On the transition to secondary Kerr combs in whispering-gallery mode resonators

We demonstrate that extended dissipative structures in Kerr-nonlinear whispering-gallery mode resonators undergo a spatiotemporal instability, as the pumping parameters are varied. We show that the dynamics of the patterns beyond this bifurcation yield specific Kerr comb and sub-comb spectra that can be subjected to a phase of frequency-locking when optimal conditions are met. Our numerical results are found to be in agreement with experimental measurements. (C) 2019 Optical Society of America