Broader, flatter optical spectra of passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers for a wavelength-division multiplexing source

Using the time domain master equation for a complex electric-field pulse envelope, we find analytical results for the optical spectra of passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers. The analysis includes the effect of optical nonlinearity of semiconductor lasers, which is characterized by a slow satu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied optics (2004) 1997-05, Vol.36 (15), p.3430-3434
Main Authors: Eliyahu, D, Yariv, A, Salvatore, R A
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Using the time domain master equation for a complex electric-field pulse envelope, we find analytical results for the optical spectra of passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers. The analysis includes the effect of optical nonlinearity of semiconductor lasers, which is characterized by a slow saturable amplifier and absorber. Group velocity dispersion, bandwidth limiting, and self-phase modulation were considered as well. The FWHM of the spectrum profile was found to have a strong dependence on group velocity dispersion and self-phase modulation. For large absolute values of the chirp parameter, the optical spectra result in equispaced continuous wave frequencies, a large fraction of which have equal power.
ISSN:1559-128X
DOI:10.1364/AO.36.003430