Detuning effects in Brillouin ring microresonator laser

Brillouin lasers, with their unique properties, offer an intriguing solution for many applications, yet bringing their performance to integrated platforms has remained questionable. We present a theoretical framework to describe Brillouin lasing in integrated ring microcavities. Specifically, a general case of a mismatch between the Brillouin shift and the microresonator inter-mode spacing is considered. We show that although the lasing threshold is increased with the frequency detuning, a significant enhancement of the laser power in comparison with the pure resonant interaction could be achieved. Moreover, there is an optimal pump frequency detuning from the resonant mode frequency, when the effect is most pronounced. An increase of the Brillouin threshold with the pump frequency detuning is accompanied by narrowing the pump frequency range available for lasing. Importantly, at the optimal value of the pump frequency detuning when the Brillouin signal is maximal, Brillouin signal noise level is minimal. Analytical results obtained in the steady-state approach are in quantitative agreement with the results of numerical simulations.