Polarization faticons: Chiral localized structures in self-defocusing Kerr resonators

TL;DR

This paper introduces polarization faticons, a new type of chiral localized dissipative structures in self-defocusing Kerr resonators, with potential applications in frequency comb generation and insights into multi-component systems.

Contribution

The study predicts and observes a novel class of polarization-dependent localized structures called faticons in nonlinear optical resonators.

Findings

Faticons are chiral, polarization-dependent localized structures.

They are connected to vectorial modulational instability.

Faticons can be excited through collapsing dynamics.

Abstract

We report on numerical predictions and experimental observations of a novel type of temporal localized dissipative structures that manifest themselves in the self-defocusing regime of driven nonlinear optical resonators with two polarization modes. These chiral dissipative solitons, which we term polarization faticons, break both temporal and polarization symmetry and consist of two bright lobes of opposite polarization handedness, interlocked by a domain wall. Our study reveals that faticons are connected to a vectorial modulational instability, from which they can be excited through a collapsing dynamic. Faticons could offer a novel pathway for frequency comb generation in normal dispersion resonators. More generally, they offer new fundamental insights into vectorial localized dissipative structures and could be relevant to other multi-component dissipative systems.