Femtosecond nonlinear losses in multimode optical fibers

Year: 2021

Authors: Ferraro M., Mangini F., Zitelli M., Tonello A., De Luca A., Couderc V., Wabnitz S.

Autors Affiliation: Department of Information Engineering, Electronics, and Telecommunications, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, Rome, 00184, Italy; Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia, Via Branze 38, Brescia, 25123, Italy; University de Limoges, XLIM, UMR CNRS 7252, 123 Avenue A. Thomas, Limoges, 87060, France; Physics Department, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, I-87036, Italy; CNR Nanotec-Institute of Nanotechnology, S.S. Cosenza, CS, Rende, I-87036, Italy; CNR-INO, Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, Via Campi Flegrei 34, NA, Pozzuoli, I-80078, Italy

Abstract: Multimode optical fibers are attracting a growing interest for their capability to transport high-power laser beams, coupled with novel nonlinear optics-based applications. However, optical fiber breakdown occurs when beam intensities exceed a certain critical value. Optical breakdown associated with irreversible modifications of the refractive index, triggered by multiphoton absorption, has been largely exploited for fiber material microstructuration. Here we show that, for light beam intensities slightly below the breakdown threshold, nonlinear absorption strongly affects the dynamics of a propagating beam as well. We experimentally analyze this subthreshold regime and highlight the key role played by spatial self-imaging in graded-index fibers for enhancing nonlinear optical losses. We characterize the nonlinear power transmission properties of multimode fibers for femtosecond pulses propagating in the near-infrared spectral range. We show that an effective N-photon absorption analytical model is able to describe the experimental data well.

Journal/Review: PHOTONICS RESEARCH

Volume: 9 (12)      Pages from: 2443  to: 2453

More Information: Ministero dell´Istruzione, dell´Universita e della Ricerca (R18SPB8227); European Research Council (740355, 874596); Region Nouvelle Aquitaine (F2MH, SIP2); National Research Agency under the Investments for the future program (ANR-10-LABX-0074-01 Sigma-LIM).
KeyWords: dynamics; generation; nanosecond; breakdown
DOI: 10.1364/PRJ.425878

Citations: 14
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