Slowing of pulses to c/10 with subwatt power levels and low latency using Brillouin amplification in a bismuth-oxide optical fiber

Abstract

We report the generation of slow light using Brillouin amplification in a short length of highly nonlinear bismuth-oxide fiber. By using just 2m of fiber, we demonstrate a five-fold reduction in group velocity for ~200ns pulses, which we believe to be a record for a slow-light propagation in an optical fiber. Moreover, by virtue of the high nonlinearity per unit length of this fiber, we achieve this at a very modest pump power level of just ~400mW and with a low inherent device latency of 14ns. These results highlight both the merits and practicality of using high nonlinearity nonsilica fibers for slow-light devices