Spontaneous symmetry breaking in synchronously pumped fiber ring cavities

Abstract: We introduce a new equation that describes the spatio-temporal evolution of arbitrary pulses propagating in a fiber-ring cavity. This model is a significant extension of the traditionally used Lugiato-Lefever model. We demonstrate spontaneous symmetry breaking as well as multistability regimes in a synchronously pumped fiber-ring cavity. The equation can be applied to virtually any type of waveguide-based ring cavity.