We proposed and experimentally demonstrated an extremely simple and feasible slow-light technique to achieve tunable optical delay by using the Er/Yb codoped fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The signal light experiences strong dispersion when it is launched into the reflection edge of FBG, and the group delay value is determined by the signal wavelength and the pump power. In the experiment, a controllable delay of 0.9 ns can be obtained through changing the 980nm pump power. The group velocity can be slowed down to $5.6\times {10}^7$ m/s, which is 19% of the speed of light in free space. It provides a very simple approach to control the light group delay, which is likely to have important implications for practical applications.

© 2009 OSA

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26. C. Thirstrup, Y. Shi, and B. Palsdottir, “Pump-induced refractive index modulation and dispersions in Er3+-doped fiber,” J. Lightwave Technol. 14(5), 732–738 (1996). [CrossRef]
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Europhys. Lett.

• A. Schweinsberg, N. N. Lepeshkin, M. S. Bigelow, R. W. Boyd, and S. Jarabo, “Observation of superluminal and slow light propagation in erbium-doped optical fiber,” Europhys. Lett. 73(2), 218–224 (2006). [CrossRef]

IEEE J. Quantum Electron.

• L. Xing, L. Zhan, S. Luo, and Y. Xia, “High-power low-noise fiber Brillouin amplifier for tunable slow-light delay buffer,” IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 44(12), 1133–1138 (2008). [CrossRef]
• G. Lenz, B. J. Eggleton, C. K. Madsen, and R. E. Slusher, “Optical delay lines based on optical filters,” IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 37(4), 525–532 (2001). [CrossRef]

IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett.

• G. A. Ball, W. H. Glenn, and W. W. Morey, “Programmable fiber optic delay line,” IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 6(6), 741–743 (1994). [CrossRef]
• L. Yi, L. Zhan, W. Hu, and Y. Xia, “Delay of broadband signals using slow light in stimulated Brillouin scattering with phase-modulated pump,” IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 19(8), 619–621 (2007). [CrossRef]

J. Appl. Phys.

• H. Kogelnik and C. V. Shank, “Coupled-wave theory of distributed feedback lasers,” J. Appl. Phys. 43(5), 2327–2335 (1972). [CrossRef]

J. Lightwave Technol.

• C. Thirstrup, Y. Shi, and B. Palsdottir, “Pump-induced refractive index modulation and dispersions in Er3+-doped fiber,” J. Lightwave Technol. 14(5), 732–738 (1996). [CrossRef]
• T. Erdogan, “Fiber grating spectra,” J. Lightwave Technol. 15(8), 1277–1294 (1997). [CrossRef]
• C. R. Giles, “Lightwave applications of fiber Bragg gratings,” J. Lightwave Technol. 15(8), 1391–1404 (1997). [CrossRef]
• M. P. Fok and C. Shu, “Tunable optical delay using four-wave mixing in a 35-cm highly nonlinear Bismuth-Oxide fiber and group velocity dispersion,” J. Lightwave Technol. 26(5), 499–504 (2008). [CrossRef]

Nat. Photonics

• L. Thevenaz, “Slow and fast light in optical fibres,” Nat. Photonics 2(8), 474–481 (2008). [CrossRef]

Nat. Phys.

• J. T. Mok, C. M. De Sterke, I. C. M. Littler, and B. J. Eggleton, “Dispersionless slow light using gap solitons,” Nat. Phys. 2(11), 775–780 (2006). [CrossRef]

Nature

• L. V. Hau, S. E. Harris, Z. Dutton, and C. H. Behroozi, “Light speed reduction to 17 metres per second in an ultracold atomic gas,” Nature 397(6720), 594–598 (1999). [CrossRef]

Opt. Express

• K. Y. Song, M. G. Herráez, and L. Thévenaz, “Observation of pulse delaying and advancement in optical fibers using stimulated Brillouin scattering,” Opt. Express 13(1), 82–88 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• J. Sharping, Y. Okawachi, and A. Gaeta, “Wide bandwidth slow light using a Raman fiber amplifier,” Opt. Express 13(16), 6092–6098 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• D. Dahan and G. Eisenstein, “Tunable all optical delay via slow and fast light propagation in a Raman assisted fiber optical parametric amplifier: a route to all optical buffering,” Opt. Express 13(16), 6234–6249 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• J. Sharping, Y. Okawachi, J. van Howe, C. Xu, Y. Wang, A. Willner, and A. Gaeta, “All-optical, wavelength and bandwidth preserving, pulse delay based on parametric wavelength conversion and dispersion,” Opt. Express 13(20), 7872–7877 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Lett.

• A. Yariv, Y. Xu, R. K. Lee, and A. Scherer, “Coupled-resonator optical waveguide: a proposal and analysis,” Opt. Lett. 24(11), 711–713 (1999). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• K. Y. Song and K. Hotate, “25 GHz bandwidth Brillouin slow light in optical fibers,” Opt. Lett. 32(3), 217–219 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• P. C. Ku, F. Sedgwick, C. J. Chang-Hasnain, P. Palinginis, T. Li, H. Wang, S. W. Chang, and S.-L. Chuang, “Slow light in semiconductor quantum wells,” Opt. Lett. 29(19), 2291–2293 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Photonics News

• R. W. Boyd, D. J. Gauthier, and A. L. Gaeta, “Applications of slow light in telecommunications,” Opt. Photonics News 17(4), 18–23 (2006). [CrossRef]

Phys. Rev. E Stat. Nonlin. Soft Matter Phys.

• D. Janner, G. Galzerano, G. D. Valle, P. Laporta, S. Longhi, and M. Belmonte, “Slow light in periodic superstructure Bragg gratings,” Phys. Rev. E Stat. Nonlin. Soft Matter Phys. 72(5), 056605 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Phys. Rev. Lett.

• M. S. Bigelow, N. N. Lepeshkin, and R. W. Boyd, “Observation of ultraslow light propagation in a ruby crystal at room temperature,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 90(11), 113903 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• Y. Okawachi, M. S. Bigelow, J. E. Sharping, Z. Zhu, A. Schweinsberg, D. J. Gauthier, R. W. Boyd, and A. L. Gaeta, “Tunable all-optical delays via Brillouin slow light in an optical fiber,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 94(15), 153902 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Phys. World

• D. J. Gauthier, “Slow light brings faster communications,” Phys. World 18, 30–32 (2005).

Science

• M. S. Bigelow, N. N. Lepeshkin, and R. W. Boyd, “Superluminal and slow light propagation in a room-temperature solid,” Science 301(5630), 200–202 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Other

• Z. Zhu, A. M. C. Dawes, D. J. Gauthier, L. Zhang, and A. E. Willner, “12-GHz-bandwidth SBS slow light in optical fibers,” presented at the Optical Fiber Commun. Conf., Anaheim, CA, 2006, Paper PDP1.

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