Demonstration of amplified data transmission at 2 µm in a low-loss wide bandwidth hollow core photonic bandgap fiber

• Published in: Optics express 2013-11, Vol.21 (23), p.28559-28569
• Main Authors: Petrovich, M N, Poletti, F, Wooler, J P, Heidt, A M, Baddela, N K, Li, Z, Gray, D R, Slavík, R, Parmigiani, F, Wheeler, N V, Hayes, J R, Numkam, E, Grűner-Nielsen, L, Pálsdóttir, B, Phelan, R, Kelly, B, O'Carroll, John, Becker, M, MacSuibhne, N, Zhao, J, Gunning, F C Garcia, Ellis, A D, Petropoulos, P, Alam, S U, Richardson, D J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1094-4087; 1094-4087
• DOI: 10.1364/oe.21.028559

The first demonstration of a hollow core photonic bandgap fiber (HC-PBGF) suitable for high-rate data transmission in the 2 µm waveband is presented. The fiber has a record low loss for this wavelength region (4.5 dB/km at 1980 nm) and a >150 nm wide surface-mode-free transmission window at the center of the bandgap. Detailed analysis of the optical modes and their propagation along the fiber, carried out using a time-of-flight technique in conjunction with spatially and spectrally resolved (S2) imaging, provides clear evidence that the HC-PBGF can be operated as quasi-single mode even though it supports up to four mode groups. Through the use of a custom built Thulium doped fiber amplifier with gain bandwidth closely matched to the fiber's low loss window, error-free 8 Gbit/s transmission in an optically amplified data channel at 2008 nm over 290 m of 19 cell HC-PBGF is reported.