Coherent, directional supercontinuum via cascaded dispersive wave generation

Abstract: We demonstrate a novel approach to producing coherent, directional supercontinuum via cascaded dispersive wave generation. By pumping in the normal group-velocity dispersion regime, pulse compression of the first dispersive wave results in the generation of a second dispersive wave, resulting in an octave-spanning supercontinuum generated primarily to one side of the pump spectrum. We theoretically investigate the dynamics and show that the generated spectrum is highly coherent. We experimentally confirm this dynamical behavior and the coherence properties in silicon nitride waveguides by performing direct detection of the carrier-envelope-offset frequency of our femtosecond pump source using an f-2f interferometer. Our technique offers a path towards a stabilized, high-power, integrated supercontinuum source with low noise and high coherence, with applications including direct comb spectroscopy.