Optical gain exceeding 35 dB at 1.56 microm due to stimulated Raman scattering by molecular D(2) in a solid silica...

A stimulated-Raman-gain medium at 1.56-microm wavelength, consisting of molecular deuterium dissolved in low-loss silica optical fiber and pumped by 1.06-microm Nd:YAG laser light, is described. In a 100-m-long fiber with pump power of 130 W, InGaAsP injection-laser probe light at 1.56 microm was amplified by a factor of 4000 to an output power of 150 mW. The measured stimulated-Raman-gain coefficient at 1.56 microm is 7 x 10(-12) cm/W, about equal to the Raman gain of SiO(2) at the same wavelength.