Waveguide Four-Wave Mixing
Abstract
This program has investigated four-wave mixing (4-wm) in non-linear waveguides, with particular emphasis on waveguides with gain and a resonant enhancement. To understand the basic physical processes which determine the formation, duration, tunability, and fidelity of the scattered optical signal, a general analytical framework was developed for studying nonlinear optical processes in waveguides based on coupled-mode formalism. The influence of diffusion on those media where the nonlinearity is dominated by mobile particles, such as free carriers in a semiconductor under current injection, can be incorporated through a Lorentzian dependence on spatial and temporal frequency of the interacting modes. The theoretical analysis shows that there are strict limits on the speed and spatial fidelity of the phase conjugation process in a multimode waveguide. However, these limits can be relaxed through the use of an array of single-mode waveguides. Laser diodes are a particularly interesting nonlinear waveguide due to the simultaneous combination of strong nonlinearity, resonant gain, and a Fabry-Perot cavity. It is demonstrated that the action of a nearly-degenerate, weak signal beam is to phase modulate the output of a laser diode through 4-wm.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA243555
Entities
People
- Jia-ming Liu
- Thomas B. Simpson