<title>High finesse integrated Brillouin-active fiber ring and loop mirror</title>

Abstract

Nonlinear fiber optics, in the form of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), has now emerged as the essential means for the construction of active optical devices used for all-optic in-line switching, channel selection, amplification, oscillation in optical communications, optical logic elements in optical computation and sensing, and a host of other applications. This paper attempts to present a survey and some of our own research findings on the nature of stimulated Brillouin scattering in single mode optical fibers and its device applications. In theory, the backscattering nature of the phenomenon enables its application as channel selectors and switches and filters in optical transmission and communications. We have been engaged in the design and implementation of fiber configurations, such as rings and loop mirrors, with the purpose of lowering the threshold. We report on experimental schemes involving Brillouin ring with amplifier-in-the ring, and Brillouin-NALMs (nonlinear amplifying loop mirrors). These successful devices are being studied for application as optical logic and neuron elements, Brillouin-NALMs for optical switching, and highly versatile sensors.