Genetic algorithm-enhanced microcomb state generation

Microcavities enable the generation of highly efficient microcombs, which find applications in various domains, such as high-precision metrology, sensing, and telecommunications. Such applications generally require precise control over the spectral features of the microcombs, such as free spectral range, spectral envelope, and bandwidth. Most existing methods for customizing microcomb still rely on manual exploration of a large parameter space, often lacking practicality and versatility. In this work, we propose a smart approach that employs genetic algorithms to autonomously optimize the parameters for generating and tailoring stable microcombs. Our scheme controls optical parametric oscillation in a microring resonator to achieve broadband microcombs spanning the entire telecommunication C-band. The high flexibility of our approach allows us to obtain complex microcomb spectral envelopes corresponding to various operation regimes, with the potential to be directly adapted to different microcavity geometries and materials. Our work provides a robust and effective solution for targeted soliton crystal and multi-soliton state generation, with future potential for next-generation telecommunication applications and artificial intelligence-assisted data processing. © The Author(s) 2024.