Suppression of WDM four-wave mixing crosstalk in fibre optic parametric amplifier using Raman-assisted pumping

We perform an extensive numerical analysis of Raman-Assisted Fibre Optical Parametric Amplifiers (RA-FOPA) in the context of WDM QPSK signal amplification. A detailed comparison of the conventional FOPA and RA-FOPA is reported and the important advantages offered by the Raman pumping are clarified. We assess the impact of pump power ratios, channel count, and highly nonlinear fibre (HNLF) length on crosstalk levels at different amplifier gains. We show that for a fixed 200 m HNLF length, maximum crosstalk can be reduced by up to 7 dB when amplifying 10x58Gb/s QPSK signals at 20 dB net-gain using a Raman pump of 37 dBm and parametric pump of 28.5 dBm in comparison to a standard single-pump FOPA using 33.4 dBm pump power. It is shown that a significant reduction in four-wave mixing crosstalk is also obtained by reducing the highly nonlinear fibre interaction length. The trend is shown to be generally valid for different net-gain conditions and channel grid size. Crosstalk levels are additionally shown to strongly depend on the Raman/parametric pump power ratio, with a reduction in crosstalk seen for increased Raman pump power contribution

Squeezed states produced by modulation interaction and phase conjugation in fibers

Number-state expansions are derived for the squeezed states produced by four-wave mixing (modulation interaction and phase conjugation) in fibers. These expansions are valid for arbitrary pump-induced coupling and dispersion-induced mismatch coefficients. To illustrate their use, formulas are derived for the associated field-quadrature and photon-number variances and correlations

Ultra-flat wideband single-pump Raman-enhanced parametric amplification

We experimentally optimize a single pump fiber optical parametric amplifier in terms of gain spectral bandwidth and gain variation (GV). We find that optimal performance is achieved with the pump tuned to the zero-dispersion wavelength of dispersion stable highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF). We demonstrate further improvement of parametric gain bandwidth and GV by decreasing the HNLF length. We discover that Raman and parametric gain spectra produced by the same pump may be merged together to enhance overall gain bandwidth, while keeping GV low. Consequently, we report an ultra-flat gain of 9.6±0.5 dB over a range of 111 nm (12.8 THz) on one side of the pump. Additionally, we demonstrate amplification of a 60 Gbit/s QPSK signal tuned over a portion of the available bandwidth with OSNR penalty less than 1 dB for Q2 below 14 dB

Optimized design of six-wave fiber optical parametric amplifiers by using a genetic algorithm

A governing equation of the six-wave fiber optical parametric amplifier (FOPA) for the power and phase difference evolution of the six interacting waves is deduced. To optimize the gain of the six-wave FOPA, a multivariate stochastic optimization algorithm, i.e., the genetic algorithm (GA), is applied. The effect of pump depletion on the gain characteristic of the six-wave FOPA is emphasized and the effect of the fiber length, the wavelength, and the power of two pumps on bandwidth, flatness, and magnitude of the gain spectrum has also been studied. A broader and flatter six-wave FOPA gain is obtained by adopting optimum design parameters, which theoretically provide a uniform gain of 65 dB with 0.3 dB uniformity over a 110 nm bandwidth for the six-wave FOPA

Continuous wave tunable fiber optical parametric oscillator with double-pass pump configuration

We demonstrate a continuous wave tunable fiber optical parametric oscillator in a Fabry–Perot cavity consisting of a 500-m highly nonlinear fiber. In this work, the pump propagates in both directions together with the signal, thus making full use of its parametric gain. The resultant laser peak power is uneven across the wavelength range of interest due to wavelength-dependent phase modulation by the single-mode fiber sections in the cavity. This can be solved by filtering the idler spectral component from the oscillating cavity

Gain through losses in nonlinear optics

Instabilities of uniform states are ubiquitous processes occurring in a variety of spatially extended nonlinear systems. These instabilities are at the heart of symmetry breaking, condensate dynamics, self-organization, pattern formation and noise amplification across diverse disciplines, including physics, chemistry, engineering and biology. In nonlinear optics, modulation instabilities are generally linked to the so-called parametric amplification process, which occurs when certain phase-matching or quasi-phase-matching conditions are satisfied. In the present review article, we summarize the principle results on modulation instabilities and parametric amplification in nonlinear optics, with special emphasis on optical fibres. We then review state-of-the-art research about a peculiar class of modulation instabilities and signal amplification processes induced by dissipation in nonlinear optical systems. Losses applied to certain parts of the spectrum counterintuitively lead to the exponential growth of the damped mode themselves, causing gain through losses. We discuss the concept of imaging of losses into gain, showing how to map a given spectral loss profile into a gain spectrum. We demonstrate with concrete examples that dissipation-induced modulation instability, apart from being of fundamental theoretical interest, may pave the way towards the design of a new class of tuneable fibre-based optical amplifiers, optical parametric oscillators, frequency comb sources and pulsed lasers

Fiber optic parametric amplifiers in single and multi wavelength applications

This thesis describes fiber optical parametricamplifiers (FOPAs) used in single- and multi-wavelength channel applications.The FOPA was operated as a pulse source in optical transmission systems at bit rates of 10-160 Gb/s. It was evaluated in terms of bit error rate after transmission with link lengths up to 650 km. The generated idler pulses were found to be limited by timing jitter due to phase modulation on the pump. A multi wavelength pulse source was also presented. A theory describing the pulse width and chirp of the FOPA generated pulses was furthermorederived and compared to experiments, showing good agreement.The use of FOPAs as amplifiers in multi wavelength systems was also evaluated. It was found that two phenomena deteriorate the performance; cross-gain saturation and four wave mixing. The FOPA was used as a preamplifier in a receiver and was evaluated both in a loop mirror configuration as well as in a high gain configuration. The loop mirror configuration allowed for a virtually loss-less combination of the pump and signal. The fiber gain in the FOPA was measured to 70 dB, which is the highest reported single stage gain in an optical amplifier. The high gain configuration single-stage FOPA had similar performance as a dual-stage Erbium-doped fiber amplifier at 100 Mb/s.Additionally, a technique based on optical time domain reflectometry was developed and used as a measurement tool for measuring gain and bandwidth evolution along the nonlinear fiber used in FOPAs. To some extent this method also made it possible to retrieve information about fiber parameters as a function of length