Toward Chaotic Group Velocity Hopping of an On-Chip Dissipative Kerr Soliton

Grégory Moille; Sashank Kaushik Sridhar; Pradyoth Shandilya; Avik Dutt; Curtis Menyuk; Kartik Srinivasan

doi:10.1103/2k7d-p7rm

Toward Chaotic Group Velocity Hopping of an On-Chip Dissipative Kerr Soliton

Grégory Moille ^1,2,*, Sashank Kaushik Sridhar ³, Pradyoth Shandilya ⁴, Avik Dutt ^3,5,6, Curtis Menyuk ⁴, and Kartik Srinivasan ^1,2

¹Joint Quantum Institute, NIST/University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
²Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
³Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
⁴University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, USA
⁵Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
⁶National Quantum Laboratory (QLab) at Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA

^*Contact author: gmoille@umd.edu

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 133802 – Published 23 September, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/2k7d-p7rm

Abstract

Chaos enables randomness-based applications, particularly in photonic systems. Integrated optical frequency combs (microcombs) have previously been observed in either chaotic modulation instability or stable, low-noise dissipative Kerr soliton (DKS) regimes. In this Letter, we demonstrate a new microcomb state where a single DKS exhibits chaotic behavior. By phase modulating the Kerr-induced synchronization (KIS) between a DKS and an externally injected reference laser, we observe chaotic group velocity hopping of the soliton, causing random transitions of the repetition rate. Using a chip-integrated octave-spanning microcomb, we experimentally validate the second-order Adler equation describing KIS, allowing us to predict and demonstrate this chaotic DKS hopping. This Letter connects nonlinear dynamics with optical soliton physics, providing a deterministic framework for triggering microcomb chaos in the solitonic state.

Physical Review Letters

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Toward Chaotic Group Velocity Hopping of an On-Chip Dissipative Kerr Soliton

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Toward Chaotic Group Velocity Hopping of an On-Chip Dissipative Kerr Soliton

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