Tunable Raman gain in mid-IR waveguides

Abstract

By means of theoretical analysis and numerical simulations, we show a tunable Raman gain which may find applications in a variety of fields, ranging from mid-IR fiber Raman lasers and supercontinuum generation to ultra-wideband slow-light Raman-based devices. In particular, by analyzing the interplay among Raman gain, dispersion, and self-steeping (SE) in a full model of modulation instability (MI) in waveguides, we show that there exists a range of pump powers where the gain spectrum is not only dominated by the Raman contribution, but also, most strikingly, it can be fine-tuned at will. We present analytical and numerical results, in excellent agreement, confirming this observation.