Modeling of optical microresonator frequency combs

Abstract: An optical frequency comb is a structure of equidistant, coherent spectral components which can be thought of as a large array of individual phase-locked laser sources. Their utilization in precision spectroscopy garnering part of the 2005 Nobel prize, optical frequency combs constitute a relatively novel technology with a large number of potential and actual applications. The research interest grew further with the 2007 discovery of comb structures in microresonators enclosing a nonlinear Kerr medium pumped by an external continuous wave laser, offering both substantially wider combs and the prospect of chip-scale integration. In this thesis work, the modeling of frequency comb spectra generated through optical Kerr cavities is considered using both an Ikeda map and the mean-field Lugiato-Lefever equation to describe the intracavity field evolution. Derivations of these mathematical models are first reviewed alongside relevant physics. They are then treated analytically to constrain model parameters to regions of interest in the context of Kerr-comb dynamics. Finally, numerical parameter sweeps are conducted in both models with respect to the pump power and frequency detuning, where the Ikeda map is additionally examined in the high-energy regime not faithfully described by the Lugiato-Lefever equation. The produced phase diagrams reveal a complex landscape of dynamics including Turing patterns, temporal cavity solitons, breathers and chaos. Ikeda map parameters in the high-energy regime capable of supporting previously reported super energetic cavity solitons are also investigated. Lastly, the numerical simulation package developed for parameter sweeps is presented.