Experimental comparison of a Kerr nonlinearity figure of merit including the stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold for state-of-the-art nonlinear optical fibers.

We introduce a new figure of merit (FOM) including the input pump power limit associated with stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) for evaluation of the Kerr nonlinearity efficiency of optical fibers. The new FOM is expressed as gammaL(eff)P(SBS) (gamma is a nonlinearity parameter, L(eff) is effective length, and P(SBS) is the SBS threshold), while the conventional FOM is given by gammaL(eff). Using the new FOM, we perform an efficiency comparison among four types of state-of-the-art nonlinear optical fiber: a Bi2O3-based nonlinear fiber, a silica-based holey fiber, a highly nonlinear dispersion-shifted fiber, and a conventional dispersion-shifted fiber. The Bi2O3-based nonlinear fiber is found to have the best Kerr nonlinearity efficiency owing to the superior nonlinear property of the Bi2O3 glass compared with that of the silica.

Use of 1-m Bi2O3 nonlinear fiber for 160-Gbit/s optical time-division demultiplexing based on polarization rotation and a wavelength shift induced by cross-phase modulation.

We present, for the first time to our knowledge, experimental results of the use of a 1-m-long Bi2O3-based nonlinear fiber (Bi-NLF) with a nonlinear parameter gamma of approximately 1100 W(-1) km(-l) within an all-fiber-based 160Gbit/s optical time-division multiplexing (OTDM) data demultiplexer. Our demultiplexing switch basically uses the principle of the Kerr shutter, and its switching performance is further enhanced by the additional use of the wavelength blueshift of data pulses, which is induced by cross-phase modulation from the control pulse's trailing edge. The OTDM demultiplexer, composed of the 1-m Bi-NLF, readily achieves error-free demultiplexing operation of all 16 channels.

All-fiber 80-Gbit/s wavelength converter using 1-m-long Bismuth Oxide-based nonlinear optical fiber with a nonlinearity gamma of 1100 W-1km-1.

We experimentally demonstrate the use of our fabricated 1-m-long Bi2O3 optical fiber (Bi-NLF) with an ultra-high nonlinearity of ~1100 W-1km-1 for wavelength conversion of OTDM signals. With successfully performed fusion splicing of the Bi-NLF to conventional silica fibers an all-fiber wavelength converter is readily implemented by use of a conventional Kerr shutter configuration. Owing to the extremely short fiber length, no additional scheme was employed for suppression of signal polarization fluctuation induced by local birefringence fluctuation, which is usually observed in a long-fiber Kerr shutter. The wavelength converter, composed of the 1-m Bi-NLF readily achieves error-free wavelength conversion of an 80-Gbit/s input signal.

All fiber-based 160-Gbit/s add/drop multiplexer incorporating a 1-m-long Bismuth Oxide-based ultra-high nonlinearity fiber.

We experimentally demonstrate an all fiber-based, compact add/drop multiplexer (ADM) of a 160 Gbit/s optical time division multiplexed signal using only 1-m length of our fabricated Bi2O3-based step index type optical fiber with an ultra-high nonlinearity of ~1100 W-1.km-1 The ADM is based on the cross phase modulation-induced nonlinear polarization rotation principle and simultaneous add/drop operation was easily achieved by use of a polarization beam splitter after the Bi2O3-based nonlinear fiber. Error-free add/drop operation is readily achieved at multiplexed data rates of both 80 Gbit/s and 160 Gbit/s.

Highly nonlinear bismuth-oxide fiber for smooth supercontinuum generation at 1.5 microm.

Short lengths of highly nonlinear bismuth-oxide fiber are used to generate smooth supercontinuum spanning from 1200 nm to 1800 nm, with sub-0.5 nJ pulse energies. The spectral broadening in a 2-cm length of this fiber was used to compress 150-fs pulses to 25 fs.