Non-linear coherent perfect absorption in the proximity of exceptional points

Coherent perfect absorption is one of the possibilities to get high absorption but typically suffers from being a resonant phenomena, i.e., efficient absorption only in a local frequency range. Additionally, if applied in high power applications, the understanding of the interplay of non-linearities and coherent perfect absorption is crucial. Here we show experimentally and theoretically the formation of non-linear coherent perfect absorption in the proximity of exceptional point degeneracies of the zeros of the scattering function. Using a microwave platform, consisting of a lossy nonlinear resonator coupled to two interrogating antennas, we show that a coherent incident excitation can trigger a self-induced perfect absorption once its intensity exceeds a critical value. Note, that a (near) perfect absorption persists for a broad-band frequency range around the nonlinear coherent perfect absorption condition. Its origin is traced to a quartic behavior that the absorbance spectrum acquires in the proximity of the exceptional points of the nonlinear scattering operator.

Amplifying the Response of a Driven Resonator via Nonlinear Interaction with a Secondary Resonator

We study the dynamics of a resonantly driven nonlinear resonator (primary) that is nonlinearly coupled to a non-resonantly driven linear resonator (secondary) with a relatively short decay time. Due to its short relaxation time, the secondary resonator adiabatically tracks the primary resonator and modifies its response. Our model, which is motivated by experimental studies on the interaction between nano- and microresonators, is relatively simple and can be analyzed analytically and numerically to show that the driven response of the primary resonator can be enhanced significantly due to the interaction with the secondary resonator. Such an arrangement may pave the way for systematic control of driven responses and signal amplification in engineering applications involving nano- and micro-electro-mechanical-systems.

Solitary beam propagation in periodic layered Kerr media enables high-efficiency pulse compression and mode self-cleaning

Generating intense ultrashort pulses with high-quality spatial modes is crucial for ultrafast and strong-field science and can be achieved by nonlinear supercontinuum generation (SCG) and pulse compression. In this work, we propose that the generation of quasi-stationary solitons in periodic layered Kerr media can greatly enhance the nonlinear light-matter interaction and fundamentally improve the performance of SCG and pulse compression in condensed media. With both experimental and theoretical studies, we successfully identify these solitary modes and reveal their unified condition for stability. Space-time coupling is shown to strongly influence the stability of solitons, leading to variations in the spectral, spatial and temporal profiles of femtosecond pulses. Taking advantage of the unique characteristics of these solitary modes, we first demonstrate single-stage SCG and the compression of femtosecond pulses from 170 to 22 fs with an efficiency >85%. The high spatiotemporal quality of the compressed pulses is further confirmed by high-harmonic generation. We also provide evidence of efficient mode self-cleaning, which suggests rich spatiotemporal self-organization of the laser beams in a nonlinear resonator. This work offers a route towards highly efficient, simple, stable and highly flexible SCG and pulse compression solutions for state-of-the-art ytterbium laser technology.

pyLLE: A Fast and User Friendly Lugiato-Lefever Equation Solver

The Lugiato-Lefever Equation (LLE), first developed to provide a description of spatial dissipative structures in optical systems, has recently made a significant impact in the integrated photonics community, where it has been adopted to help understand and predict Kerr-mediated nonlinear optical phenomena such as parametric frequency comb generation inside microresonators. The LLE is essentially an application of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE) to a damped, driven Kerr nonlinear resonator, so that a periodic boundary condition is applied. Importantly, a slow-varying time envelope is stipulated, resulting in a mean-field solution in which the field does not vary within a round trip. This constraint, which differentiates the LLE from the more general Ikeda map, significantly simplifies calculations while still providing excellent physical representation for a wide variety of systems. In particular, simulations based on the LLE formalism have enabled modeling that quantitatively agrees with reported experimental results on microcomb generation (e.g., in terms of spectral bandwidth), and have also been central to theoretical studies that have provided better insight into novel nonlinear dynamics that can be supported by Kerr nonlinear microresonators. The great potential of microresonator frequency combs (microcombs) in a wide variety of applications suggests the need for efficient and widely accessible computational tools to more rapidly further their development. Although LLE simulations are commonly performed by research groups working in the field, to our knowledge no free software package for solving this equation in an easy and fast way is currently available. Here, we introduce pyLLE, an open-source LLE solver for microcomb modeling. It combines the user-friendliness of the Python programming language and the computational power of the Julia programming language.