Mode-locked fiber laser using the Sagnac interferometer and the nonlinear polarization rotation

Ibarra-Escamilla, B.; Kuzin, E. A.; Haus, Joseph W.; Pottiez, O.; Gomez-Garcia, Dario E.; Gutierrez-Zainos, Francisco; Mendoza-Vázquez, Sergio; Grajales-Coutico, Ruben

doi:10.1117/12.478269

Cited by 2 publications

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“…These include optical switching [50][51][52][53][54][55], phase conjugation [56], wavelength demultiplexing [57][58][59], mode-locking [60][61][62][63][64], pulse compression and pedestal suppression [65][66][67][68][69]. Earlier studies [70][71][72][73][74] have addressed the use of NOLMs to reshape and stabilize soliton pulses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonlinear loop mirror-based all-optical signal processing in fiber-optic communications

Boscolo

Turitsyn

Blow

2008

Optical Fiber Technology

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All-optical data processing is expected to play a major role in future optical communications. The fiber nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) is a valuable tool in optical signal processing applications. This paper presents an overview of our recent advances in developing NOLM-based all-optical processing techniques for application in fiber-optic communications. The use of in-line NOLMs as a general technique for all-optical passive 2R (reamplification, reshaping) regeneration of return-to-zero (RZ) on-off keyed signals in both high-speed, ultralong-distance transmission systems and terrestrial photonic networks is reviewed. In this context, a theoretical model enabling the description of the stable propagation of carrier pulses with periodic all-optical self-regeneration in fiber systems with in-line deployment of nonlinear optical devices is presented. A novel, simple pulse processing scheme using nonlinear broadening in normal dispersion fiber and loop mirror intensity filtering is described, and its employment is demonstrated as an optical decision element at a RZ receiver as well as an in-line device to realize a transmission technique of periodic all-optical RZ-non-return-to-zero-like format conversion. The important issue of phase-preserving regeneration of phase-encoded signals is also addressed by presenting a new design of NOLM based on distributed Raman amplification in the loop fiber.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonlinear loop mirror-based all-optical signal processing in fiber-optic communications

Boscolo

Turitsyn

Blow

2008

Optical Fiber Technology

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“…The FOLM can be designed to transmit a high-power signal while reflecting it at low power levels, which is dubbed a nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM). The NOLM has attracted considerable attention for mode-locking, pulse pedestal suppression, pulse compressors, intensity flattening of a stream of pulses, and optical switching [1][2][3][4][5]. In fact, uncontrolled residual birefringence strongly affects the FOLM and NOLM operation by requiring complicated polarization adjustments.…”

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confidence: 99%

Experimental investigation of the nonlinear optical loop mirror with low-birefringence, twisted fiber

Escamilla

Kuzin

Moran

et al.

2005 Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference

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We measure the transmission characteristics of the nonlinear optical loop mirror with a polarization asymmetry. Simple polarization adjustments enable the nonlinear control of the transmission for applications such as pedestal suppression, amplitude regularization, and modelocking.A fiber optical loop mirror (FOLM) consists of a fiber coupler whose output ports are connected together by a piece of long fiber to form the loop. By means of the coupler, the beams are made to travel along the same fiber path, but in opposite (or counter-propagating) directions. Upon completion of one round trip, the two beams are recombined in the fiber coupler. The phase difference between the counter-propagating beams and their polarization states determine the transmission of the FOLM. If a symmetrical coupler and an ideal fiber without any birefringence are used, the FOLM acts as a perfect mirror. The FOLM can be designed to transmit a high-power signal while reflecting it at low power levels, which is dubbed a nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM). The NOLM has attracted considerable attention for mode-locking, pulse pedestal suppression, pulse compressors, intensity flattening of a stream of pulses, and optical switching [1][2][3][4][5]. In fact, uncontrolled residual birefringence strongly affects the FOLM and NOLM operation by requiring complicated polarization adjustments. Furthermore the birefringence is sensitive to the environmental changes and does not allow day-to-day reproducible operation. A common solution of the problem is the use of a highly birefringent fiber in the loop [6]. Nevertheless the important parameters such as group velocity dispersion of the available hi-birefringent fibers are strongly restricted.In this paper we perform both FOLM and NOLM experiments using a symmetrical coupler with highly twisted standard SMF-28 fiber and a quarter-wave (QW) retarder plate in the loop to introduce the polarization asymmetry. Twist is used to eliminate the residual birefringence in a low birefringence fiber; nevertheless the experiments shown that the FOLM does not operate as an ideal one without residual birefringence. We simulated the operational characteristics of the FOLM and found that the interferometer can operate in a nearly ideal mode that eliminates residual birefringence effects in the loop by choosing the specific twist rate for the coupler ports. We verified the adjustment procedure in our experiments. In this talk we consider new aspects of the FOLM with a twisted fiber, which adds significant advantages. Highly-twisted fiber enables day-to-day reproducible operation of the interferometer, both FOLM and NOLM, because it averages the birefringence in the loop. As mentioned above environmental stability has been an impediment to its application in telecommunications and RF photonics technologies. A twisted fiber NOLM also has stable operating characteristics preserving all the advantages of the twisted fiber FOLM. We measured the nonlinear characteristics of twisted NOLM and found that the adjustment of th...

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Mode-locked fiber laser using the Sagnac interferometer and the nonlinear polarization rotation

Cited by 2 publications

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Nonlinear loop mirror-based all-optical signal processing in fiber-optic communications

Nonlinear loop mirror-based all-optical signal processing in fiber-optic communications

Experimental investigation of the nonlinear optical loop mirror with low-birefringence, twisted fiber

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