An optical frequency division clockwork through Kerr-induced synchronization in microcombs

In this talk, I will present our recent results on Kerr-induced synchronization (KIS) of octave-spanning microcombs and discuss how they can impact clockworks for optical atomic clocks. With KIS, we achieve all-optical locking of a microcomb to a reference laser (which can be linked to an atomic frequency reference), bypassing the need for active beat note detection and servo control, and naturally leading to optical frequency division of the reference laser onto the Kerr comb repetition rate. I will also discuss how KIS dramatically improves our ability to self-reference the Kerr comb and detect its carrier-envelope offset frequency. Finally, I'll outline our efforts to further advance KIS of microcombs in support of a Rb 2-photon optical clock.