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Inverse four-wave mixing and self-parametric amplification in optical fibre

Nature Photonics volume 9, pages 608–614 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

An important group of nonlinear processes in optical fibre involve the mixing of four waves due to the intensity dependence of the refractive index. It is customary to distinguish between nonlinear effects that require external/pumping waves (cross-phase modulation and parametric processes such as four-wave mixing) and those arising from self-action of the propagating optical field (self-phase modulation and modulation instability). Here, we present a new nonlinear self-action effect—self-parametric amplification—which manifests itself as optical spectrum narrowing in normal dispersion fibre, leading to very stable propagation with a distinctive spectral distribution. The narrowing results from inverse four-wave mixing, resembling an effective parametric amplification of the central part of the spectrum by energy transfer from the spectral tails. Self-parametric amplification and the observed stable nonlinear spectral propagation with a random temporal waveform can find applications in optical communications and high-power fibre lasers with nonlinear intracavity dynamics.

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Figure 1: Experimental observation of spectrum evolution in normal and anomalous dispersion fibres.
Figure 2: Spectrum shape after signal propagation in LEAF fibre.
Figure 3: Evolution of the signal spectrum and temporal shape along the fibre.
Figure 4: Signal gain spectra as a function of pump wavelength spacing.
Figure 5: Estimate of FWM product during signal amplification.
Figure 6: Theoretical evolution of the spectral broadening factor.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council project ULTRALASER (267763), the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (14.B25.31.0003 and 14.578.21.0029) and the Russian Science Foundation (14-21-00110; work of A.E.B). The authors also thank E. V. Podivilov for fruitful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK

    Sergei K. Turitsyn

  2. Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia

    Sergei K. Turitsyn, Anastasia E. Bednyakova & Mikhail P. Fedoruk

  3. Institute of Computational Technologies, SB RAS, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia

    Anastasia E. Bednyakova & Mikhail P. Fedoruk

  4. MPB Communications Inc, Montreal, H9R 1E9, Quebec, Canada

    Serguei B. Papernyi & Wallace R. L. Clements

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  5. Wallace R. L. Clements
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Contributions

S.B.P. initiated the study and carried out the experiments. A.E.B. designed and conducted the numerical modelling. S.K.T., A.E.B. and M.P.F. guided the theoretical and numerical studies. S.K.T., S.B.P., A.E.B., W.R.L.C and M.P.F. analysed the data. S.K.T., A.E.B., S.B.P. and W.R.L.C. wrote the paper.

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Correspondence to Sergei K. Turitsyn.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Turitsyn, S., Bednyakova, A., Fedoruk, M. et al. Inverse four-wave mixing and self-parametric amplification in optical fibre. Nature Photon 9, 608–614 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2015.150

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