Measurement of the frequency response of the electrostrictive nonlinearity in optical fibers

Imaging enhancement based on stimulated Brillouin amplification in optical fiber

The detection of weak optical signals embedded in strong background illumination has broad application prospects. We propose an imaging enhancement method based on stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in a single-mode fiber, which is capable of amplifying the weak optical signal while neglecting the broadband background noise because of its narrow gain bandwidth. In experiment, a high gain of 60 dB was achieved. An imaging enhancement experiment was carried out, where a target which cannot be seen because of transmission loss could be clearly captured with the amplification of SBS in the fiber. Because of the employment of continuous pump rather than a pulsed pump, this system has wide application in the monitoring of non-cooperative targets.

Effects of pump recycling technique on stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold: a theoretical model

We develop a theoretical model that can be used to predict stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) threshold in optical fibers that arises through the effect of Brillouin pump recycling technique. Obtained simulation results from our model are in close agreement with our experimental results. The developed model utilizes single mode optical fiber of different lengths as the Brillouin gain media. For 5-km long single mode fiber, the calculated threshold power for SBS is about 16 mW for conventional technique. This value is reduced to about 8 mW when the residual Brillouin pump is recycled at the end of the fiber. The decrement of SBS threshold is due to longer interaction lengths between Brillouin pump and Stokes wave.

Optoacoustic solitons in Bragg gratings

Optical gap solitons, which exist due to a balance of nonlinearity and dispersion due to a Bragg grating, can couple to acoustic waves through electrostriction. This gives rise to a new species of "gap-acoustic" solitons (GASs), for which we find exact analytic solutions. The GAS consists of an optical pulse similar to the optical gap soliton, dressed by an accompanying phonon pulse. Close to the speed of sound, the phonon component is large. In subsonic (supersonic) solitons, the phonon pulse is a positive (negative) density variation. Coupling to the acoustic field damps the solitons' oscillatory instability, and gives rise to a distinct instability for supersonic solitons, which may make the GAS decelerate and change direction, ultimately making the soliton subsonic.

Coherence effect on the measurement of optical fiber nonlinear coefficient

We investigated a source coherence effect on the measurement of the optical fiber nonlinear coefficient by use of dual optical frequencies. We produced coherent and incoherent dual optical frequencies with a self-heterodyne Mach-Zehnder interferometer with and without a delay line, respectively. Our measurement results included both an electrostrictive and a Kerr nonlinear coefficient because of the low modulation frequency. Comparing the coherent case with an incoherent case, we obtained a nonlinear coefficient that was more than 3% higher in the coherent case.

Electrostrictive response in single-mode ring-index-profile fibers

We have theoretically investigated, for what is to our knowledge the first time, the electrostrictive response in a single-mode ring-core fiber. We found that the electrostrictive response function differs strongly from those of standard fibers with a Gaussian light-intensity profile.

Mode-profile dependence of the electrostrictive response in fibers

The transverse optical intensity profile in fibers affects the efficiency of acoustic mode excitation by the optical field and the subsequent response of the field to the excited acoustic modes. The magnitude of the electrostrictive nonlinear coefficient for a square-top intensity profile will exceed that of a Gaussian profile by a fact of 2. For current fiber designs the range of values for n(2str) at zero frequency is expected to vary from 0.43 to 0.71x10(-16)cm(2)W(-1) based on mode profile alone. The relative contribution of electrostriction to the total nonlinear response (electrostrictive+Kerr) in fibers increases proportionately as the mode profile flattens.

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.

Direct measurement of electrostriction in optical fibers

The electrostriction contribution to the nonlinear refractive index in optical fiber was theoretically calculated and measured. Nonlinearity was induced directly by insertion of the optical fiber into an intense external electric field. With this technique both the Kerr and the electrostrictive contributions to the intensity dependence of the nonlinear refractive index in a step-index fiber were measured. Good agreement between calculated and measured values was observed. These results should confirm and explain the differences observed in measurement of n(2) at different bit rates.

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)=1.55microm) single-mode fibers showed the presence of several resonant peaks induced by the electrostrictive nonlinearity in the fiber structure. This investigation has provided better insight into the frequency behavior of the electrostriction-induced acoustic waves in optical fibers.