Continuous-wave wavelength conversion in a photonic crystal fiber with two zero-dispersion wavelengths

Transmission performance of multimode W-type microstructured polymer optical fibers

By solving the time-independent power flow equation (TI PFE), we study mode coupling in a multimode W-type microstructured polymer optical fiber (mPOF) with a solid-core. The multimode W-type mPOF is created by modifying the cladding layer and reducing the core of a multimode singly clad (SC) mPOF. For such optical fiber, the angular power distributions, the length L_c at which an equilibrium mode distribution (EMD) is achieved, and the length z_s for establishing a steady state distribution (SSD) are determined for various arrangements of the inner cladding's air-holes and different launch excitations. This information is useful for the implement of multimode W-type mPOFs in telecommunications and optical fiber sensors.

Numerical calculation of phase-matching properties in photonic crystal fibers with three and four zero-dispersion wavelengths

Photonic crystal fibers with three and four zero-dispersion wavelengths are presented through special design of the structural parameters, in which the closing to zero and ultra-flattened dispersion can be obtained. The unique phase-matching properties of the fibers with three and four zero-dispersion wavelengths are analyzed. Variation of the phase-matching wavelengths with the pump wavelengths, pump powers, dispersion properties, and fiber structural parameters is analyzed. The presence of three and four zero-dispersion wavelengths can realize wavelength conversion of optical soliton between two anomalous dispersion regions, generate six phase-matching sidebands through four-wave mixing and create more new photon pairs, which can be used for the study of supercontinuum generation, optical switches and quantum optics.

Gain and bandwidth investigation in a near-zero ultra-flat dispersion PCF for optical parametric amplification around the communication wavelength

In this work, we explore the fiber optical parametric amplifiers (FOPAs) gain and bandwidth spectra of near-zero ultra-flattened photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) around the communication wavelength. The parametric gain and spectral bandwidth have been explored for all the three zero-dispersion wavelengths (ZDWs) of the near-zero ultra-flat fiber. Our numerical analysis establishes a dispersion profile with D=0±0.35  ps/nm/km for a bandwidth of 440 nm around the communication wavelength to fully exploit the four-wave mixing effect with three ZDWs for broadband applications. It has been observed that the broader gain spectrum of FOPAs can be achieved with the near-zero and ultra-flattened dispersion curve with proper tuning of the pumping condition. A broader bandwidth with sufficient peak gain value has been achieved with small negative anomalous dispersion (β2≤0) and positive value of fourth-order dispersion parameter (+ve  β4) around the pumping wavelength. Wider bandwidth of the parametric amplifier has been observed around the second ZDW with a negative slope of the dispersion curve. A total bandwidth ≈520  nm could be achieved with the ultra-flat dispersion nature of the optimized PCF. The design methodology of achieving wider gain by tuning the pumping wavelength for favorable higher-order dispersion parameters would be very useful for future dispersion engineered devices.

Soliton trapping of dispersive waves in photonic crystal fiber with two zero dispersive wavelengths

Based on the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation, we present a numerical study of trapping of dispersive waves by solitons during supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fibers pumped with femtosecond pulses in the anomalous dispersion region. Numerical simulation results show that the generated supercontinuum is bounded by two branches of dispersive waves, namely blue-shifted dispersive waves (B-DWs) and red-shifted dispersive waves (R-DWs). We find a novel phenomenon that not only B-DWs but also R-DWs can be trapped by solitons across the zero-dispersion wavelength when the group-velocity matching between the soliton and the dispersive wave is satisfied, which may led to the generation of new spectral components via mixing of solitons and dispersive waves. Mixing of solitons with dispersive waves has been shown to play an important role in shaping not only the edge of the supercontinuum, but also its central part around the higher zero-dispersion wavelength. Further, we show that the phenomenon of soliton trapping of dispersive waves in photonic crystal fibers with two zero-dispersion wavelengths has a very close relationship with pumping power and the interval between two zero-dispersion wavelengths. In order to clearly display the evolution of soliton trapping of dispersive waves, the spectrogram of output pulses is observed using cross-correlation frequency-resolved optical gating technique (XFROG).

Tunable CW all-fiber optical parametric oscillator operating below 1 μm

CW all-fiber optical parametric oscillator (FOPO) with tuning range from 950 to 1010 nm is demonstrated using birefringent photonic crystal fiber pumped by an Ytterbium-doped fiber laser (YDFL) near 1 μm. CW parametric generation with spectral linewidth of 3.7 nm at 972 nm has been obtained with slope efficiency as high as 9.4% and output power of up to 460 mW. It is also shown that the FOPO slope efficiency reaches 25% after narrowing of the pump spectrum down to 40 pm. At that the generated power exceeds 1 W, but in this case the generated radiation is modulated with 48 ns period and 50% duty factor due to pump laser power modulation which is probably caused by stimulated Brillouin back scattering.

Simultaneous wavelength conversion of ASK and DPSK signals based on four-wave-mixing in dispersion engineered silicon waveguides

We experimentally demonstrate four-wave-mixing (FWM)-based continuous wavelength conversion of optical differential-phase-shift-keyed (DPSK) signals with large wavelength conversion ranges as well as simultaneous wavelength conversion of dual-wavelength channels with mixed modulation formats in 1.1-cm-long dispersion-engineered silicon waveguides. We first validate up to 100-nm wavelength conversion range for 10-Gb/s DPSK signals, showcasing the capability to perform phase-preserving operations at high bit rates in chip-scale devices over wide conversion ranges. We further validate the wavelength conversion of dual-wavelength channels modulated with 10-Gb/s packetized phase-shift-keyed (PSK) and amplitude-shift-keyed (ASK) signals; demonstrate simultaneous operation on multiple channels with mixed formats in chip-scale devices. For both configurations, we measure the spectral and temporal responses and evaluate the performances using bit-error-rate (BER) measurements.

Double-clad hollow core photonic crystal fiber for coherent Raman endoscope

Performing label free coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in endoscope imaging is a challenge, with huge potential clinical benefit. To date, this goal has remained inaccessible because of the inherent coherent Raman noise that is generated in the fiber itself. By developing double-clad hollow core photonic crystal fiber, we demonstrate coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering and stimulated Raman scattering in an 'endoscope-like' scheme. Both the excitation beams and the collected CARS and SRS signals travel through the same fiber. No CARS and SRS signals are generated within the hollow core fiber even for temporally overlapping pump and Stokes beams, leading to excellent image quality. The CARS and SRS signals generated in the sample are coupled back into a high numerical aperture multimode cladding surrounding the central photonic crystal cladding. We demonstrate this scheme by imaging molecular vibrational bonds of organic crystal deposited on a glass surface.

Discrete parametric band conversion in silicon for mid-infrared applications

Silicon photonics has great potential for mid-wave-infrared applications. The dispersion of waveguide can be manipulated by waveguide dimension and cladding materials. Simulation shows that <3 μm wide conversion can be achieved by tuning the pump wavelength.

Downhill simplex algorithm based approach to holey fiber design for tunable fiber parametric wavelength converters

We present a new approach to the design of the holey fibers that have ultra-high nonlinearity and dispersion properties optimized for tunable fiber parametric wavelength converters based on degenerated four wave mixing. This hybrid approach combines downhill simplex algorithms with four wave mixing modeling. Exploiting the relations between fiber properties and the converter's characteristics, this method is not only much faster than other methods proposed before but also enables an inverse design of the holey fibers according to the pre-set device characteristics, like conversion gain, tuning range, fiber length and pump power. We then investigate the sensitivity of these characteristics to the small variations in the fiber structural parameters and find adjusting the pump power can to some extent mitigate the impact of the fabrication errors.

Broadband wavelength conversion in a germanosilicate-core photonic crystal fiber

A photonic crystal fiber with a germanosilicate core having a nonlinear coefficient of 40 (W km)(-1) near the single dispersion zero at 1.09 microm is fabricated and studied. Broadband parametric wavelength conversion of the Ti:sapphire laser output tunable at 0.8 microm to the 1.55 microm band is obtained at 1.064 microm cw pump. The tuning of the converted signal in the 300 nm range was first realized without variation of the pump wavelength.

Polarization effects in a highly birefringent nonlinear photonic crystal fiber with two-zero dispersion wavelengths

A theoretical and experimental study is presented on polarized pulsed propagation from a highly birefringent nonlinear photonic crystal fiber with two-zero dispersion wavelengths. Experimental observations show that the input polarization state can maintain its linearity and that the fiber birefringence creates different spectral properties dependent on the input polarization orientation. The most extensive spectra are obtained for a coupling polarization angles aligned with the fast and slow axis, which is created by the high-order dispersion and Kerr nonlinearity.

Octave-spanning, high-power microstructure-fiber-based optical parametric oscillators

We investigate femtosecond optical parametric oscillators (OPO's) based on short pieces of microstructure fiber that generate sub-picosecond pulses with record average output power (50 mW) and >200 nm of wavelength tunability (yellow to near-IR). Signal and conjugate (idler)fields spanning an octave are also demonstrated. These systems can operate with a wide range of microstructure fibers, pump laser wavelengths and pulse durations, and our analysis shows that in terms of wavelength tunability and output power using short (less than a few cm's) optical fibers leads to performance that is superior to that with longer lengths.

Extended blue supercontinuum generation in cascaded holey fibers

By combining multiple photonic crystal fibers with sequentially decreasing zero-dispersion wavelengths we have produced a 1.2 W average-power white-light continuum, covering the visible-near-infrared spectrum from 0.44 to 1.89 microm (10 dB width), with an all-fiber picosecond ytterbium pump laser. Wavelengths as short as the ultraviolet (0.35 microm), and spectral power densities of more than 2 mW/nm in the blue spectral region, have been generated. The process is understood in terms of optimizing four-wave mixing phase matching to enhance short-wavelength generation.

Supercontinuum generation by femtosecond single and dual wavelength pumping in photonic crystal fibers with two zero dispersion wavelengths

We investigate supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fibers under femtosecond single and dual wavelength pumping experimentally and by numerical simulations. Details about the expansion of the blue but also the red side of the continuum due to cross-phase modulation (XPM) and transfer of energy to dispersive waves are revealed and experimentally confirmed. Additionally, simple guidelines are given to predicte the maximum bandwidth of supercontinuum generation only by the use of the dispersion curve of the fiber.