Fluctuations and Correlations in Kerr Optical Frequency Combs with Additive Gaussian Noise

We investigate the effects of environmental stochastic fluctuations on Kerr optical frequency combs. This spatially extended dynamical system can be accurately studied using the Lugiato–Lefever equation, and we show that when additive noise is accounted for, the correlations of the modal field fluctuations can be determined theoretically. We propose a general theory for the computation of these field fluctuations and correlations, which is successfully compared to numerical simulations.