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Guided acoustic-wave Brillouin scattering with optical pulses
Optics Letters
|October 2, 2009
Summary
Pulsed lasers, specifically mode-locked lasers, reveal a broader frequency range in guided acoustic-wave Brillouin scattering (GAWBS) spectra compared to continuous-wave lasers. This occurs due to the heterodyning effect between laser harmonics and scattered light.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Guided Acoustic-Wave Brillouin Scattering (GAWBS) is a phenomenon studied in optical fibers.
- Both continuous-wave (cw) and pulsed laser sources have been employed for GAWBS investigations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the GAWBS rf spectra obtained using continuous-wave (cw) and pulsed laser sources.
- To investigate the effect of laser pulse characteristics on the observed GAWBS spectrum.
Main Methods:
- Measurements of GAWBS were performed using both multimode/single-frequency cw lasers and mode-locked pulsed lasers.
- Two mode-locked lasers with different pulse repetition rates (76 MHz and 980 MHz) were used to demonstrate the spectral broadening effect.
Main Results:
- GAWBS rf spectra obtained with cw sources showed similar characteristics.
- Mode-locked pulsed lasers resulted in a significantly extended GAWBS rf spectrum.
- The extended spectrum with pulsed lasers is attributed to the heterodyning of laser harmonics with scattered light.
Conclusions:
- The choice of laser source significantly impacts the observed GAWBS rf spectrum.
- Mode-locked pulsed lasers offer a wider frequency range for studying GAWBS due to heterodyning effects.
- This broader spectrum could provide more detailed insights into fiber optic properties.
