Stimulated Brillouin Scattering Effect Research Articles

A channelized broadband and high-resolution microwave instantaneous multi-frequency measurement system based on Fabry-Perot Filter and Stimulated Brillouin Scattering

A broadband high-resolution microwave instantaneous multi-frequency measurement (IMFM) system based on a Fabry-Perot filter (FPF) and Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) is proposed. In the system, the 14-line flat optical frequency comb (OFC) in the first branch is input to dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (DPMZM) for carrier suppressed single sideband modulation (CS-SSB), so that the microwave signal to be measured is loaded onto the sideband of the 14-line OFC. The FPF is employed for periodic filtering to roughly determine the frequency band of the captured microwave signal. Subsequently, the demultiplexer (De-mux) is utilized to channelize the captured frequency band, which serves as a pump light input to the high nonlinear fiber (HNLF). By setting the center frequency spacing between the OFCs in the second and third branches with the channelized pump light in the first branch is equal to the Brillouin frequency shift, the frequencies of the microwave signal under measurement are determined based on the fine frequency selection characteristic of the SBS effect. This achieves an enhancement in measurement resolution while ensuring measurement bandwidth. Simulation experiments indicate that by adjusting the frequency shifter and center frequency of the FPF, the proposed IFM system can realize measurement ranges of 0.6–13.5 GHz, 13.6–26.5 GHz, and 26.6–39.5 GHz, the measurement resolution is 0.1 GHz, and the measurement error is ±0.05 GHz.

Low-temporal coherence light self-focusing effect by spatial resolved method

The low-temporal coherence light (LTCL) has received extensive attention in the research of inertial confinement fusion due to its physical properties of instantaneous broadband. Recent reports demonstrated that the LTCL has significant suppression effects on laser plasma instability. However, the temporal spike structures of the LTCL will not only induce the amplification of the self-focusing effect, but also make its small-scale self-focusing characteristics and corresponding damage mechanism more complicated. Exploring the self-focusing characteristics of the LTCL will provide an important information for improving the output power of the LTCL. In this work, we design a more accurate test method for comparing the nonlinear self-focusing effects of different lasers, and compare the self-focusing effect of LTCL with single longitudinal mode (SLM) pulse. In the experiments, fused silica is tightly focused by a short focal length lens to avoid damaging the input surface. A spatially resolved test method is designed to measure the nonlinear <i>I</i>×<i>L</i> value (where <i>I</i> is the incident intensity, <i>L</i> is the distance from the head of filamentation damage to the input surface), which is accumulated from the input surface to the head of filamentation damage. The results show that the nonlinear <i>I</i>×<i>L</i> value obtained by the spatially resolved method is lower than by the traditional test method, since the energy loss caused by incident surface damage and backward stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) has been resolved. Furthermore, the nonlinear <i>I</i>×<i>L</i> values of the SLM pulse and the LTCL are also compared by the traditional test method and spatially resolved method. The test results show that due to the temporal spike structure, the LTCL has a lower nonlinear <i>I</i>×<i>L</i> value than the SLM pulse. The SBS effect and the different damage characteristics of the input surface are also analyzed. This study provides a more accurate test method for better analyzing the self-focusing effect of LTCL and laser pulses with different characteristics, and hence presenting a reference for designing high-power devices of low-temporal coherence light.

GHz repetition rate tunable optical pulses generation using a SBS-based coupled optoelectronic oscillator

An optical pulse generator with a tunable repetition rate of GHz is proposed employing a coupled optoelectronic oscillator (COEO). The tunability is achieved with an equivalent tunable RF bandpass filter which is realized through phase modulation and stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in a high nonlinear fiber. An injected seed laser is applied to stabilize the central wavelength of the mode-locked loop. The repetition rate of the generated optical pulses is the frequency difference between the Stokes wave and the seed laser. It is adjusted by changing the wavelength of the pump laser for SBS effect. In the experiments, optical pulse trains with a repetition rate of 7.3 GHz–9.3 GHz are generated, and RF oscillating signals at the corresponding frequency are simultaneously produced. The side-mode suppression ratios (SMSRs) of the generated RF signals are all higher than 50 dB, and the phase noise is lower than −80dBc/Hz @10-kHz offset frequency. The tunable range of the optical pulse rate is limited by the bandwidth of the used RF phase shifter in the oscillating loop.

Experimental studies on the core-structure dependence of backward Brillouin gain in solid-core photonic crystal fibers.

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in solid-core photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) differs significantly from that in standard optical fibers due to the tight confinement of both optical and acoustic fields in their µm-sized fiber cores, as resultantly evident in their Brillouin gain spectra. Despite many theoretical studies based on either simplified models or numerical simulations, the structural dependency of Brillouin gain spectra in small-core PCFs has not been characterized comprehensively using PCFs with elaborated parameter controls. In this work we report a comprehensive characterization on the core-structure dependences of backward SBS effects in solid-core PCFs that are drawn with systematically varied core-diameter, revealing several key trends of the fiber Brillouin spectrum in terms of its gain magnitude, Brillouin shift and multi-peak structure, which have not been reported in detail previously. Our work provides some practical guidance on PCF design for potential applications like Brillouin fiber lasers and Brillouin fiber sensing.

Passive Phase Locking Coherent Combination of Solid-State Lasers through Stimulated Brillouin Scattering Effect

The stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) effect, a new approach to the combination of solid-state lasers, can be actualized via coherent synthesis. In this paper, a solid-state laser based on SBS passive phase locking, utilizing the master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) structure at the front end of the lasers, provides the amplification of the Stokes light subsequently generated. In order to reduce the influence of thermal effects on beam quality, beam-split amplification has been adopted with the same phase locking used by the back injection of the Stokes pulse. With the advantage of the combined scheme, the energy extraction efficiency of SBS coherent combination can be reached at 91.8% with coherent fringe visibility of 83%. Therefore, it provides a new way to improve the brightness through realizing the coherent combination of multi-channel solid-state lasers.

Wideband frequency-tunable optoelectronic oscillator with ultra-narrow linewidth based on stimulated Brillouin scattering

We propose and theoretically analyze a wideband frequency-tunable optoelectronic oscillator based on stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and gain–loss superposition with ultra-narrow linewidth. Typically, the linewidth of optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) based on SBS is difficult to narrow because of the relatively fixed 3-dB bandwidth of SBS. In the structure, three generated new pump lights with certain frequency intervals generated by optical modulation on the pump laser light are launched in a highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF) from the direction opposite to the phase modulated signals, where the SBS effect occurs. The gain spectrum of one pump light is superimposed with the loss spectra of the other two pump lights. As a result the linewidth of the output signal reduces highly compared with conventional OEOs based on SBS. Consequently, a microwave signal with wide tunable range of 1 GHz to 40 GHz and near 60% linewidth reduction at most is realized in theory. Particularly, the theoretical simulation of the phase noise is about −112.5 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset when the wavelength of the continuous wave laser is 1550 nm and the frequency of the output signal is 35 GHz. In addition, the proposed method can be generalized, theoretically, to any OEO based on SBS to effectively reduce its linewidth. Overall, the proposed structure improves the quality of generated signals prominently and has vast potential in microwave generation.

Tunable single-longitudinal-mode narrow linewidth Brillouin fiber laser based on PT symmetry

A tunable single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) narrow linewidth Brillouin fiber laser based on parity-time (PT) symmetry is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. In the proposed scheme, the dual selecting-mode mechanism is employed to achieve the SLM operation. The first, a narrow-band gain curve induced by stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) can be acted as a filter for selecting mode preliminary in the fiber ring cavity. The second, a PT-symmetric structure is formed by using a Sagnac loop, in which by adjusting a single polarization controller, the PT symmetry can be broken, resulting in the SLM oscillation. The SBS effect can be further beneficial to the linewidth narrowing. Using the proposed scheme, the SLM lasing with an optical signal to noise ratio of 50.1 dB and an ultra-narrow linewidth of 300 Hz at 1547.90 nm is obtained. Compared with the original linewidth of pump laser, the linewidth-reduction ratio can be up to 680 times. The available wavelength ranges from 1528.4 to 1563.4 nm, covering 35 nm. The key advantage of the proposed laser is that by constructing a simple Sagnac loop, the SLM selection based on PT symmetry and linewidth narrowing benefiting from SBS effect are accomplished simultaneously. Moreover, it is worth noting that the wavelength tunability is virtually unrestricted, only depending on the pump wavelength.

Real‐Time and High‐Accuracy Microwave Frequency Identification Based on Ultra‐Wideband Optical Chirp Chain Transient SBS Effect

AbstractThe use of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) for microwave photonics frequency measurement is widely studied because of its unique advantage of high accuracy. However, the technique's slow response severely limits its use for real‐time applications. To solve this problem, this work proposes and demonstrates the use of an ultra‐wideband optical chirp chain (OCC) transient SBS effect to avoid the need to slowly frequency sweep the Brillouin spectrum. This innovation enables real‐time and high‐accuracy microwave frequency identification. It is shown that real‐time microwave tracking can be achieved by continuously repeating the OCC‐modulated wave, which allows for wide‐range frequency sweeping over a very short time. High accuracy is achieved by exploiting the narrow bandwidth characteristic of the transient Brillouin spectrum. In the experiments, the temporal resolution is 100 ns for the time‐varying frequency microwave identification, enabled by the transient SBS effect, representing at least three orders of magnitude improvement over previously reported SBS‐based methods. The frequency measurement is accurate to 1 MHz. In addition, several further benefits, such as resolving multifrequency signals, reconfigurable instantaneous bandwidth, and 20 GHz frequency measurement range, are demonstrated.

Fiber-Based Techniques to Suppress Stimulated Brillouin Scattering

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is the major factor that limits the maximum optical fiber output power in narrow linewidth applications, which include important fields such as passive optical networks (PONs), high-power fiber amplifiers, and lasers. Great efforts have been dedicated to suppressing the SBS effect and increasing the maximum optical fiber output power. This paper focuses on key fiber-based techniques to suppress SBS. These techniques take advantages of the properties of optical fibers. We present how these properties (electric modes, acoustic modes, and material properties) could be utilized to suppress SBS. The fiber-based techniques are divided into transverse optical fiber design, longitudinal variant fiber design, and external perturbations (strain and temperature) on optical fibers. Transverse optical fiber design focuses on the mechanism electro-acoustic interaction. Large effective area fiber design and acoustic tailoring techniques have been discussed. Longitudinal variant fiber design considers the nonlinear SBS interaction along propagation distance, and various techniques related have been presented. External perturbations (strain and temperature) on optical fibers emphasize on how external static perturbations could modify the SBS effect.

Confined-doped fiber enabled kilowatt-level all-fiber laser with 1.28 GHz linewidth.

In this manuscript, a narrow linewidth fiber amplifier based on confined-doped fiber is established, and the power scaling and beam quality maintaining capabilities of this amplifier are investigated. Benefitted from the large mode area of the confined-doped fiber and precisely controlling the Yb-doped region in the fiber core, the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and transverse mode instability (TMI) effects are effectively balanced. As a result, a 1007 W signal laser with just 1.28 GHz linewidth is obtained by combining the advantages of confined-doped fiber, near-rectangular spectral injection, and 915 nm pump manner. As far as we know, this result is the first beyond kilowatt-level demonstration of all-fiber lasers with GHz-level linewidth, which could provide a well reference for simultaneously controlling spectral linewidth, suppressing the SBS and TMI effects in high-power, narrow-linewidth fiber lasers.

Spectral broadening scheme for suppressing SBS effects based on time-domain optimized chirp-like signals.

We propose a novel (to our knowledge) driving scheme to suppress the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) effect in master oscillator power amplification (MOPA) systems based on an external high-order phase modulation. Since seed sources with the linear chirp can uniformly broaden the SBS gain spectrum with a high SBS threshold, a chirp-like signal was designed by applying further editing and processing to the piecewise parabolic signal. Compared with the traditional piecewise parabolic signal, the chirp-like signal has similar linear chirp characteristics and can reduce the driving power and sampling rate requirements, enabling more efficient spectral spreading. The SBS threshold model is constructed theoretically based on the three-wave coupling equation. The spectrum modulated by the chirp-like signal is compared with the flat-top and Gaussian spectra in terms of the SBS threshold and the bandwidth-distribution normalized threshold, and a considerable improvement is demonstrated. Meanwhile, the experimental validation is carried out in a watt-class amplifier based on the MOPA structure. At a 3 dB bandwidth of ∼10 GHz, the SBS threshold of the seed source modulated by the chirp-like signal is improved by 35% compared to the flat-top spectrum and 18% compared to the Gaussian spectrum, respectively, and the normalized threshold is also the highest among them. Our study shows that the SBS suppression effect is not only related to the power distribution of the spectrum but also can be improved by the time domain design, which provides a new idea for analyzing and improving the SBS threshold of narrow-linewidth fiber lasers.

High efficiency of Brillouin scattering behavior in single-mode Ge–As–Se–Te fibers at 2 μm

The Brillouin characteristics of step-index Ge–As–Se–Te (GAST) fibers at 2 μm are designed and simulated on the basis of optical and acoustic properties. The refractive indexes of Ge20As20Se45Te15 glass and Ge20As20Se43Te17 glass serving as fiber core and cladding are 3.20 and 3.18 at 2 μm, and their acoustic velocities are 2200 m/s and 2300 m/s, respectively. Numerical results indicate that the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) efficiency is 248 m−1⋅W−1, and the Brillouin threshold power is 66 mW when the core diameter of the 2-m-long GAST fiber is 4 μm at 2-μm wavelength. The optic–acoustic coupling factor, the Brillouin frequency shift, and the Brillouin gain coefficient are 0.98, 7.02 GHz, and 3.81 × 10−9 m/W, respectively. The SBS effect of GAST fibers simulated for the first time provides a new promising approach to selecting gain medium based on 2-μm-wavelength fiber laser.

Real-Time Definite Sequence Modulation Based Spectral Broadening Scheme for High-Power Narrow-Linewidth Fiber Laser

High-power narrow-linewidth continuous fiber lasers have wide applications in the fields of power synthesis, nonlinear frequency conversion, and industrial processing. The output power of kW or even MW can be achieved by adopting spectral synthesis. However, in the power amplification process, the nonlinear effect represented by the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) effect limits the further increase of the laser power. And the accompanying self-pulsing effect poses a threat to the safety of the laser system. A high-order phase modulation scheme using a definite time sequence has been proposed to realize the controllable spectral broadening of the seed source, so as to suppress the SBS effect and improve the output power in the amplification stage. In this paper, we demonstrate a real-time definite time sequence generation scheme by using an integrated field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Combined with a single-stage phase modulator, the broadened bandwidth up to 30 GHz and controllable spectral shape can be achieved by adjusting the output waveform of the DAC directly. The generation principles and waveform control methods of real-time sequence are introduced in detail. Proven by a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) structure, the laser output power has increased by 30% under the extended bandwidth of 10 GHz compared to the cascaded white noise modulation case. This scheme provides a compact real-time control module for spectral broadening, which lays the foundation for implementing low-cost, compact, and standardized high-power narrow-linewidth fiber lasers.

High-power narrow-linewidth fiber lasers using optical spectrum broadening based on high-order phase modulation of inversion probability-tuning sequence.

Continuous fiber laser with ultra-high power and narrow linewidth is one of the key devices in the field of high-precision industrial processing, beam combining, and nonlinear frequency conversion. Under the premise of ensuring the signal quality, continuously increasing the output power is the focus of high-power narrow-linewidth fiber lasers. Driven by the white noise or pseudo-random binary sequence (PRBS), using cascaded phase modulations to broaden the spectrum of the seed source to suppress the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) effect in the master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) structure is an effective solution to increase the output power. However, this type of optical spectrum needs to be optimized, and the randomness of the driving signal causes a self-pulsing effect, which limits the further increase of the output power. In this paper, the influence of the frequency interval and randomness of the driving signal on the SBS effect in the laser system is analyzed. The modulated spectral type can be simply adjusted through changing the bit rate and inversion probability. Combining with high-order phase modulation, an approximate rectangular spectral broadening of the seed source with a tunable bandwidth up to 30 GHz is achieved. Compared with the cascaded white noise case, the output power of this scheme is increased by 600 W under the extended bandwidth of 27 GHz. It is fully verified that the seed source spectrum with high in-band flatness and low randomness can effectively suppress the SBS effect in the fiber laser and increase the output power.

Modeling the method for determining the stimulated brillouin scattering threshold in a single-mode optical fiber

Nonlinear optical effects in optical waveguides play an important role in the development of fiber and integrated optics systems for optical communication and information processing. On the one hand, nonlinear effects impose restrictions on the radiation power that can be transmitted through an optical fiber or light guide. In this paper, the problem of the occurrence of the phenomenon from the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) effect is investigated using two optical sources of rays in a single-mode optical fiber at joint waves of 1310 nm and 1550 nm. Due to the fact that in all trunk fiber-optic lines, the intensity and energy of input signals is limited due to the influence of SBS, methods are currently being sought to reduce the influence of this phenomenon. It was found that the energy of the input beam in the combined propagation of the compound did not reach the value of the threshold of SBS in the values of 25 dBm and 27 dBm due to the discrepancy between the experimental results and the results of the model. The SBS effect was not observed when the threshold threshold of 15 dBm and 27 dBm – SBS was reached when combining a dual beam along a single optical fiber in one direction. As a result, by double integration, the value of the SBS threshold was raised, and the direction for future scientific research was determined. If the possibility of increasing the threshold of SBS is proved, then increasing the distance of amplifiers in the main networks, respectively, its economic effect increases. In addition, it can be noted that there are no scientific papers devoted to the study of the effects of optical nonlinear effects by combining and distributing these two compounds along a single optical fiber. This article discusses the issues of improving the capacity and determination of the threshold for stimulated Brillouin scattering. To increase the power threshold is invited to consider the dependence of the phase modulation frequency of the spectral width of the laser radiation. In addition, the fact that the SBS threshold did not reach the value at an energy of 27 DB in the case of the double-beam distribution can be proved by discrepancies in comparison with the results of experimental studies and the results of the model that determines the SBS effect

Review on Stimulated Brillouin Scattering Effects and Their Applications in Integrated Optical Gyroscopes

Review on Stimulated Brillouin Scattering Effects and Their Applications in Integrated Optical Gyroscopes

Tailorable Stimulated Brillouin Scattering Laser Based on Silicon Ring Waveguides

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) lasers based on silicon waveguides with large SBS gain, have been widely used in frequency tunable laser emission, mode-locked pulse laser, low-noise oscillator, optical gyroscope, and other fields. However, current SBS lasers still need long waveguide lengths to realize Brillouin laser output, which increases the waveguide losses and is not conductive to be integrated. In this paper, we propose a silicon ring waveguide, in order to tune the frequency of the phonon field of SBS laser based on the silicon substrate of the ring cavity. The simulation results exhibit that the tailorable forward SBS effect is realized in the silicon-based optical waveguide with a large SBS gain up to 1.90 W-1m-1. Particularly, with the mutual restraint between photoelastic and moving boundary effects, the tunable phonon frequencies emitting from 1 to 15 GHz are realized through the conversion among higher order modes by modifying the widths of the ring cavity. Therefore, this silicon waveguide based on ring cavity will provide a new technical scheme for designing tunable SBS lasers by tuning the ring widths. In addition, this enhanced and broadband acoustic radiation will pave the way for hybrid integration in silicon-based optical waveguide, micro-electromechanical system, and CMOS signal processing technology.

Tailorable Brillouin Light Scattering in a Lithium Niobate Waveguide

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) lasers based on silicon waveguides with large SBS gain have been widely used in frequency tunable laser emissions, mode-locked pulse lasers, low-noise oscillators, optical gyroscopes and other fields. However, among SBS lasers, the realization of Brillouin laser output often requires a longer waveguide length, which not only increases waveguide loss but also increase the size of the device. As a new medium, lithium niobate has been fabricated into a new type of hybrid structure. Meanwhile, the width of a suspended waveguide is adjusted to tune the phonon frequency of an SBS laser based on lithium niobate substrate. Simulation results show that the tunable forward SBS effect is realized in a lithium niobate-suspended optical waveguide, showing a larger forward stimulated Brillouin scattering gain of 0.31 W−1m−1. The tunable phonon frequency ranges from 1 to 15 GHz. Therefore, utilizing the photon–phonon conversion effect, the waveguide system with LiNbO3 will pave a new way forward with better integration.

Suppression of the Stimulated Brillouin and Raman Scattering in Actively Q‐switched Fiber Lasers through Temporal Pulse Shaping

AbstractDespite the wide range of applications and versatility, actively Q‐switched fiber lasers (AQS‐FLs) suffer from the multi‐peak phenomenon or stepwise pulse generation under certain conditions. As such, the advantage of the stepwise tendency in AQS‐FL to modify the pulse shape and create a temporal profile that minimizes the power of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) Stokes components is taken. Accordingly a multi‐objective genetic algorithm (GA) and a Monte‐Carlo method is developed to solve the improved model for SBS. Additionally, the suppression of SRS is predicted and examined successfully. The proposed method is deployed for the simulation of the 5 and 10 kW peak and 10 ns wide pulses on a 4 m long, single‐mode, ytterbium‐doped double clad fiber under the narrow linewidth of 0.05 nm with promising suppression of SBS and SRS effects. To the best of the authors' knowledge this is the first time that such a pulse‐shaping strategy is demonstrated for the SBS or SRS suppression. Furthermore reaching a 10 kW peak on single mode fibers was previously only possible via custom made fibers. Our novel method offers the possibility of optimizing and improving the utilization of different fiber types in AQS‐FL systems.

Multiple radio frequency measurements with an improved frequency resolution based on stimulated Brillouin scattering with a reduced gain bandwidth.

A photonic-assisted multiple radio frequency (RF) measurement approach based on stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and frequency-to-time mapping with high accuracy and high frequency resolution is reported. A two-tone signal is a single-sideband (SSB) modulated on an optical carrier via a dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator to construct one SBS gain and two SBS losses for SBS gain bandwidth reduction. The unknown RF signal is also SSB modulated on a carrier that has been modulated by a sweep signal, thus the unknown RF signal is converted to a sweep optical signal along with the sweep optical carrier. The bandwidth-reduced SBS gain spectrum is detected by the sweep optical signals at different specific time, mapping the RF frequencies to the time domain. An experiment is performed. RF frequencies from 0.3 GHz to 7.6 GHz are simultaneously measured with a root mean square error of less than 1 MHz. In addition, the frequency resolution of the measurement can be much lower than 10 MHz, which is now the best result in the RF frequency measurement methods employing the SBS effect.