Temperature-induced stochastic resonance in Kerr photonic cavities for frequency shift

Driven nonlinear photonic cavities are widely studied because they exhibit many interesting effects, such as nonreciprocity, thermal effects, and frequency conversion. Specifically, adding noise to a modulated nonlinear system can lead to stochastic resonance (SR), which corresponds to periodic transitions between stable states. In this work, we study the outgoing power and spectra from a nonlinear-driven photonic cavity coupled to an external port. Using a Langevin framework, we show that the system temperature induces SR in the bistable regime, which we study in detail to exploit for enhanced frequency shift. In this way, the thermal fluctuations of the system itself can function as a driver for effective sideband generation, enabling shift efficiencies of up to 40%. We extensively explore various regimes in order to understand and maximize the process. (C) 2022 Optica Publishing Group