Q-switched Ti:Er:LiNbO3 waveguide laser

Q-switched operation of a Ti:Er:LiNbO3 waveguide laser has been achieved with up to 2.4 W pulse peak power (0.18J) at 2kHz repetition frequency with an intracavity Mach–Zehnder-type amplitude modulator. A theoretical model has been developed to describe the laser operation. Good agreement between numerical and experimental results has been achieved. Significant potential for improvement is predicted.     

Experiments on 40 Gb/s Transmission with Wavelength Conversion: Results from the IST ATLAS Project

In this article we report the main experimental results obtained in the framework of the IST ATLAS project regarding the transmission at 40 Gb/s over long terrestrial links, including the frequency conversion of a signal. We report the single-channel 40 Gb/s transmission over a link 500 km long with an amplifier spacing of 100 km, both with G.652 fibers and G.653 fibers by periodically compensating the chromatic dispersion with dispersion-compensating fibers. We report the single-channel transmission at 40 Gb/s, also, after the wavelength conversion of a channel with both PPLN and semiconductor optical amplifier devices. In particular, 500 km distances are obtained with PPLN wavelength conversion and 300 km distances with semiconductor optical amplifiers. Some results have been reported for electronic devices operating at 40 Gb/s.     

Fidelity of an optical memory based on stimulated photon echoes

We investigated the preservation of information encoded into the relative phase and amplitudes of optical pulses during storage and retrieval in an optical memory based on stimulated photon echo. By interfering photon echoes produced in a single-mode Ti:Er:LiNbO(3) waveguide, we found that decoherence in the medium translates only as loss and not as degradation of information. We measured a visibility for interfering echoes close to 100%. These results may have important implications for future long-distance quantum communication protocols.     

Integrated optical Ti:Er:LiNbO3 distributed Bragg reflector laser with a fixed photorefractive grating

For the first time to the authors' knowledge, an integrated optical distributed Bragg reflector laser with a fixed photorefractive grating in LiNbO(3) is demonstrated. Sample preparation, grating fabrication, and laser characteristics are reported. The device is pumped by a fiber pigtailed laser diode (lambda(p) approximately 1480 nm) through the Bragg grating in a double-pass configuration, yielding an emission in the backward direction at lambda=1531.7nm . The laser threshold is 40 mW; as much as 5 mW of output power has been obtained at 110 mW of launched pump power in cw operation.     

In-Field n × 40 Gb/s Transmission Experiments with In-Line All-Optical Wavelength Conversion

In this work, WDM transmission with 40-Gbit/s per channel bit rate has been experimentally demonstrated over a 500-km link. Different chromatic dispersion conditions have been managed and in-line all-optical wavelength conversion has been carried out with a periodical poled lithium niobate (PPLN) device in a polarization-independent scheme. The link was obtained by connecting the fibers contained in an installed cable between Roma and Pomezia (25 km), encompassing single-mode (G.652) and high-end (G.655, non-zero dispersion with a particular value and flat curve for chromatic dispersion) fibers. Some 40 Gb/s channels were propagated in the link 500 km long and one channel was dropped from the link after 300-km propagation, wavelength converted, and added to the other channels for the next 200 km. The electrical data interfaces exploited a 4 × 10 Gbit/s to 1 × 40 Gbit/s MUX at the transmitter, along with a 1 × 40 Gbit/s to 4 × 10 Gbit/s DMUX at the receiver. Successful transmission of 4 channels, 200-GHz spaced, has been achieved over 500 km along both G.652 and G.655 links. No evidence of penalty comparing converted and unconverted channels has been reported. Transmission experiments of 8 × 40 Gbit/s, with 100 GHz frequency spacing, are also reported. No significant degradation has been observed in the case of the G.652 link.     

Interference of multimode photon echoes generated in spatially separated solid-state atomic ensembles

High-visibility interference of photon echoes generated in spatially separated solid-state atomic ensembles is demonstrated. The solid-state ensembles were LiNbO(3) waveguides doped with erbium ions absorbing at 1.53 microm. Bright coherent states of light in several temporal modes (up to 3) are stored and retrieved from the optical memories using two-pulse photon echoes. The stored and retrieved optical pulses, when combined at a beam splitter, show almost perfect interference, which demonstrates both phase preserving storage and indistinguishability of photon echoes from separate optical memories. By measuring interference fringes for different storage times, we also show explicitly that the visibility is not limited by atomic decoherence. These results are relevant for novel quantum-repeater architectures with photon-echo based multimode quantum memories.     

Site-selective spectroscopy of Er3+:Ti:LiNbO3 waveguides

Starting from previous investigations in LiNbO₃ bulk crystals, we studied the optical properties of Er³⁺ ions in Ti:LiNbO₃ channel waveguides and investigated the waveguide-specific lattice environment of the Er³⁺ ions (“sites”) caused by the doping method used and the presence of a large number of Ti⁴⁺ ions. For that purpose the method of combined excitation–emission spectroscopy was applied for the first time to waveguides at low temperatures. Comparing the spectroscopic results obtained for the green, red, and near-IR luminescence (λ≈550, ≈650 and ≈980 nm) under direct (450 nm), 2-step (980 nm), and 3-step (1.5 μm) laser excitation, we found several distinguishable Er³⁺ sites which in terms of energy levels and relative numbers are similar to those in bulk material, but exhibit significantly different up-conversion efficiencies and strongly inhomogeneously broadened transitions. Moreover, we were able to distinguish isolated and cluster Er³⁺ sites by their characteristic excitation and emission transition energies and studied the respective excitation/relaxation channels. The cluster sites are most efficient in the up-conversion process, especially under 3-step excitation. Using accepted microscopic models for Er³⁺ and Ti⁴⁺ incorporation into the LiNbO₃ crystal lattice, the site distribution and up-conversion mechanisms are elucidated and their consequences for laser applications in different spectral regions are discussed. Received: 16 November 2000 / Published online: 21 March 2001     

Polarization-insensitive all-optical wavelength conversion of 320 Gb/s RZ-DQPSK signals using a Ti:PPLN waveguide

Polarization-insensitive wavelength conversion of a single channel 320 Gb/s RZ-DQPSK data signal using a Ti:PPLN waveguide in a bi-directional loop configuration with less than 0.5 dB polarization sensitivity is reported. The conversion efficiency with polarization scrambling of the signal was ?21 dB, which includes 9.2 dB of passive losses in the whole Ti:PPLN subsystem. In BER measurements error-free operation with 2 dB OSNR penalty for the converted signal was achieved. Theoretical and experimental investigations of the temporal shape and chirp of the converted data pulses show only very little broadening and chirping, indicating the potential for wavelength conversion of even much higher data rates.     

Efficient cascaded difference frequency conversion in periodically poled Ti:LiNbO3 waveguides using pulsed and cw pumping

Using an FM-mode-locked Ti:Er:LiNbO₃ waveguide laser as the fundamental source, wavelength conversion by cascaded χ⁽²⁾:χ⁽²⁾-difference frequency generation with a conversion efficiency of up to +3(-4.6) dB was demonstrated at a pulse repetition rate of about 2 (10) GHz. In addition, multi-channel conversion was demonstrated with a fully packaged wavelength converter using a continuous fundamental source. Received: 29 May 2001 / Revised version: 10 August 2001 / Published online: 2 November 2001