Dynamics of Kerr cavity solitons in fiber resonators driven by desynchronized pulses

The pulsed driving of passive fiber Kerr resonators is an effective approach to generating coherent optical soliton combs with high efficiency. Desynchronization, which is defined as the frequency mismatch between the pumping pulse repetition rate and the cavity round-trip time, is an additional system variable, making the nonlinear system of fiber resonators more complex. Research on the relevant physics of desynchronization is not yet comprehensive. In this article, the complex dynamics of Kerr cavity solitons in a pulsed-pumped normal dispersion fiber Kerr resonator with third-order dispersion (TOD) and desynchronization is studied in simulations. We find that the desynchronization effect plays a critical role in the formation of Kerr cavity solitons. Interestingly, the introduction of desynchronization leads to the formation of breathing Kerr cavity solitons before the onset of stable operation of Kerr cavity solitons. The competition and balance between TOD and desynchronization determine the behavior of Kerr cavity solitons. Without TOD, a strong desynchronization effect results in a breathing state with a sliding shift of pulse peak position. In contrast, a slight desynchronization effect causes the periodic oscillation of pulse peak power without changing the pulse location. The breathing period depends on the absolute value of desynchronization coefficient and the sliding direction is related to the sign of the desynchronization coefficient. Furthermore, a reversible switching between different nonlinear Kerr cavity soliton states is achieved by changing the degree of desynchronization, suggesting that the desynchronization can be used as an additional degree of freedom to control the Kerr cavity soliton dynamics in Kerr resonators. These findings enrich our understanding of Kerr cavity solitons and provide important references for improving the stability of Kerr cavity solitons and the application of efficient resonator frequency combs.