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Bandwidth-efficient phase modulation techniques for stimulated Brillouin scattering suppression in fiber optic
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. jcoles@ucsd.edu
Optics Express
|August 20, 2010
Summary
Two novel techniques suppress Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) in fiber optical parametric amplifiers (FOPAs) using pump dithering. These methods enhance SBS threshold and idler signal integrity, achieving the lowest reported penalty to date.
Area of Science:
- Optoelectronics
- Nonlinear Optics
- Fiber Optics
Background:
- Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) is a major nonlinear effect limiting optical amplifier performance.
- Existing SBS suppression techniques often compromise signal quality or bandwidth efficiency.
- Two-pump Fiber Optical Parametric Amplifiers (FOPAs) are crucial for optical communications but susceptible to SBS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate two novel, bandwidth-efficient pump-dithering techniques for SBS suppression.
- To quantify the improvement in SBS threshold and signal integrity compared to current methods.
- To assess the impact of these techniques on the idler signal in a two-pump FOPA.
Main Methods:
- Implementing pump dithering using a frequency-hopped chirp.
- Implementing pump dithering using an RF noise source.
- Measuring SBS threshold increase and idler signal penalty after amplification in a two-pump FOPA.
Main Results:
- Both introduced techniques effectively increase the SBS threshold.
- The RF noise source dithering technique achieved the lowest reported penalty of 0.8 dB.
- This result was obtained with 160 ps/nm dispersion and 38 dB conversion gain in a two-pump FOPA.
Conclusions:
- The novel pump-dithering techniques offer efficient and effective SBS suppression in FOPAs.
- These methods significantly improve amplifier performance without substantial signal degradation.
- The demonstrated low penalty signifies a breakthrough in high-gain, dispersion-tolerant FOPA systems.
