Abstract:
An optical amplifier includes an optical gain fiber into which signal light and pump light are input and at least one relative phase shifter is inserted. Preferably, the relative phase shifter is inserted so that the relative phase in the lengthwise direction of the optical gain fiber falls within a predetermined range containing 0.5 n. Preferably, the optical gain fiber is a highly non-linear optical fiber having a non-linearity constant of at least 10/W/km. Preferably, the dispersion of the optical gain fiber is within the range from -1 ps/nm/km to 1 ps/nm/km in an amplification band. Preferably, the absolute value of the dispersion slope of the optical gain fiber at a zero dispersion wavelength is no greater than 0.05 ps/nm 2 /km.
Abstract:
An electrically controllable optical element comprising a piece of electro-optical material (3), having a surface on which a Bragg phase grating (7) having a longitudinal extension is provided, electrodes (15) which are arranged on said surface at both sides of the Bragg grating (7), and an optical fibre (5) comprising a core (9) and a cladding (11), having a portion of its longitudinal extension which is, at least in part of the fibre's circumference, free of the cladding (11), which has been partly removed such as to form a plane surface (13), wherein the fibre (5) is in optical contact with said piece of electro-optical material (3) such that its longitudinal extension matches with the longitudinal extension of the Bragg grating (7) and said portion which is free of the cladding (11) is adjacent to said surface where the Bragg grating (7) is provided, wherein a beam of optical radiation propagating along the said optical fibre (5) is controllable by means of a voltage applied to said electrodes (15). Thereby the diffraction characteristics of the interface between the Bragg grating (7) and the plane surface (13) of the core (9) pressed against the electro-optical substrate (3) is changed.
Abstract:
A gain equalizer in which a multichannel input light signal is split into its separate wavelength components by means of a dispersive element such as a grating, and the spatially separated wavelength components are passed through a linear array of variable optical attenuators based on liquid crystal phase elements which modulate the phase of part of the cross section of the light. Other types of variable attenuators may also be used. The separate attenuated wavelength components are then recombined and output. The attenuation level of each variable optical attenuator is adjusted according to the output of the light as a function of its wavelength components, and in this way, the overall wavelength profile of the output light signal can be adjusted to any predefined form, whether a flattened spectral profile as in gain equalization applications, or a spectral compensating profile or a band blocking profile.
Abstract:
A fiber optical attenuator utilizing the cut-off phenomenon for single mode propagation of an optical wave down a single mode fiber, comprising an element such as a pixelated liquid crystal element, capable of spatially changing the phase across the cross section of an input optical signal. Such a spatial phase change is equivalent to a change in the mode structure of the propagating wave. The signal propagating in the single mode output fiber is attenuated in accordance with the extent to which higher order modes are mixed into the low order mode originally present. When the mode is completely transformed to higher order modes, the wave is effectively completely blocked from entering the output single-mode fiber, and the attenuation is high. The level of attenuation is determined by the fraction of the wave which is converted to modes other than the lowest order mode, and is thus controllable by the voltage applied to the pixels of the liquid crystal element.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fiber laser device capable of suppressing dispersion of a rising period of a laser beam to be output while shortening the rising period of the laser beam to be output. SOLUTION: This fiber laser device 100 includes a seed laser beam source 10, an excitation light source 20, an optical fiber 30 for amplification, a control part 60, and an output command part 65. When an output command is input to the control unit 60, the control unit 60 controls the seed laser beam source 10 and excitation light source 20 so that they are brought in a preliminary excitation state and an output state. In the preliminary excitation state, excitation light of an intensity defined based on the length of a period from an end point of the output state before the output command is input to the control part 60 to a point when the output command is input to the control part 60 is output from the excitation light source 20 for a certain period. In the output state, a laser beam is output from the seed laser beam source 10 so that the laser beam is output from an output part 50, and excitation light is output from the excitation light source 20. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT