All-SBS fiber-based setup for optical frequency comb generation utilizing a pump recycling technique and comb line...

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Nonlinear Optics
• Fiber Optics

Background:

• Optical frequency combs (OFCs) are crucial for precise frequency measurements and signal generation.
• Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) offers a nonlinear optical process for light amplification and frequency conversion in optical fibers.
• Existing methods for isolating specific OFC lines can be complex and may lack sufficient gain or selectivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate an all-stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) fiber-based system for generating, amplifying, and isolating frequency components of an optical frequency comb (OFC).
• To investigate the performance of a cascaded SBS-OFC system utilizing pump and Stokes power recycling.
• To achieve high-gain amplification and isolation of a single comb line from the OFC.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a cascaded SBS-OFC setup with pump and Stokes power recycling.
• Utilizing a polarizer-analyzer configuration exploiting fiber birefringence for comb line isolation.
• Intensity modulation of the OFC to verify the isolation of a single comb line.

Main Results:

• Generation of >15 comb lines within a 45 dB bandwidth, with an average power of 16 dBm at 1550 nm.
• Amplification and isolation of the first Stokes component with approximately 55 dB gain.
• Successful detection of intensity modulation on the isolated comb line, confirming its purity.

Conclusions:

• The developed SBS fiber-based setup effectively generates, amplifies, and isolates OFC lines.
• Power recycling techniques enhance the performance of the cascaded SBS-OFC.
• Spontaneous Brillouin noise can limit selective amplification at higher pump powers, indicating an area for future optimization.