Widely-tunable parametric short-wave infrared transmitter for CO_2 trace detection

An all-fiber, tunable, short-wave infrared transmitter is demonstrated using efficient four-wave mixing in conventional L and O bands. To realize this source a highly-nonlinear fiber, exhibiting low bend loss over the short-wave infrared spectral band, is employed because of its advantageous properties as a nonlinear mixing medium. The transmitter was subsequently exploited to probe and detect trace levels of carbon dioxide in the 2051-nm spectral region where its beam properties, tunability, narrow linewidth, and stability all coalesce to permit this application. This work indicates this transmitter can serve as a robust source for sensing carbon dioxide and other trace gasses in the short-wave infrared spectral region and should therefore play an important role in future applications.