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Analysis of correlations among supercontinuum spectra using liquid crystal spatial light modulator
Author(s) -
Matsuike Mitsumasa,
Nishizawa Norihiko,
Mori Masakazu,
Goto Ryosuke,
Goto Toshio
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
electrical engineering in japan
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.136
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1520-6416
pISSN - 0424-7760
DOI - 10.1002/eej.20435
Subject(s) - supercontinuum , optics , materials science , femtosecond , spectral line , broadband , optical coherence tomography , dispersion (optics) , physics , optoelectronics , optical fiber , laser , photonic crystal fiber , astronomy
Abstract The generation of supercontinuum spectra from the injection of femtosecond pulses into microstructure or tapered fibers has now been achieved by several groups [1, 2]. In 2001, we generated a supercontinuum around 1.55 µm by injecting a 100‐fs‐duration fiber laser pulse with a 1‐nJ pulse energy into a 5‐m‐long highly nonlinear dispersion‐shifted fiber. The supercontinuum is a remarkable light source for applications in many fields due to its extreme spectral broadness and simple generation scheme. These unique properties should make the supercontinuum an ideal tool for important applications, including WDM telecommunications, optical coherence tomography, and optical‐frequency measurement. However, significant broadband noise on the supercontinuum has been observed, limiting its stability, so that the supercontinuum is too noisy for many applications. In this study, we experimentally analyze the correlation among supercontinuum spectra that contribute to increasing and decreasing this noise by spectral filtering using spatial light modulator. We observed the formation of correlations among supercontinuum spectra for two fibers which have different properties for chromatic dispersion. We also discuss how nonlinear effects act on the formation of correlations. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 158(3): 55–60, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20435