate the nonlinear dynamics of dissipative wave structures in coherently-driven Kerr cavities with a parabolic potential. The potential stabilizes system dynamics, leading to the generation of robust dissipative solitons in the positive detuning regime, and of higher-order solitons in the negative detuning regime. In order to understand the underlying mechanisms which are responsible for these high-order states, we decompose the field on the basis of linear eigenmodes of the system. This permits to investigate the resulting nonlinear mode coupling processes. By increasing the external pumping, one observes the emergence of high-order breathers and chaoticons. Our modal content analysis reveals that breathers are dominated by modes of corresponding orders, while chaoticons exhibit proper chaotic dynamics. We characterize the evolution of dissipative structures by using bifurcation diagrams, and confirm their stability by combining linear stability analysis results with numerical simulations. Finally, we draw phase diagrams that summarize the complex dynamics landscape, obtained when varying the pump, the detuning, and the strength of the potential.