title: Amplification of picosecond pulses and gigahertz signals in bismuth-doped fiber amplifiers.
abstract: We demonstrate the capability for amplification of picosecond pulses in two bismuth-doped alumosilicate fibers. A spectrally filtered supercontinuum source is used to provide a train of picosecond pulses at discrete wavelengths within the gain bandwidth of bismuth fiber amplifiers. With a 30 m length of active fiber, a small signal gain at 1160 nm of over 20 dB is observed. In addition, we assess the viability of amplification of high repetition rate signals in such amplifiers, applying a 10 GHz modulation to a continuous wave Raman fiber laser operating at 1178 nm, finding that such signals are amplified without noticeable distortion.
authors.affiliation: Femtosecond Optics Group, Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK. ben.chapman@imperial.ac.uk
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: E J R
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kelleher
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Golant
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Popov
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Taylor