Supercontinuum generation in ultraviolet-irradiated fibers.
We demonstrate that UV exposure of highly nonlinear, germanosilicate fibers causes a strong change in their chromatic dispersion and can significantly alter the infrared supercontinuum generation in these fibers. By varying the level of UV exposure to the fiber, we show that the dispersion zero and the short-wavelength edge of the supercontinuum can be changed by more than 100 nm. A nonlinear Schrödinger equation model of the continuum generation in the nonlinear fiber shows that the short-wavelength behavior of the continuum is primarily controlled by changes in the fiber dispersion caused by the UV-induced change in the refractive index of the fiber core.
Nicholson
J W
JW
OFS Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey 07974, USA. jwn@ofsoptics.com
Westbrook
P S
PS
Feder
K S
KS
Yablon
A D
AD