Modulation-instability-based fiber interferometer switch near 1.5 microm

We demonstrate a modulation-instability-based fiber interferometer switch, an ultrafast all-optical fiber switch operating near 1.5-microm wavelength with more than 40dB of small-signal gain. Switching is accomplished.by seeding the modulation instability in one arm of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics letters 1988-06, Vol.13 (6), p.518-520
Main Authors: Islam, M N, Dijaili, S P, Gordon, J P
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:We demonstrate a modulation-instability-based fiber interferometer switch, an ultrafast all-optical fiber switch operating near 1.5-microm wavelength with more than 40dB of small-signal gain. Switching is accomplished.by seeding the modulation instability in one arm of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, thus destroying its balance. Computer simulations, which include the effects of Raman self-frequency shifts, suggest that as much as 74% of the power input to the interferometer can be transferred to its (initially nulled) output arm when cw pumps are used. Even with an 80% loss at the output analyzer, we have gated 184 mW of power from a color-center laser using only 4.4 microW from a semiconductor laser.
ISSN:0146-9592