Generation of optical frequency combs in fibres:an optical pulse analysis

The innovation of optical frequency combs (OFCs) generated in passive mode-locked lasers has provided astronomy with unprecedented accuracy for wavelength calibration in high-resolution spectroscopy in research areas such as the discovery of exoplanets or the measurement of fundamental constants. The unique properties of OCFs, namely a highly dense spectrum of uniformly spaced emission lines of nearly equal intensity over the nominal wavelength range, is not only beneficial for high-resolution spectroscopy. Also in the low- to medium-resolution domain, the OFCs hold the promise to revolutionise the calibration techniques. Here, we present a novel method for generation of OFCs. As opposed to the mode-locked laser-based approach that can be complex, costly, and difficult to stabilise, we propose an all optical fibre-based system that is simple, compact, stable, and low-cost. Our system consists of three optical fibres where the first one is a conventional single-mode fibre, the second one is an erbium-doped fibre and the third one is a highly nonlinear low-dispersion fibre. The system is pumped by two equally intense continuous-wave (CW) lasers. To be able to control the quality and the bandwidth of the OFCs, it is crucial to understand how optical solitons arise out of the initial modulated CW field in the first fibre. Here, we numerically investigate the pulse evolution in the first fibre using the technique of the solitons radiation beat analysis. Having applied this technique, we realised that formation of higherorder solitons is supported in the low-energy region, whereas, in the high-energy region, Kuznetsov-Ma solitons appear.

Inverse four-wave mixing and self-parametric amplification in optical fibre

An important group of nonlinear processes in optical fibre involve the mixing of four waves due to the intensity dependence of the refractive index. It is customary to distinguish between nonlinear effects that require external/pumping waves (cross-phase modulation and parametric processes such as four-wave mixing) and those arising from self-action of the propagating optical field (self-phase modulation and modulation instability). Here, we present a new nonlinear self-action effect—self-parametric amplification—which manifests itself as optical spectrum narrowing in normal dispersion fibre, leading to very stable propagation with a distinctive spectral distribution. The narrowing results from inverse four-wave mixing, resembling an effective parametric amplification of the central part of the spectrum by energy transfer from the spectral tails. Self-parametric amplification and the observed stable nonlinear spectral propagation with a random temporal waveform can find applications in optical communications and high-power fibre lasers with nonlinear intracavity dynamics.

The potential for networks with capacities exceeding the nonlinear-Shannon limit

We examine the network benefits of various forms of nonlinearity compensation, showing that total network capacities that are more than double the capacity of a network with reaches determined by the Nonlinear-Shannon limit © 2015 OSA.

High resolution optical time-domain reflectometry based on correlation utilizing an all-fiber chaotic source

We propose a high-resolution optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) based on an all-fiber supercontinuum source. The source simply consists of a laser with moderate power and a section of fiber which has a zero dispersion wavelength near the laser's central wavelength. Spectrum and time domain properties of the source are investigated, showing that the source has great capability in nonlinear optics, such as correlation OTDR. We analyze one of the key factors limiting the operational range of such an OTDR, i.e., sampling time. Finally, we experimentally demonstrate a correlation OTDR with 25km sensing range and 5.3cm spatial resolution, as a verification of theoretical analysis.

Three key regimes of single pulse generation per round trip of all-normal-dispersion fiber lasers mode-locked with nonlinear polarization rotation

We show experimentally and numerically new transient lasing regime between stable single-pulse generation and noise-like generation. We characterize qualitatively all three regimes of single pulse generation per round-trip of all-normal-dispersion fiber lasers mode-locked due to effect of nonlinear polarization evolution. We study spectral and temporal features of pulses produced in all three regimes as well as compressibility of such pulses. Simple criteria are proposed to identify lasing regime in experiment. © 2012 Optical Society of America.

Techniques for noise and nonlinear impairments compensation in CO-OFDM transmission

In this paper, we discuss recent advances in digital signal processing techniques for compensation of the laser phase noise and fiber nonlinearity impairments in coherent optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CO-OFDM) transmission. For laser phase noise compensation, we focus on quasi-pilot-aided (QPA) and decision-directed-free blind (DDF-blind) phase noise compensation techniques. For fiber nonlinearity compensation, we discuss in details the principle and performance of the phase-conjugated pilots (PCP) scheme.

Design of nonlinear regenerative transmission systems with high capacity

We present the design of nonlinear regenerative communication channels that have capacity above the classical Shannon capacity of the linear additive white Gaussian noise channel. The upper bound for regeneration efficiency is found and the asymptotic behavior of the capacity in the saturation regime is derived. © 2013 IEEE.

Impact of reduced complexity inverse Volterra series transfer function-based nonlinear equalizer in coherent OFDM systems for next-generation core networks

A modern electronic nonlinearity equalizer (NLE) based on inverse Volterra series transfer function (IVSTF) with reduced complexity is applied on coherent optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (CO-OFDM) signals for next-generation long- and ultra-long-haul applications. The OFDM inter-subcarrier crosstalk effects are explored thoroughly using the IVSTF-NLE and compared with the case of linear equalization (LE) for transmission distances of up to 7000 km. © 2013 IEEE.

Highly nonlinear chalcogenide suspended-core fibers for applications in the mid-infrared

Due to their unique dispersion and nonlinear properties, chalcogenide suspended-core fibers, characterized by a few micrometer-sized core suspended between large air-holes by few small glaß struts, are excellent candidates for mid-infrared applications. In the present study the influence of the main croß-section characteristics of the chalcogenide suspended-core fibers on the dispersion curve and on the position of the zero-dispersion wavelength has been thoroughly analyzed with a full-vector modal solver based on the finite element. In particular, the design of suspended-core fibers made of both As2S3 and As2Se3 has been optimized to obtain dispersion properties suitable for the supercontinuum generation in the mid-infrared.

Bandwidth programmable optical Nyquist pulse generation in passively mode-locked fiber laser

We propose and numerically demonstrate a novel simple method to produce optical Nyquist pulses based on pulse shaping in a passively mode-locked fiber laser with an in-cavity flat-top spectral filter. The proposed scheme takes advantage of the nonlinear in-cavity dynamics of the laser and offers the possibility to generate high-quality sinc-shaped pulses with widely tunable bandwidth directly from the laser oscillator. We also show that the use of a filter with a corrective convex profile relaxes the need for large nonlinear phase accumulation in the cavity by offsetting the concavity of the nonlinearly broadened pulse spectrum.

Parabolic similaritons in optical fibres

Recent developments in nonlinear optics have brought to the fore of intensive research an interesting class of pulses with a parabolic intensity profile and a linear instantaneous frequency shift or chirp. Parabolic pulses propagate in optical fibres with normal group-velocity dispersion in a self-similar manner, holding certain relations (scaling) between pulse power, duration and chirp parameter, and can tolerate strong nonlinearity without distortion or wave breaking. These solutions, which have been dubbed similaritons, were demonstrated theoretically and experimentally in fibre amplifiers in 2000. Similaritons in fibre amplifiers are, along with solitons in passive fibres, the most well-known classes of nonlinear attractors for pulse propagation in optical fibre, so they take on major fundamental importance. The unique properties of parabolic similaritons have stimulated numerous applications in nonlinear optics, ranging from ultrashort high-power pulse generation to highly coherent continuum sources and to optical nonlinear processing of telecommunication signals. In this work, we review the physics underlying the generation of parabolic similaritons as well as recent results obtained in a wide range of experimental configurations.

Thermalized polarization dynamics of a discrete optical-waveguide system with four-wave mixing

Statistical mechanics of two coupled vector fields is studied in the tight-binding model that describes propagation of polarized light in discrete waveguides in the presence of the four-wave mixing. The energy and power conservation laws enable the formulation of the equilibrium properties of the polarization state in terms of the Gibbs measure with positive temperature. The transition line T=∞ is established beyond which the discrete vector solitons are created. Also in the limit of the large nonlinearity an analytical expression for the distribution of Stokes parameters is obtained, which is found to be dependent only on the statistical properties of the initial polarization state and not on the strength of nonlinearity. The evolution of the system to the final equilibrium state is shown to pass through the intermediate stage when the energy exchange between the waveguides is still negligible. The distribution of the Stokes parameters in this regime has a complex multimodal structure strongly dependent on the nonlinear coupling coefficients and the initial conditions.

Nanophotonics of optical fibers

This review is concerned with nanoscale effects in highly transparent dielectric photonic structures fabricated from optical fibers. In contrast to those in plasmonics, these structures do not contain metal particles, wires, or films with nanoscale dimensions. Nevertheless, a nanoscale perturbation of the fiber radius can significantly alter their performance. This paper consists of three parts. The first part considers propagation of light in thin optical fibers (microfibers) having the radius of the order of 100 nanometers to 1 micron. The fundamental mode propagating along a microfiber has an evanescent field which may be strongly expanded into the external area. Then, the cross-sectional dimensions of the mode and transmission losses are very sensitive to small variations of the microfiber radius. Under certain conditions, a change of just a few nanometers in the microfiber radius can significantly affect its transmission characteristics and, in particular, lead to the transition from the waveguiding to non-waveguiding regime. The second part of the review considers slow propagation of whispering gallery modes in fibers having the radius of the order of 10–100 microns. The propagation of these modes along the fiber axis is so slow that they can be governed by extremely small nanoscale changes of the optical fiber radius. This phenomenon is exploited in SNAP (surface nanoscale axial photonics), a new platform for fabrication of miniature super-low-loss photonic integrated circuits with unprecedented sub-angstrom precision. The SNAP theory and applications are overviewed. The third part of this review describes methods of characterization of the radius variation of microfibers and regular optical fibers with sub-nanometer precision.

Femtosecond and UV inscribed grating characterization in photonic crystal fibres:optimization for sensing applications

Photonic crystal fibres (PCF) and more commonly microstructure fibres, remain interesting and novel fibre types and when suitably designed can prove to be "ideal" for sensing applications, as the different geometrical arrangement of the air holes alters their optical wave-guiding properties, whilst also providing tailored dispersion characteristics. This impacts the performance of grating structures, which offer wavelength encoded sensing information. We undertake a study on different air hole geometries and proceed with characterization of fibre Bragg and long period gratings, FBG and LPG, respectively that have been inscribed (using either a femtosecond or ultraviolet laser system) within different designs of microstructured fibre that are of interest for sensing applications. © 2012 SPIE.

Capacity of dispersion-non-compensated nonlinear fibre channels

We present the analytical description of a specific nonlinear fibre channel with non-compensated dispersion. Information theory analysis shows that capacity of such nonlinear fibre channel does not decay with growing signal-to-noise ratio. © 2012 IEEE.