Experimental nonlinear optics in microstructure fiber

Recent experimental investigations of nonlinear optics in microstructure fibers (MFs) have confirmed that one can easily observe a variety of interesting phenomena in such fibers with high efficiency. The combination of a small effective core area with single-mode waveguide behavior over a wide wavelength range and with engineerable dispersion characteristics may allow one to overcome many of the drawbacks of fiber-based devices by taking greater advantage of the relatively weak χ⁽³⁾ nonlinearity of glass in MFs. We address our recent experimental investigation into the applications of nonlinear-fiber optics using MFs. In particular, we explore the potential for using MFs in broadband optical amplifiers, wavelength shifters, and all-optical switches. Our experiments demonstrate the feasibility of using MF to perform essential functions in high-speed all-optical processing