Polarization-Independent Wavelength Conversion Using Four-Wave Mixing in Single-Mode Fibers Pumped with Cross-Polarized High Frequency Pulses

Kenichiro TSUJI  Hideaki YOKOTA  Masatoshi SARUWATARI  

Publication
IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Communications   Vol.E84-B    No.5    pp.1190-1196
Publication Date: 2001/05/01
Online ISSN: 
DOI: 
Print ISSN: 0916-8516
Type of Manuscript: Special Section PAPER (Joint Special Issue on Recent Progress in Optoelectronics and Communications)
Category: Optical Systems and Technologies
Keyword: 
four-wave mixing,  wavelength conversion,  polarization-independent,  cross-polarized pulse,  

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Summary: 
This paper describes a simple polarization-independent wavelength conversion method using degenerated four-wave mixing (FWM) in single-mode fibers pumped with cross-polarized high frequency, saw-tooth pulses from a single pump source. Successful polarization-independent wavelength conversion is experimentally confirmed with less than 12% and 5.6% variation using a gain-switched LD pumping and a mode-locked fiber laser pumping, respectively. We clarify that the interference effect between two orthogonal pump pulses must be taken into account to achieve a good polarization-insensitive operation, since even the small pulse edges bring about the large polarization fluctuations when they are interfered. Furthermore, it is reveal that the shorter pump pulse broadens its own spectrum due to the self-phase modulation in fibers, resulting in poor FWM efficiency. Finally, possibility of high-speed operation is discussed taking into account the pump pulse conditions.