We investigate the coherent or incoherent seeding of dissipative modulation instability (MI) in a nonlinear fiber ring cavity. By varying wavelength and degree of coherence of the seed signal across… Click to show full abstract
We investigate the coherent or incoherent seeding of dissipative modulation instability (MI) in a nonlinear fiber ring cavity. By varying wavelength and degree of coherence of the seed signal across the MI gain band, we observe a strong sensitivity of the resulting MI sidebands in terms of bandwidth and amplification. Both spectral and temporal characterizations are performed to reveal intensity coherence properties (over a single round-trip) of the generated temporal patterns. Experimental observations are well confirmed by numerical simulations. Our results provide new insights into the control of dissipative MI through a specific seeding in optical resonators with a moderate free-spectral range. In particular, a large tunability of the subsequent Kerr comb spacing is achieved by means of the early transient stage of seeded MI growth.
               
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