Enhanced Supercontinuum Generation through Dispersion-Management

We show in theory and simulation that the supercontinuum generation from an initial continuous wave field in a highly nonlinear fiber operating near the zero-dispersion point can be significantly enhanced with the aid of dispersion management. We characterize the spectral broaden-ing as a process initiated by modulational instability, but driven by the zero-dispersion dynamics of an N-soliton interacting with the asymmetric phase profile generated by the Raman effect, self-steepening effect, and/or higher-order dispersion. Higher N-soliton values lead to shorter pulses and a broader spectrum. This insight allows us to use dispersion management in conjunction with modulational instability to effectively increase the N value and greatly enhance the supercontiuum generation process.