Continuous-wave, totally fiber integrated optical parametric oscillator using holey fiber

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Nonlinear Optics
• Fiber Optics

Background:

• Optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) are crucial for generating tunable light sources.
• Previous OPOs often required bulk optics or complex setups, limiting their practicality.
• Holey fibers offer unique light confinement and nonlinear properties for advanced optical devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the first continuous-wave (cw), all-fiber optical parametric oscillator (OPO).
• To utilize a novel holey fiber in an all-fiber OPO configuration.
• To characterize the spectral output and operational parameters of the developed fiber OPO.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication and implementation of a cw all-fiber optical parametric oscillator.
• Utilized a specially designed holey fiber as the nonlinear medium.
• Characterized the output spectrum, linewidth, extinction ratio, and pump power thresholds.

Main Results:

• Achieved oscillation at 1.55 microns using the all-fiber OPO.
• Demonstrated generation of a single spectral line with a 30-dB extinction ratio and 10-pm linewidth, or multiple lines.
• Observed additional spectral lines resulting from multiple parametric interactions.
• The device reached threshold at 1.28 W pump power and saturated above 1.6 W.

Conclusions:

• Successfully demonstrated a compact and efficient cw all-fiber OPO using holey fiber.
• The device offers flexible spectral output, including a high-purity single-line output.
• This technology represents a significant advancement for integrated photonic light sources.