Optical frequency combs significantly spanned to broad bandwidths by an optomechanical resonance

Abstract: Optical frequency comb, as a spectrum made of discrete and equally spaced spectral lines, is a light source with essential applications in modern technology. Cavity optomechanical systems were found to be a feasible candidate for realizing on-chip frequency comb with low repetition rate. However, it was difficult to increase the comb line numbers of this type of frequency combs because the mechanical oscillation amplitude of such system, which determines the frequency comb bandwidth, cannot quickly increase with pump laser power. Here, we develop a new approach to generate broadband optomechanical frequency comb by employing a different mechanism to enhance the mechanical oscillation. Two pump tones with their frequency difference matching the mechanical frequency will drive the system into a self-organized nonlinear resonance and thus tremendously transfer the energy to the mechanical resonator. As a result, more than $10000$ or even more comb lines become available under the pump laser power in the order of milliwatt. A unique feature of the self-organized resonance is the mechanical frequency locking so that, within a certain range of the frequency difference between two drive tones, the distance between comb teeth can be locked by the two drive tones and becomes independent of any change of pump power. This property guarantees a stable repetition rate of the generated frequency comb.