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Optics Express

Optics Express

  • Editor: C. Martijn de Sterke
  • Vol. 20, Iss. 2 — Jan. 16, 2012
  • pp: 1113–1128

Optics InfoBase > Optics Express > Volume 20 > Issue 2 > Page 1113

Nonlinear polarization dynamics in a weakly birefringent all-normal dispersion photonic crystal fiber: toward a practical coherent fiber supercontinuum laser

Haohua Tu, Yuan Liu, Xiaomin Liu, Dmitry Turchinovich, Jesper Lægsgaard, and Stephen A. Boppart  »View Author Affiliations


Optics Express, Vol. 20, Issue 2, pp. 1113-1128 (2012)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OE.20.001113


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Abstract

Dispersion-flattened dispersion-decreased all-normal dispersion (DFDD-ANDi) photonic crystal fibers have been identified as promising candidates for high-spectral-power coherent supercontinuum (SC) generation. However, the effects of the unintentional birefringence of the fibers on the SC generation have been ignored. This birefringence is widely present in nonlinear non-polarization maintaining fibers with a typical core size of 2 µm, presumably due to the structural symmetry breaks introduced in the fiber drawing process. We find that an intrinsic form-birefringence on the order of 10−5 profoundly affects the SC generation in a DFDD-ANDi photonic crystal fiber. Conventional simulations based on the scalar generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation (GNLSE) fail to reproduce the prominent observed features of the SC generation in a short piece (9-cm) of this fiber. However, these features can be qualitatively or semi-quantitatively understood by the coupled GNLSE that takes into account the form-birefringence. The nonlinear polarization effects induced by the birefringence significantly distort the otherwise simple spectrotemporal field of the SC pulses. We therefore propose the fabrication of polarization-maintaining DFDD-ANDi fibers to avoid these adverse effects in pursuing a practical coherent fiber SC laser.

© 2012 OSA

OCIS Codes
(060.2420) Fiber optics and optical communications : Fibers, polarization-maintaining
(190.4370) Nonlinear optics : Nonlinear optics, fibers
(320.5520) Ultrafast optics : Pulse compression
(060.5295) Fiber optics and optical communications : Photonic crystal fibers
(320.6629) Ultrafast optics : Supercontinuum generation

ToC Category:
Ultrafast Optics

History
Original Manuscript: October 7, 2011
Revised Manuscript: December 16, 2011
Manuscript Accepted: December 17, 2011
Published: January 4, 2012

Citation
Haohua Tu, Yuan Liu, Xiaomin Liu, Dmitry Turchinovich, Jesper Lægsgaard, and Stephen A. Boppart, "Nonlinear polarization dynamics in a weakly birefringent all-normal dispersion photonic crystal fiber: toward a practical coherent fiber supercontinuum laser," Opt. Express 20, 1113-1128 (2012)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-20-2-1113


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