Coexistence of multiple microcombs in monochromatically pumped Si3N4 microresonators

We experimentally demonstrate that multiple microcombs can coexist in monochromatically pumped Si3N4 microresonators. By pumping around the mode crossing using a CW laser with mixed polarization, three types of coherent microcombs are generated simultaneously: (i) TE-polarized soliton microcomb; (ii) TM-polarized Turing rolls microcomb; and (iii) cross-phase-modulation-induced TM-polarized microcomb. It is proved that the type-(iii) microcomb shares the same comb line spacing with the type-(i) microcomb although the free spectral ranges of TE and TM modes are different. In addition, a 22.95-GHz signal is extracted from a ∼100-GHz microresonator by heterodyning the TE and TM comb lines, and phase noise analysis reveals their coherence characteristics.