Fig. 2: Self-stabilized cross-polarized soliton microcomb dynamics in the strongly coupled dispersion-managed microresonator.

a TE-polarized cavity power transmission along the bidirectional TM-polarized pump wavelength detuning. The intracavity power is built up via the polarization conversion process leading to the strongly coupled transient and two-step intracavity power enhancement during the pump-wavelength forward detuning. The cross-phase interaction between the TE-TM mode families after intracavity power “kicking” out and the soliton annihilation regime with the characteristic staircase pattern during the pump-wavelength backward detuning are observed. The measured optical spectra at the different microcomb states are represented in (a) as shown in insets i–iv: the primary Turing pattern microcomb, the high-noise chaotic microcomb, the TE-TM coupled low-noise microcomb (soliton mode-locking state, TE-TM dual microcomb), and the thermally stabilized TE soliton microcomb. b The power transmission without polarization demultiplexing during the pump-wavelength roundtrip detuning shows the switching dynamics between the TE and TM supermodes. The characteristic transient power jumps are highlighted in the dashed orange boxes. c The power transmission in the TM polarization only where the switching dynamics between the TE and TM supermodes are marked with dashed purple boxes. d The optical spectral evolution with respect to pump-resonance detuning, referenced to the initial backward tuning wavelength, illustrating the soliton microcomb dynamics. In the backward-pump laser detuning, the cross-polarized microcomb emerges from the extended chaotically modulated background. e The intensity noise power spectral evolution corresponding to (d), showing the broadband noise spectrum resulting from the beating of sub-comb lines ②, repetition rate linewidth broadening and extra beat notes ③, and high spectral purity repetitive rate signal ④. f The optical spectral evolution where the soliton microcomb emerges from the periodic background without excitation of the chaotic microcomb state. g The intensity noise power spectral evolution corresponding to f denoting low-noise cavity dynamical evolution. h The color-coded TE and TM power transmission and the TE-polarized intracavity power versus pump-resonance detuning corresponding to (d, e), indicating the large soliton existence range of more than 10 GHz and the power conversion processes. i The respective color-coded TE and TM power transmission and the TE-polarized intracavity power without the high-noise state corresponding to (f, g).