Measurement of the frequency response induced by electrostriction in optical fibers.

Accurate measurements of the frequency response of the nonlinear refractive index induced by the combined effects of Kerr nonlinearity with electrostrictional excitation of acoustic waves in optical fibers are presented. A detailed experimental investigation of both standard (zero-dispersion wavelength,lambda(0) approximately 1.31microm) and dispersion-shifted (lambda(0)=1.

Electrostrictive cross-phase modulation of periodic pulse trains in optical fibers.

Electrostriction-induced cross-phase modulation between subsequent bits of a nonreturn-to-zero pulse train in optical fibers leads to nonlinear frequency shifts of opposite sign for the 1's and the 0's. Direct experimental measurements of the electrostrictive and Kerr-induced nonlinear phase shift across the bit profiles agree well with the theoretical modeling.

Polarization-independent Kerr coefficient measurement in optical fibers.

A novel cross-phase modulation scheme that permits measurement of the optical Kerr coefficient in nonpolarization-preserving fiber is presented. The scheme is based on a Michelson-type interferometer in which one mirror is replaced by an orthoconjugated mirror. The use of this device leads to an effective insensitivity with respect to the state of polarization of the probe and pump beams.