We review supercontinuum generation in optical fibers for particular cases where the nonlinear spectral broadening is induced by pump radiation from fiber-format sources. Based on numerical simulations, our paper is intended to provide experimental design guidelines tailored ytterbium and erbium-based pumps around 1060 and 1550 nm, respectively. In particular, at 1060 nm, we consider conditions under which the generated spectra are phase and intensity stable, and we address the dependence of the supercontinuum coherence on the input pulse parameters and the fiber length. At 1550 nm, special attention is paid to the case of dispersion-flattened dispersion-decreasing fiber, where we revisit the underlying physics in detail and explicitly examine the use of such fiber for supercontinuum generation with pumps of peak power in the range 200-1200 W and sub-10 m fiber lengths. We show that supercontinuum generation under such conditions can be highly coherent and can be applied to nonlinear pulse compression.

Fiber supercontinuum sources (Invited)

Current optical networks are migrating to wavelength division multiplexing (WDM)-based fiber transport between traditional electronic multiplexers/demultiplexers, routers, and switches. Passive optical add-drop WDM networks have emerged but an optical data network that makes full use of the technologies of dynamic optical routing and switching exists only in experimental test-beds. This paper discusses architecture and technology issues for the design of high performance optical data networks with two classes of technologies, WDM and time division multiplexing (TDM). The WDM network architecture presented stresses WDM aware Internet protocol (IP), taking full advantage of optical reconfiguration, optical protection and restoration, traffic grooming to minimize electronics costs, and optical flow-switching for large transactions. Special attention is paid to the access network where innovative approaches to architecture may have a significant cost benefit. In the more distant future, ultrahigh-speed optical TDM networks, operating at single stream data rates of 100 Gb/s, may offer unique advantages over WDM networks. These advantages may include the ability to provide integrated services to high-end users, multiple quality-of-service (QoS) levels, and truly flexible bandwidth-on-demand. The paper gives an overview of an ultrahigh-speed TDM network architecture and describes recent key technology developments such as high-speed sources, switches, buffers, and rate converters.

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Architectures and technologies for high-speed optical data networks

The recently developed process of temporal imaging expands or compresses time waveforms while preserving the shapes of their envelope profiles. A key element in a temporal imaging system is a time lens which imparts a quadratic phase modulation to the waveform being imaged. Several methods, such as electrooptic modulation, can be used to produce the phase modulation. In this paper, we concentrate on the parametric mixing of a signal waveform with a linearly chirped optical pump as the time lens mechanism. We analyze all single-lens system configurations including sum- and difference-frequency mixing schemes with positive and negative group velocity dispersions using temporal ray diagrams as an aid in understanding their operation.

Principles of parametric temporal imaging. I. System configurations

Supercontinuum generation in a highly nonlinear, dispersion-shifted fiber at 1550 nm is discussed. Spectrum generation under both pulsed and continuous-wave conditions is considered. With a few meters of highly nonlinear, dispersion-shifted fiber and a femtosecond erbium fiber laser, an octave-spanning supercontinuum is demonstrated. Kilometer lengths of nonlinear fiber pumped by a continuous-wave Raman fiber laser are shown to generate a continuum with a bandwidth greater than 247 nm. A nonlinear Schrodinger-equation model is used to investigate the effect of varying the dispersion on the pulsed continuum and noise effects in the continuous-wave continuum.

Pulsed and continuous-wave supercontinuum generation in highly nonlinear, dispersion-shifted fibers

Optical phase conjugation: principles, techniques, and applications

The super-continuum (SC) spectrum flatly broadened over 140-nm 10-dB bandwidth is generated by using a mode-locked semiconductor laser as a pulse source at 1550 nm. In our SC generation system, nearly Fourier-transform limited 0.9-ps pulses obtained through linear and nonlinear pulse compression are incident on a dispersion-flattened fiber having a small normal group-velocity dispersion. While the pulses pass through the normal dispersion fiber, the pulse waveform is adapted to suit the accumulation of a linear chirp, which leads to the flat and wide-band SC spectrum.

Generation of over 140-nm-wide super-continuum from a normal dispersion fiber by using a mode-locked semiconductor laser source

We present a design guideline for ultrafast wavelength conversion using a nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) composed of a dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF). By using the guideline, the wavelength allocation, the loop length, and the signal peak pourer are optimized for given values of the nonlinear coefficient and dispersion slope of the DSF. We actually construct a NOLM wavelength converter composed of a 50-m-long highly nonlinear DSF, and demonstrate 26-nm wavelength conversion of 500-fs pulse trains with a relatively low peak power of 4 W.

All-optical wavelength conversion of 500-fs pulse trains by using a nonlinear-optical loop mirror composed of a highly nonlinear DSF

We propose and experiment with a novel configuration of a wavelength-shift-free optical phase conjugator using a nonlinear fiber Sagnac interferometer. In the proposed configuration, two orthogonally polarized pump waves are fed into different ports of the Sagnac interferometer, and we can achieve polarization-independent as well as wavelength-shift-free operation.

Polarization-independent, wavelength-shift-free optical phase conjugator using a nonlinear fiber Sagnac interferometer

The present invention relates to a method for processing an optical signal is provided. An optical signal is input into an optical waveguide structure for providing a nonlinear effect. As a result, the optical signal undergoes chirping induced by the nonlinear effect. An output optical signal output from the optical waveguide structure is supplied to an optical bandpass filter to thereby extract components except a small-chirp component from the output optical signal. The optical bandpass filter has a pass band including a wavelength different from the wavelength of the optical signal. By extracting the components except the small-chirp component from the output optical signal in the form of pulse, it is possible to remove intensity fluctuations or accumulated noise especially at a top portion and/or a low-power portion of the pulse.

Method, device, and system for processing optical signals

The present invention relates an optical waveform measuring apparatus designed to eliminate the polarization dependency of an intensity correlation signal without a polarization diversity arrangement. The apparatus comprises a sampling light outputting unit for outputting a sampling light pulse to sample light under measurement, a sampling result outputting unit for developing a nonlinear optical effect stemming from the light under measurement and the sampling light pulse from the sampling light outputting unit to output light corresponding to a result of the sampling of the light under measurement, and a polarization state control unit for, before the start of the measurement of the light under measurement, carrying out control on the basis of a power level of the light from the sampling result outputting unit so that a polarization state of the light under measurement, which is to be inputted to the sampling light output unit, is placed into a predetermined state.

Fumio Futami

Papers

Generation of over 140-nm-wide super-continuum from a normal dispersion fiber by using a mode-locked semiconductor laser source

All-optical wavelength conversion of 500-fs pulse trains by using a nonlinear-optical loop mirror composed of a highly nonlinear DSF

Polarization-independent, wavelength-shift-free optical phase conjugator using a nonlinear fiber Sagnac interferometer

Method, device, and system for processing optical signals

Optical waveform measuring apparatus and optical waveform measuring method