Multi-Band Operation of Flat-Top Supercontinuum Laser Sources With Programmable Repetition Rate up to 50 GHz

Abstract

We present ultra-broadband flat-topped supercontinuum laser sources with programmable repetition rate, spectral bandwidth, and wavelength regime. Supercontinuum sources with multiband coverage can be achieved by merging high-repetition-rate electro-optic frequency comb techniques with optical line-by-line pulse shaping. Because nonlinear broadening in the optical wave-breaking regime does not provide the required flatness and spectral bandwidth to the comb-based sources, we iteratively manipulate the spectral amplitude and phase of the optical pulse shaper. We implemented here a smooth flat-topped supercontinuum with a 97 nm bandwidth at 10 dB and programmable repetition rate up to 50 GHz by applying a bandwidth-limited quasi-super-Gaussian apodised pulse train to a highly nonlinear medium with programmable super-Gaussian and phase coefficients. This work opens new possibilities for generating robust and coherent multiple optical carriers with further C-bands in optical networks. We believe that the supercontinuum sources based on electro-optic frequency comb and pulse shaping techniques enable the provision of coherent flat-topped optical sources, at least from the L- to S-band with a programmable repetition rate and spectral bandwidth.