Practical implications of nonlinear optics in fibers — An overview

Abstract

In optical fiber waveguides, nonlinear optical effects occur at a laser power level lower than in the bulk medium because the small dimension and the low loss of the fibers allow high-intensity interaction over long lengths. Since the early works of Ippen and Stolen, many nonlinear optical effects have been studied and some to them utilized in a variety of practical applications. A well-known application is the use of a near IR fiber Raman laser system developed by Cohen and Lin for chromatic and modal dispersion studies in fibers. It was also recognized very early by Smith that nonlinear optical effects may present power limitations in optical signal transmission in fibers. However, for the lightwave transmission systems of the 1970’s, multimode optical fibers were used with large-spectral-width multilongitudinal-mode semiconductor lasers. Nonlinear optical effects did not present any limitation for such systems. The field of nonlinear optics was mainly devoted to basic studies of the nonlinear interaction processes, and optical frequency conversion schemes for practical laboratory applications.In optical fiber waveguides, nonlinear optical effects occur at a laser power level lower than in the bulk medium because the small dimension and the low loss of the fibers allow high-intensity interaction over long lengths. Since the early works of Ippen and Stolen, many nonlinear optical effects have been studied and some to them utilized in a variety of practical applications. A well-known application is the use of a near IR fiber Raman laser system developed by Cohen and Lin for chromatic and modal dispersion studies in fibers. It was also recognized very early by Smith that nonlinear optical effects may present power limitations in optical signal transmission in fibers. However, for the lightwave transmission systems of the 1970’s, multimode optical fibers were used with large-spectral-width multilongitudinal-mode semiconductor lasers. Nonlinear optical effects did not present any limitation for such systems. The field of nonlinear optics was mainly devoted to basic studies of the nonlinear interacti...