Characterization of Nonlinear Dynamics in Photonic Molecules

• Grant number: 25/20846-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 18, 2026
• End date: May 17, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Gustavo Silva Wiederhecker
• Grantee: Miguel Andres Silva Nienstedt
• Supervisor: Pascal Del'Haye
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Max-Planck-Institut Für Die Physik Des Lichts, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 25/14437-9 - Nonlinear Dynamics in Photonic Molecules: Theory, Design and Characterization, BP.IC

Abstract

Optical microresonators, including single rings, coupled photonic molecules, and Fabry-Pérot resonators with Bragg mirrors, provide a versatile platform to control light through both linear and nonlinear interactions. While linear coupling has long been exploited for tailoring spectral responses and enabling applications such as optical multicasting and frequency conversion, recent work has revealed that nonlinear effects can drive spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB), where initially identical states evolve into asymmetric ones. This phenomenon opens pathways for optical switching, photonic logic, and random number generation. In this project, we investigate nonlinear coupling and SSB across these resonator platforms. By analyzing the dynamics of counterpropagating modes in ring resonators, hybridized modes in photonic molecules, and symmetry-broken states in Fabry-Pérot devices, we aim to establish design principles for exploiting nonlinear interactions in integrated photonics.