Multi-wavelength generation of L-band brillouin/erbium fibre laser

Abstract

In this paper, the operation of the Brillouin/erbium fibre laser (BEFL) in the long wavelength band (L-band or 1565–1625 nm) is experimentally demonstrated. The Stokes frequency is shifted 10 GHz from its Brillouin pump (BP) from 1598 to 1612 nm for the single wavelength BEFL. Multiple wavelength generation in the BEFL is realised by adding two 3-dB couplers, which are joined in a reverse-S arrangement to take a portion of the generated BEFL signal and re-inject it into the single-mode fibre (SMF) to seed a cascaded BEFL line in the same direction as the first BEFL line. Twenty lines including the anti-Stokes are obtained with a maximum BP and 980-nm pump power of 8.8 and 92 mW, respectively. The L-band BEFL has the potential to be used in future wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) communication system.