A geometrical view of scalar modulation instability in optical fibers

Full models of scalar modulation instability (MI) in optical fibers available in the literature usually involve complex formulations. In this paper, we present a novel approach to the analysis of MI in optical fibers by means of a simple geometrical description in the power vs. frequency plane. This...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Hernandez, Santiago Martin, Fierens, Pablo Ignacio, Bonetti, Juan Ignacio, Sánchez, Alfredo Daniel, Grosz, Diego Fernando
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2017
Country:Argentina
Institution:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repository:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/35000
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/35000
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Dispersion
Nonlinear optics
Geometrical optics
Supercontinuum
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/2.2
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/2
Description
Summary:Full models of scalar modulation instability (MI) in optical fibers available in the literature usually involve complex formulations. In this paper, we present a novel approach to the analysis of MI in optical fibers by means of a simple geometrical description in the power vs. frequency plane. This formulation allows to relate the shape of the MI gain to any arbitrary dispersion profile of the medium, thus providing a simple insight. As a result, we derive a straightforward explanation of the non-trivial dependence of the cutoff power on high-order dispersion and derive explicitly the power that maximizes the gain. Our approach puts forth a tool to synthesize a desired MI gain with the potential application to a number of parametric-amplification and supercontinuum-generation devices whose initial-stage dynamics rely upon modulation instability.