Spectral correlation of four-wave mixing generated in a photonic crystal fiber pumped by a chirped pulse.

We report the spectral distribution of the parametric process generated in a photonic crystal fiber pumped by a chirped pulse. The spectral correlation of four-wave mixing has been measured using the dispersive Fourier transform method. From statistical analysis of multiple shot-to-shot spectral measurements, the spectral correlation between the signal and idler photons reveals physical insights into the particular portion of the pump spectrum responsible for generating the four-wave mixing.

2-μm Brillouin laser based on infrared nonlinear glass fibers.

Infrared fiber materials such as chalcogenide, tellurite, and heavily germanium-doped silica glasses are attractive materials for many applications based on nonlinear optical effects such as Kerr, Raman, and Brillouin processes. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a close-to-single-frequency Brillouin fiber laser in the 2-μm wavelength region either based on tellurite () glass or on heavily germanium-doped silica glass. Our results reveal a strong enhancement of the Brillouin gain efficiency at 2 μm of more than 50 times that of standard silica optical fibers.

Large Brillouin gain in Germania-doped core optical fibers up to a 98 mol% doping level.

Germanosilicate glasses are substantial materials in fiber optic technology that have allowed the control of optical properties such as numerical aperture, photosensitivity, dispersion, nonlinearity, and transparency toward mid-infrared. Here, we investigate stimulated Brillouin scattering in single-mode germanosilicate core fibers with increasing GeO content from 3.6 mol% up to 98 mol%.

Fast-beam self-trapping in LiNbO(3) films by pyroelectric effect.

We report light-beam self-trapping triggered by the pyroelectric effect in an isolated ferroelectric thin film. Experiments are performed in an 8-μm-thick congruent undoped LiNbO(3) film bonded onto a silicon wafer. Response time two orders of magnitude faster than in bulk LiNbO(3) is reported.

Brillouin light scattering from surface acoustic waves in a subwavelength-diameter optical fibre.

Brillouin scattering in optical fibres is a fundamental interaction between light and sound with important implications ranging from optical sensors to slow and fast light. In usual optical fibres, light both excites and feels shear and longitudinal bulk elastic waves, giving rise to forward-guided acoustic wave Brillouin scattering and backward-stimulated Brillouin scattering. In a subwavelength-diameter optical fibre, the situation changes dramatically, as we here report with the first experimental observation of Brillouin light scattering from surface acoustic waves.

Reduction and control of stimulated Brillouin scattering in polymer-coated chalcogenide optical microwires.

We investigate the onset of nonlinear effects in hybrid polymer-chalcogenide optical microwires and show that they provide an enhanced Kerr nonlinearity while simultaneously mitigating stimulated Brillouin scattering as compared to both chalcogenide and silica optical fibers. It is shown in particular that the polymer cladding surrounding the microwire significantly broadens the Brillouin linewidth and increases the threshold, thus enabling Kerr nonlinear applications. We also study the influence of the wire diameter on the Brillouin dynamics and demonstrate that the Brillouin frequency shift can be finely tuned over a wide radio-frequency range.

Demonstration of polarization pulling using a fiber-optic parametric amplifier.

We report the observation of all-optical polarization pulling of an initially polarization-scrambled signal using parametric amplification in a highly nonlinear optical fiber. Broadband polarization pulling has been achieved both for the signal and idler waves with up to 25 dB gain using the strong polarization sensitivity of parametric amplifiers. We further derive the probability distribution function for the final polarization state, assuming a randomly polarized initial state, and we show that it agrees well with the experiments.

Temperature coefficient of the high-frequency guided acoustic mode in a photonic crystal fiber.

High-frequency guided acoustic Brillouin modes have recently been observed in small-core silica photonic crystal fibers. In this paper, we investigate the temperature dependence of the optical sideband frequency generated by one of these guided acoustic waves. The experimental results show a temperature coefficient of 100 kHz/°C at an acoustic resonance frequency of 1.

Frequency-selective excitation of guided acoustic modes in a photonic crystal fiber.

We present experimental and numerical results demonstrating the simultaneous frequency-selective excitation of several guided acoustic Brillouin modes in a photonic crystal fiber with a multi-scale structure design. These guided acoustic modes are identified by using a full vector finite-element model to result from elastic radial vibrations confined by the wavelength-scale air-silica microstructure. We further show the strong impact of structural irregularities of the fiber on the frequency and modal shape of these acoustic resonances.

Photonic crystal fiber mapping using Brillouin echoes distributed sensing.

In this paper we investigate the effect of microstructure irregularities and applied strain on backward Brillouin scattering by comparing two photonic crystal fibers drawn with different parameters in order to minimize diameter and microstructure fluctuations. We fully characterize their Brillouin properties including the gain spectrum and the critical power. Using Brillouin echoes distributed sensing with a high spatial resolution of 30 cm we are able to map the Brillouin frequency shift along the fiber and get an accurate estimation of the microstructure longitudinal fluctuations.

Investigation of gain ripple in two-pump fiber optical parametric amplifiers.

By using the four-sideband theory, we analyze the gain spectrum in wideband two-pump fiber optical parametric amplifiers and predict gain ripples over the flat gain region. We derive an approximation of their pseudo-periods and discuss methods for reducing their amplitudes.

Slow-light spatial solitons.

We numerically and experimentally report the observation of slow-light spatial solitons in a Kerr medium owing to light amplification by stimulated Raman scattering. This was achieved in a CS2 nonlinear planar waveguide that possesses both a strong self-focusing nonlinearity to generate the spatial Raman soliton and a Raman susceptibility sharp enough to induce the slow-light process simultaneously. We show that the Raman Stokes component is optically delayed by more than 120 ps for a 140 ps Raman pulse duration and only 3 cm of propagation length, while propagating as a spatial soliton beam.

Raman-assisted parametric frequency conversion in a normally dispersive single-mode fiber.

We demonstrate efficient frequency conversion with large frequency shifts of an anti-Stokes signal into a parametrically seeded Stokes idler, which is generated by a highly mismatched three-wave mixing interaction and subsequent Raman amplification in a normally dispersive single-mode fiber. The use of non-phase-matched waves in Raman-assisted three-wave mixing interactions overcomes the strict spectral limitations imposed by phase-matching conditions in parametric frequency-conversion processes.

Transient dark photovoltaic spatial solitons and induced guiding in slab LiNbO(3) waveguides.

Dark photorefractive photovoltaic spatial solitons are demonstrated at 532 nm in nominally undoped and slightly Fe-doped LiNbO(3) planar optical waveguides. The spatial solitons are observed in a transient regime before transverse modulation instability occurs. Their widths are intensity independent as predicted by theory.

Complete experimental characterization of stimulated Brillouin scattering in photonic crystal fiber.

We provide a complete experimental characterization of stimulated Brillouin scattering in a 160 m long solid-core photonic crystal fiber, including threshold and spectrum measurements as well as position-resolved mapping of the Brillouin frequency shift. In particular, a three-fold increase of the Brillouin threshold power is observed, in excellent agreement with the spectrally-broadened Brillouin gain spectrum. Distributed measurements additionally reveal that the rise of the Brillouin threshold results from the broadband nature of the gain spectrum all along the fiber and is strongly influenced by strain.

Guided acoustic wave Brillouin scattering in photonic crystal fibers.

We experimentally investigate guided acoustic wave Brillouin scattering in several photonic crystal fibers by use of the so-called fiber loop mirror technique and show a completely different dynamics with respect to standard all-silica fibers. In addition to the suppression of most acoustic phonons, we show that forward Brillouin scattering in photonic crystal fibers is substantially enhanced only for the fundamental acoustic phonon because of efficient transverse acousto-optic field overlap. The results of our numerical simulations reveal that this high-frequency phonon is indeed trapped within the fiber core by the air-hole microstructure, in good agreement with experimental measurements.

Generation of multicolor vector Kerr solitons by cross-phase modulation, four-wave mixing, and stimulated Raman scattering.

We numerically and experimentally show the existence of multicolor vector spatial solitons in a Kerr planar waveguide through the combined effects of cross-phase modulation, four-wave mixing, and stimulated Raman scattering. Mutual spatial guiding of the Raman-Stokes, anti-Stokes, and pump waves is achieved in the high-conversion regime mainly by cross-phase modulation and phase-matched four-wave mixing induced by a power imbalance between Stokes and anti-Stokes components, leading to the generation of a clear-cut sech-shape three-frequency spatial soliton.

Supercontinuum generation using continuous-wave multiwavelength pumping and dispersion management.

We experimentally demonstrate that continuous-wave supercontinuum generation in optical fibers can be significantly enhanced by using both multiwavelength pumping and dispersion management. We show by detailed spectral analysis that continuum enhancement is achieved mainly through a combination of Raman-assisted modulation instabilities, soliton compression, and dispersive wave generation. With this technique, an 800 nm wide (from 1.

Experimental observation of the elliptically polarized fundamental vector soliton of isotropic Kerr media.

We report the experimental observation of the elliptically polarized fundamental vector soliton of isotropic Kerr media and its unique polarization evolution. This was achieved in the spatial domain in a nonbirefringent CS2 planar waveguide.

Large self-deflection of soliton beams in LiNbO3.

We report the observation of large self-deflection of 2-D bright photorefractive solitons in LiNbO3 crystal under a dc applied field. Beam deflection as large as 300 microm after a 7 mm propagation distance is reported, leading to formation of curved 2-D waveguides. We attribute this large deflection to the low level of impurity acceptors present in the samples, as confirmed by numerical results from a time-dependent photorefractive model.

Annular aperture arrays: study in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Baida and Van Labeke recently proposed a structure that exhibits a supertransmission of light through an array of nanometric coaxial apertures in a metallic film that has been named an annular aperture array (AAA) [Opt. Commun. 209, 17 (2002); Phys.

Spectral broadening of a partially coherent CW laser beam in single-mode optical fibers.

The nonlinear propagation of a partially coherent continuous-wave laser beam in single-mode optical fibers is investigated both theoretically and experimentally, with a special attention to the zero-dispersion wavelength region where modulation instability is expected. Broadband asymmetric spectral broadening is reported experimentally and found in fairly good agreement with a numerical Schrödinger simulation including a phase-diffusion model for the partially coherent beam. This model shows in addition that the underlying spectral broadening mechanism relies not only on modulation instability but also on the generation of high-order soliton-like pulses and dispersive waves.

Generation of a broadband single-mode supercontinuum in a conventional dispersion-shifted fiber by use of a subnanosecond microchip laser.

We report the experimental generation, simply by use of a subnanosecond microchip laser at 532 nm and a conventional dispersion-shifted fiber, of a supercontinuum that spans more than 1100 nm. We show by detailed spectral analysis that this supercontinuum originates from a preliminary four-wave mixing process with multimode phase matching and subsequent double-cascade stimulated Raman scattering and is transversely single mode as a result of Raman-induced mode competition. This technique is believed to be the simplest configuration that allows one to generate a stable supercontinuum.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of soliton arrays generated from spatial noise in a planar waveguide with relaxing Kerr nonlinearity.

Quasi-periodic arrays of bright soliton-like beams are obtained experimentally in the picosecond regime as a result of the transverse modulational instability of a noisy continuous background in a planar CS2 waveguide. For a given propagation length, the array is stable from a laser shot to another and for a wide range of input intensities. The experimental period corresponds to the maximum gain of modulational instability only for the intensity just sufficient for soliton formation.

Symmetry-breaking instability of multimode vector solitons.

We show experimentally that the two-component multimode spatial optical vector soliton, i.e., a two-hump self-guided laser beam, exhibits in Kerr media a sharp space-inversion symmetry-breaking instability.