Non Linear Effects in

Optical Fiber
By

6/16/15

Kamal Jeet Singh

Roll No. 141610
ME Modular ECE 2014 Batch
NITTTR Chandigarh

Non Linear Optical

Effects

Contents

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Introduction
SRS Stimulated Raman
Scattering
SBS Stimulated Brillouin
Scattering
SPM Self Phase Modulation
CPM Cross Phase Modulation
FWM Four Wave Mixing
Kamal Jeet Singh, Roll No. 141610, ME-MODECE-2014

Non Linear Optical

Effects

Non Linear Effects in Optical Fibre

Inelastic Scattering Effects
Linear Refractive

Non

Index Effects

SRS
CPM
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SBS

SPM

FWM Table - 1
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Figure 1
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Linear and Non

Linear Interactions
The terms linear
and nonlinear
(Figure 1), in optics,
mean intensity
independent and
intensity-dependent
phenomena
respectively
Kamal Jeet Singh, Roll No. 141610, ME-MODECE-2014

Non Linear Optical

Effects

Nonlinear effects in optical fibers (Table 1) occur due to:

Change in the refractive index of the medium with optica

intensity and
Inelastic scattering phenomenon

The power dependence of the refractive index is responsib

for the Kerr-effect

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Depending upon the type of input signal, the Kerr-nonlinea

manifests itself in three different effects such as:
Self Phase Modulation (SPM)
Cross Phase Modulation (CPM)
Four Wave Mixing (FWM)
At high power level, the inelastic scattering phenomenon
can induce stimulated effects such as
Stimulated Brillouin-Scattering (SBS)
Stimulated Raman-Scattering (SRS)
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Except for SPM and CPM, all nonlinear effects provide gains
to some channel at the expense of depleting power from
other channels

SPM and CPM affect only the phase of signals and can caus
spectral broadening, which leads to increased dispersion

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Inelastic Scattering Effects

Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS)
Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS)

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS)

SRS is an interaction between light waves and the
vibrational modes of silica molecules.

When photons are scattered from an atom or

molecule, most photons are elastically
scattered (Rayleigh scattering), such that the
scattered photons have the same energy
(frequency and wavelength) as the incident
photons
If a photon with energy hv1 is incident on a
Kamal Jeet Singh, Roll No. 141610, ME-MODECE-2014

molecule having a vibrational frequency Vm, the

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

In this interaction, the photon is scattered, thereby

attaining a lower frequency V2 and a corresponding
lower energy hv2.
The modified photon is called Stokes Photon or Pump
Wave, since it supplies power for the generated wave.
This process generates scattered light at a wavelength
longer than that of the incident light.
If another signal is present in this longer wavelength,
the SRS light will amplify it and pump wavelength
signal will decrease in power.
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Figure: SRS transfers optical power from shorter

wavelengths to longer wavelengths
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Stokes and anti-Stokes scattering

The Raman interaction leads to two possible outcomes:
The material absorbs energy and the emitted photon
has a lower energy than the absorbed photon. This
outcome is labeled Stokes Raman scattering.
The material loses energy and the emitted photon has
a higher energy than the absorbed photon. This
outcome is labeled anti-Stokes Raman scattering.

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

SRS Applications
Raman scattering is used as a tool to detect highfrequency phonon and magnon excitations.
Raman lidar is used in atmospheric physics to measure
the atmospheric extinction coefficient and the water
vapour vertical distribution.
Stimulated Raman transitions are also widely used for
manipulating a trapped ion's energy levels, and thus
basis qubit states.
Raman spectroscopy can be used to determine the
force constant and bond length for molecules that do
not have an infrared absorption spectrum.
Raman amplification is used in optical amplifiers.
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS)

SBS arises when a strong optical signal generates an
acoustic wave that produces variations in the
refractive index.
These index variations cause lightwaves to scatter in
the backward direction toward the transmitter.
This backscattered light experiences gain from the
forward propagating signals, which leads to depletion
of the signal power.
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Jeet Singh, Roll No. between
141610, ME-MOD- the light-wave
The result of theKamal
interaction
ECE-2014

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

light-wave changes its momentum (thus its frequency

and energy).
The frequency of the scattered light experiences a
Doppler shift
The frequency is given by:
VB=2nVs/
Where
n= Index of refraction
Kamal Jeet Singh, Roll No. 141610, ME-MOD6/16/15
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Vs = Velocity of sound in material

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Pth = 21
Where
= Effective cross sectional
area of the propagating
wave
b= Polarization factor (value
1~2)
= Effective length
= Brillous gain coefficient
(~ 4x10-11m/W)

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SBS Threshold
Power(Pth):
It is defined to be the signal
power at which the
backscattered light equals
the fiber input power.

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Example: Consider an optical source with a 40 MHz

linewidth. Using the values = 20MHz at 1550 nm, =
55x10-12m2 (for a typical dispersion shifted single mode
fiber), = 20 km, and assuming a value of b = 2. Find the
SBS threshold power.
Solution: we know that,
Pth = 21
and =

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Pth = 21

Pth = 8.6mW
Or
Pth = 9.3dBm

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Non Linear Refractive Index Effects

(Kerr Effect)
Self Phase Modulation (SPM)
Cross Phase Modulation (CPM)
Four Wave Mixing (FWM)

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

The Kerr Effect: The Kerr effect, also

called the quadratic electro-optic effect
(QEO effect), is a change in the refractive
index of a material in response to an
applied electric field.
Two special cases of the Kerr effect are
normally considered, these being the Kerr
electro-optic effect, or DC Kerr effect, and
the optical Kerr effect, or AC Kerr effect.
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Self Phase Modulation (SPM)

The higher intensity portions of an optical pulse
encounter a higher refractive index of the fiber
compared with the lower intensity portions while it
travels through the fiber
The time varying signal intensity produces a time
varying refractive index in a medium that has an
intensity-dependant refractive index
The leading edge will experience a positive refractive
index gradient (dn/dt)
and trailing edge a negative
Kamal Jeet Singh, Roll No. 141610, ME-MOD6/16/15
refractive index gradientECE-2014
(dn/dt)

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

This temporally varying index

change results in a
temporally varying phase change
as shown in (Figure-2)
The optical phase changes
with time in exactly the same
way as the optical signal
This Non Linear Phase
modulation is self induced,
therefore it is called Self
(Figure-2) Spectral Broadening of Pulse due
Phase Modulation (SPM).
to SPM
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Different parts of the pulse undergo different phase

shift because
of intensity dependence of phase fluctuations.
This results in frequency chirping.
The rising edge of the pulse finds frequency shift in
upper side
whereas the trailing edge experiences shift in lower
side.
Hence primary effect of SPM is to broaden the
Jeet Singh,
Roll No. 141610,
ME-MODspectrum of theKamal
pulse,
keeping
the
temporal shape
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

The phase () introduced

by a field E over a fiber
length L is
given by
= 2nL/

The SPM effects are

more pronounced in
systems with hightransmitted power
because the chirping
effect is proportional to
transmitted signal power.

where is wavelength
of
optical pulse
propagating in fiber of
refractive index n, and nL is
known as optical path
length
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

PM Induced Chirp: For Pulse Width = 90ps and Fibre Length = 100m

Non Linear Phase Shift

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Frequency Spectra

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SPM: Benefits and Losses

Non Linear Optical

Effects

SPM-induced spectral broadening can degrade performance

of a lightwave system.
Modulation instability often enhances system noise.

On the positive side . . .

Modulation instability can be used to produce ultra short

pulses at high repetition rates .
SPM can be used for fast optical switching.
It has been used for passive mode locking.
Responsible for the formation of optical solitons.
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Applications of SPM:
Solitons
Pulse Compression
Optically Tuneable Delays
Optical 40Gb/s 3R Regenerator

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Cross Phase Modulation (CPM)

Cross-phase modulation (CPM) is a nonlinear optical
effect where
one wavelength of light can affect the phase of
another wavelength
of light through the optical Kerr effect.
When two or more optical pulses propagate
simultaneously, the cross-phase modulation is always
accompanied by SPM
The nonlinear refractive index seen by an optical beam
depends not only on the intensity of that beam but
Kamal Jeet Singh, Roll No. 141610, ME-MOD6/16/15
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also on the intensity of the
other copropagating beams28

Non Linear Optical

Effects

The efficiency of Cross Phase Modulation (CPM)

depends on :

The fiber chromatic dispersion

The SOP of the different channels
Channel spacing
Channel power

CPM converts power fluctuations in a particular

wavelength channel to phase fluctuations in other
copropagating channels.
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Advantages of CPM:

Non linear pulse compression

Passive mode locking
Ultra fast optical switching
Demultiplexing of OTDM
Wavelength Conversion of WDMChannels

Disadvantages of CPM:
CPM leads to interchannel crosstalk in WDM systems
It can produce amplitude and timing jitter
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Applications of CPM:

Cross-phase modulation can be used as a technique

for adding
information to a light stream by modifying the phase
of a coherent
optical beam with another beam through interactions
in an
appropriate non-linear medium. This technique is
applied to fiber
optic communications.

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Four Wave Mixing (FWM)

Four-wave mixing (FWM) is an intermodulation phenomenon in
non-linear optics, whereby interactions between two wavelengths
produce two extra wavelengths in the signal.

FWM is a nonlinear process that transfers energy of pumps to signal

and idler waves.

Mechanism:
When three frequencies (say f1, f2, and f3) interact in a nonlinear
medium, they give rise to a fourth wavelength (f4) which is formed
by the scattering of the incident photons, producing the fourth pho
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

f4 =f1f2f3
Where f1, f2, f3 are the
frequencies of three
optical fields and f4 is
the frequency of
generated electric field
due to f1, f2 and f3.

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The Relationship
between the
frequencies is as
shown on left side.

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

When this new frequency falls in the transmission window of the origi
frequencies, it can cause severe crosstalk.
Figure shows a simple
example for two waves at
frequencies V1 and V2.
As these waves copropogate
along a fiber, they mix and
generate sidebands at 2V1
V2 and 2V2 V1.

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Similarly, three
copropogating waves will
create nine new optical
Kamal Jeet Singh, Roll No. 141610, ME-MODECE-2014
sideband waves at different34

Non Linear Optical

Effects

The efficiency of FWM depends on fibre dispersion and

the channel
spacing.
Since the dispersion varies with wavelength, the signal
waves and the generated waves have different group
velocities.
This destroys the phase matching of the interacting
waves and lowers the efficiency at which power is
transferred to newly generated frequencies.
The higher the group velocity mismatches and the
Kamalspacings,
Jeet Singh, Roll No. the
141610,lower
ME-MODwider the channel
the Four Wave
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Pijk = (D K)2 Pi(0) Pj(0) Pk(0)

exp(-L)

Where the non linear

interaction constant K is
K=
= Efficiency of FWM
1111= Third order nonlinear
susceptibility
n= Fiber refractive index
D = Degeneracy factor
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At the exit of a fiber of

length L and attenuation ,
the power Pijk that is
generated at frequency Vijk
due to the interaction of
signals at frequencies Vi, Vj,
Vk that have fibre input
powers Pi, Pj and Pk
respectively.

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Example: Consider a 75km link of dispersion shifted

single mode fiber carrying two wavelengths at 1540.0 nm
and 1540.5 nm. The new frequencies generated due to
FWM are at
V112 = 2V1-V2 = 2(1540.0 nm) 1540.5 nm
= 1539.5 nm
and
V221 = 2V2-V1 = 2(1540.5 nm) 1540.0 nm
= 1541.0 nm
Assume the fiber has
an
attenuation
of
=0.20
dB/km
=
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ECE-2014
0.0461/km, a refractive index of 1.48, and a 9.0 m core

Non Linear Optical

Effects

and Aeff = 6.4x10-11 m2. Consider 5 percent for a 62

GHz (0.5 nm) channel spacing. If each channel has an
input power of 1 mW, then, using the values 1111 = 6x1016
cm3/erg = 6x10-15 m3/(W.s) and D = 3, we find

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Non Linear Optical

Effects

FWM: Good or Bad?

FWM leads to interchannel cross talk in WDM systems.
It generates additional noise and degrades system
performance.
On the other hand . . .
FWM can be used beneficially for
Parametric amplification
Optical phase conjugation
Demultiplexing of OTDM channels
Wavelength conversion of WDM channels
Super continuum generation
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

Conclusion

Optical fibers exhibit a variety of nonlinear effects.

Fiber nonlinearities are feared by telecom system
designers because
they can affect system performance adversely
Fiber nonlinearities can be managed through proper
system design.
Nonlinear effects are useful for many device and system
applications:
optical switching, soliton formation, wavelength
conversion, broadband
amplification, demultiplexing, etc.
New kinds of fibers have been developed for enhancing
nonlinear
Kamal Jeet Singh, Roll No. 141610, ME-MOD6/16/15
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Non Linear Optical

Effects

References
Fiber-Optic Communication Systems by Govind P.
Agrawal (4th Edition)
Optic-Fiber Communication by John M. Senior (3rd
Edition)
Optic-Fiber Communication by Gerd Keiser (4th Edition)
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.optiwave.com

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Junction
Breakdown

Thanks

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