Bragg-grating-based all-fiber distributed Gires-Tournois etalons

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Fiber Optics
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Gires-Tournois etalons (GTEs) are optical resonators with a rich history in spectroscopy and optical filtering.
• Conventional GTEs typically utilize bulk optical components, limiting their integration into fiber-based systems.
• Fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) offer a versatile platform for creating compact and robust optical components within optical fibers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the first all-fiber implementation of distributed Gires-Tournois etalons (DGTEs).
• To investigate the performance and spectral characteristics of DGTEs based on fiber Bragg gratings.
• To explore potential applications of these novel fiber-based etalons.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of DGTEs using fiber Bragg gratings with both separated and overlapped structures.
• Characterization of the spectral properties of the fabricated DGTEs.
• Analysis of the influence of grating dispersion on the etalon's spectral response.

Main Results:

• Successful achievement of all-fiber DGTEs for the first time.
• Observation of periodic spectral characteristics similar to conventional GTEs.
• Identification of unique spectral features arising from the dispersive nature of the fiber Bragg gratings.

Conclusions:

• All-fiber DGTEs based on fiber Bragg gratings are feasible and represent a significant advancement.
• These grating-based DGTEs offer a new class of optical components for fiber-optic systems.
• The unique spectral properties open avenues for novel applications in optical sensing and signal processing.