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Self-Switching Kerr Oscillations of Counterpropagating Light in Microresonators
Michael T M Woodley1,2,3, Lewis Hill1,4, Leonardo Del Bino1,2,5
1National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington TW11 0LW, United Kingdom.
Physical Review Letters
|February 12, 2021
Summary
We observed light beams switching dominance in Kerr microresonators. This self-switching phenomenon, driven by nonlinearities, offers potential for all-optical signal processing and cryptography.
Area of Science:
- Nonlinear optics
- Photonics
- Optical physics
Background:
- Kerr microresonators support complex light-matter interactions.
- Counterpropagating light beams in resonators can exhibit nonlinear dynamics.
- Understanding these dynamics is key for optical device applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally and numerically observe oscillatory antiphase switching between counterpropagating light beams.
- To investigate the underlying mechanisms of self-switching phenomena.
- To explore the potential applications of this robust optical switching.
Main Methods:
- Experimental observation of light beam dynamics in Kerr ring microresonators.
- Numerical simulations using a coupled dynamical system model.
- Analysis of temporal instabilities and attractor merging.
Main Results:
- Observed oscillatory antiphase switching between counterpropagating light beams.
- Demonstrated that self-switching is captured by a simple coupled dynamical system.
- Identified temporal instabilities and attractor merging as key mechanisms.
- Showcased the robustness of self-switching for various applications.
Conclusions:
- Oscillatory antiphase switching in Kerr microresonators is a robust phenomenon.
- This switching is driven by nonlinear Kerr effects and dynamical instabilities.
- Self-switching offers a promising route for all-optical signal generation, encoding, and chaotic cryptography.
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