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Optics Express

Optics Express

  • Editor: C. Martijn de Sterke
  • Vol. 17, Iss. 19 — Sep. 14, 2009
  • pp: 16801–16808

Optics InfoBase > Optics Express > Volume 17 > Issue 19 > Page 16801

Nonlinear optical frequency conversion of an amplified Fourier Domain Mode Locked (FDML) laser

Rainer Leonhardt, Benjamin R. Biedermann, Wolfgang Wieser, and Robert Huber  »View Author Affiliations


Optics Express, Vol. 17, Issue 19, pp. 16801-16808 (2009)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OE.17.016801


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Abstract

We report on the highly efficient non-linear optical frequency conversion of the wavelength swept output from a Fourier Domain Mode Locked (FDML) laser. Different concepts for power scaling of FDML lasers by post-amplification with active fibers are presented. A two-stage post-amplification of an FDML laser with an amplification factor of 300 up to a peak power of 1.5 W is used to supply sufficient power levels for non-linear conversion. Using a single-mode dispersion shifted fiber (DSF), we convert this amplified output that covers the region between 1541 nm and 1545 nm to a wavelength range from 1572 nm to 1663 nm via modulation instability (MI). For this four wave mixing process we observe an efficiency of ~40%. The anti-Stokes signal between 1435 nm and 1516 nm was observed with lower conversion efficiency. In addition to shifting the wavelength, the effect of MI also enables a substantial increase in the wavelength sweep rate of the FDML laser by a factor of ~50 to 0.55 nm/ns.

© 2009 OSA

OCIS Codes
(060.2320) Fiber optics and optical communications : Fiber optics amplifiers and oscillators
(060.2410) Fiber optics and optical communications : Fibers, erbium
(140.3600) Lasers and laser optics : Lasers, tunable
(190.4370) Nonlinear optics : Nonlinear optics, fibers
(190.4380) Nonlinear optics : Nonlinear optics, four-wave mixing
(230.7405) Optical devices : Wavelength conversion devices

ToC Category:
Nonlinear Optics

History
Original Manuscript: July 1, 2009
Revised Manuscript: August 7, 2009
Manuscript Accepted: August 10, 2009
Published: September 4, 2009

Citation
Rainer Leonhardt, Benjamin R. Biedermann, Wolfgang Wieser, and Robert Huber, "Nonlinear optical frequency conversion of an amplified Fourier Domain Mode Locked (FDML) laser," Opt. Express 17, 16801-16808 (2009)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-17-19-16801


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