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Supercontinuum generation

Can pulse broadening be stopped?

Nature Photonics volume 1, pages 611–612 (2007)Cite this article

Solitons in optical fibres are important in the generation of supercontinuum light. An understanding of the diverse physics that is involved when intense optical pulses propagate along nonlinear fibres will enable the engineering of broad-wavelength sources for a wide range of applications.

A pulse of light propagating in an optical fibre is subject to a rich variety of physical phenomena1. Self-phase modulation and Raman scattering are two examples that, owing to the high intensities involved, can alter the spectral profile of a pulse. The interplay of these various nonlinear effects can lead to the formation of an extremely broad spectrum, spanning several hundreds of nanometres, called a supercontinuum2. A deep understanding of pulse propagation and the role of the various broadening mechanisms is crucial to enable the engineering of a desired supercontinuum spectrum. For this a knowledge of the influence of the nonlinear properties of the optical fibre and the pulse parameters, such as wavelength and pulse length, is required. An intriguing observation made some years ago showed that one pulse can trap a second propagating at a different wavelength so that the two pulses co-propagate in time3. This pulse-trapping effect can be important for the short-wavelength edge of a supercontinuum. On page 653 of this issue4, Andriy Gorbach and Dmitry Skryabin, from the University of Bath, suggest a surprising explanation of this unusual phenomenon.

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Figure 1: Dispersion versus self-phase modulation.
Figure 2: Light-pulse propagation in the normal-dispersion regime.

References

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Author notes

  1. Michael H. Frosz

    Present address: Present address: NKT Research and Innovation A/S, Blokken 84, DK-3460 Birkerød, Denmark,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communications, COM˙DTU, Optics and Materials, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, Building 343, Kongens Lyngby, DK-2800, Denmark

    Michael H. Frosz

  2. Optics and Plasma Research Department, Risø National Laboratory, Technical University of Denmark, PO Box 49, Frederiksborgvej 399, Roskilde, DK-4000, Denmark

    Peter E. Andersen

Authors
  1. Michael H. Frosz
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  2. Peter E. Andersen
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Correspondence to Peter E. Andersen.

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Frosz, M., Andersen, P. Can pulse broadening be stopped?. Nature Photon 1, 611–612 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2007.210

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2007.210

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