Suppression of stimulated Brillouin scattering in optical fibers using a linearly chirped diode laser

J. O. White, A. Vasilyev, J. P. Cahill, N. Satyan, O. Okusaga, G. Rakuljic, C. E. Mungan, A. Yariv
2012 Optics Express  
The output of high power fiber amplifiers is typically limited by stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). An analysis of SBS with a chirped pump laser indicates that a chirp of 2.5 × 10 15 Hz/s could raise, by an order of magnitude, the SBS threshold of a 20-m fiber. A diode laser with a constant output power and a linear chirp of 5 × 10 15 Hz/s has been previously demonstrated. In a low-power proof-of-concept experiment, the threshold for SBS in a 6-km fiber is increased by a factor of 100 with
more » ... a chirp of 5 × 10 14 Hz/s. A linear chirp will enable straightforward coherent combination of multiple fiber amplifiers, with electronic compensation of path length differences on the order of 0.2 m.
doi:10.1364/oe.20.015872 pmid:22772277 fatcat:mzhmrmnosbef7jyd33lmkwxwx4