Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) has become a favorable underlying mechanism in many demonstrations of all-optical variable delay in standard fibers, often referred to as slow and fast light. Over 100 journal papers and numerous conference sessions have been dedicated to SBS slow light since 2005. In this paper, recent research in this area is reviewed. Following a short introduction to the topic, several specific trends in contemporary work are highlighted: the optimization of the SBS pump spectrum for extended slow light delay and reduced pulse distortion; SBS slow light demonstrations in nonstandard, highly nonlinear fibers; applications of SBS slow light to the delay of analog waveforms; and the role of polarization. Finally, a brief concluding perspective is provided.

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Stimulated Brillouin scattering slow light in optical fibers [Invited]

An overview of the basic structures, characteristics, element base and directions of development for microwave photonics systems is presented in this paper in terms of requirements defining the parameters of external amplitude-phase modulation as key process for radio frequency signal generation in the optical range and poly-harmonic laser radiation with components, lying within the radio frequency range.

External amplitude-phase modulation of laser radiation for generation of microwave frequency carriers and optical poly-harmonic signals: an overview

The article describes the principles of optical vector network analyzer (OVNA) design for fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) characterization based on amplitude-phase modulation of optical carrier that allow us to improve the measurement accuracy of amplitude and phase parameters of the elements under test. Unlike existing OVNA based on a single-sideband and unbalanced double sideband amplitude modulation, the ratio of the two side components of the probing radiation is used for analysis of amplitude and phase parameters of the tested elements, and the radiation of the optical carrier is suppressed, or the latter is used as a local oscillator. The suggested OVNA is designed for the narrow band-stop elements (π-phaseshift FBG) and wide band-pass elements (linear chirped FBG) research.

Optical vector network analyzer based on amplitude-phase modulation

We calculate the quantum-limited shape of the comb lines from a mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser using experimentally-derived parameters for the linear response of the laser to perturbations. The free-running width of the comb lines is found across the laser spectrum. By modeling the effect of a simple feedback loop, we calculate the spectrum of the residual phase noise in terms of the quantum noise and the feedback parameters. Finally, we calculate the frequency uncertainty in an optical frequency measurement if the limiting factor is quantum noise in the detection of the optical heterodyne beat.

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The quantum-limited comb lineshape of a mode-locked laser: fundamental limits on frequency uncertainty.

We introduce a nondisruptive in situ polarization-mode dispersion measurement technique using the sidebands of working channels and show that it compares favorably with the standard Mueller matrix method. Using this technique, we observed time correlations between the instantaneous differential group delay and bit-error rate on a 1000-km field-installed 43-Gb/s transmission system.

In-service measurements of polarization-mode dispersion and correlation to bit-error rate

In this paper, the characteristics of PMD and the effect of PMD on communication system have been analyzed theoretically by computer simulation. By solving the nonlinear Schrdinger equation (NLSE), our simulation results show that in the high-speed transmission system of 40Gbit/s, when the first-order of the group delay of the chromatic dispersion has been complete compensated, PMD becomes the main factor which caused average Q value's decline; and the system's average Q value curve changes with various kinds of pulse's duty cycle, when the duty cycle is 1, the performance of the system is the worst; Average Q value of the system also changes with the variety of the input power, and we could found a optimum value, when P_0 deviates from the optimum value, average Q value will drop.

Qian Sheng

Papers

Polarization-Mode Dispersion in Optical Fiber