The use of the nonlinear optical loop mirror for investigations of pulse breakup in optical fibers

Evgeny A. Kuzin; Olivier Pottiez; Baldemar Ibarra-Escamilla

doi:10.1117/12.872922

21 February 2011 The use of the nonlinear optical loop mirror for investigations of pulse breakup in optical fibers

Evgeny A. Kuzin, Olivier Pottiez, Baldemar Ibarra-Escamilla

Proceedings Volume 7917, Nonlinear Frequency Generation and Conversion: Materials, Devices, and Applications X; 79170Y (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.872922
Event: SPIE LASE, 2011, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Pulse breakup and the formation of a bunch of solitons are the principal processes at the initial stage of the supercontinuum generation using long pulses for pumping. Most investigations use the measurement of the output spectrum to characterize the development of the supercontinuum. The extraction of an individual soliton or a group of solitons with similar parameters from the bunch can reveal details that are usually hidden when only the output spectrum is measured. Earlier we have studied the NOLM including a twisted fiber and a quarter wave retarder (QWR) in the loop. Its operation is based on the nonlinear polarization rotation effect. We showed that this NOLM is stable to changes of environmental conditions, and allows simple and predictable changes of its characteristics. In previous works we demonstrated its application for mode-locked lasers, pedestal suppression, or retrieval of a pulse shape. In this work we demonstrate that the NOLM is a viable device for the investigation of pulse breakup process and soliton formation. The operation principle is based on the fact that the NOLM has a maximum transmission for the solitons with specific durations while solitons with shorter and longer durations are strongly rejected. The duration associated with high transmission depends on the NOLM length and can also be changed by amplification of the solitons before entering the NOLM. By an appropriate choice of the NOLM parameters and the amplification of the bunch of solitons, the extraction of the solitons with selected parameters is possible.

Citation Download Citation

Evgeny A. Kuzin, Olivier Pottiez, and Baldemar Ibarra-Escamilla "The use of the nonlinear optical loop mirror for investigations of pulse breakup in optical fibers", Proc. SPIE 7917, Nonlinear Frequency Generation and Conversion: Materials, Devices, and Applications X, 79170Y (21 February 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.872922

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