Synchronization between Kerr cavity solitons and broad laser pulse injection

Abstract

The synchronization of a soliton frequency comb in a Kerr cavity with pulsed laser injection is studied numerically. A neutral delay differential equation is used to model the light dynamics in the cavity. This model allows for the investigation of both cases where the pulse repetition period is close to the cavity round-trip time and where the repetition period of the injection pulses is close to a rational fraction M/N of the round-trip time. It is demonstrated that solitons can exist in this latter case, provided that the injection pulses are of a higher amplitude, which is directly proportional to the number M. Furthermore, it is shown that the synchronization range of the solitons is also proportional to the number M . The solitons excited by pulses with a period slightly different from the M : N -resonance can be destabilized by the Andronov--Hopf bifurcation, which occurs when the injection level at the soliton position decreases to M times the injection amplitude corresponding to the saddle-node bifurcation in a model equation with uniform injection.