Theory of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering in Fibers for Highly Multimode Excitations

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is often an unwanted loss mechanism in both active and passive fibers. Highly multimode excitation of fibers has been proposed as a novel route toward efficient SBS suppression. Here, we develop a detailed, quantitative theory which confirms this proposal and el...

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Main Authors: Kabish Wisal, Stephen C. Warren-Smith, Chun-Wei Chen, Hui Cao, A. Douglas Stone
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Physical Society 2024-09-01
Series:Physical Review X
Online Access:http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.14.031053
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author Kabish Wisal
Stephen C. Warren-Smith
Chun-Wei Chen
Hui Cao
A. Douglas Stone
author_facet Kabish Wisal
Stephen C. Warren-Smith
Chun-Wei Chen
Hui Cao
A. Douglas Stone
author_sort Kabish Wisal
collection DOAJ
description Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is often an unwanted loss mechanism in both active and passive fibers. Highly multimode excitation of fibers has been proposed as a novel route toward efficient SBS suppression. Here, we develop a detailed, quantitative theory which confirms this proposal and elucidates the physical mechanisms involved. Starting from the vector optical and scalar acoustic equations, we derive appropriate nonlinear coupled mode equations for the signal and Stokes modal amplitudes and an analytical formula for the SBS (Stokes) gain with applicable approximations, such as the neglect of shear effects. This allows us to calculate the exponential growth rate of the Stokes power as a function of the distribution of power in a highly multimode signal. The peak value of the gain spectrum across the excited modes determines the SBS threshold—the maximum SBS-limited power that can be sent through the fiber. The theory shows that the peak SBS gain is greatly reduced by highly multimode excitation due to gain broadening and relatively weaker intermodal SBS gain. The inclusion of exact vector optical modes in the calculation is crucial in order to capture the incomplete intermodal coupling due to mismatch of polarization patterns of higher-order modes. We demonstrate that equal excitation of the 160 modes of a commercially available, highly multimode circular step index fiber raises the SBS threshold by a factor of 6.5 and find comparable suppression of SBS in similar fibers with a D-shaped cross section.
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spelling doaj-art-8374a7a69a1c424db8e0dafa29bad5a82025-08-20T01:55:18ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review X2160-33082024-09-0114303105310.1103/PhysRevX.14.031053Theory of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering in Fibers for Highly Multimode ExcitationsKabish WisalStephen C. Warren-SmithChun-Wei ChenHui CaoA. Douglas StoneStimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is often an unwanted loss mechanism in both active and passive fibers. Highly multimode excitation of fibers has been proposed as a novel route toward efficient SBS suppression. Here, we develop a detailed, quantitative theory which confirms this proposal and elucidates the physical mechanisms involved. Starting from the vector optical and scalar acoustic equations, we derive appropriate nonlinear coupled mode equations for the signal and Stokes modal amplitudes and an analytical formula for the SBS (Stokes) gain with applicable approximations, such as the neglect of shear effects. This allows us to calculate the exponential growth rate of the Stokes power as a function of the distribution of power in a highly multimode signal. The peak value of the gain spectrum across the excited modes determines the SBS threshold—the maximum SBS-limited power that can be sent through the fiber. The theory shows that the peak SBS gain is greatly reduced by highly multimode excitation due to gain broadening and relatively weaker intermodal SBS gain. The inclusion of exact vector optical modes in the calculation is crucial in order to capture the incomplete intermodal coupling due to mismatch of polarization patterns of higher-order modes. We demonstrate that equal excitation of the 160 modes of a commercially available, highly multimode circular step index fiber raises the SBS threshold by a factor of 6.5 and find comparable suppression of SBS in similar fibers with a D-shaped cross section.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.14.031053
spellingShingle Kabish Wisal
Stephen C. Warren-Smith
Chun-Wei Chen
Hui Cao
A. Douglas Stone
Theory of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering in Fibers for Highly Multimode Excitations
Physical Review X
title Theory of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering in Fibers for Highly Multimode Excitations
title_full Theory of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering in Fibers for Highly Multimode Excitations
title_fullStr Theory of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering in Fibers for Highly Multimode Excitations
title_full_unstemmed Theory of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering in Fibers for Highly Multimode Excitations
title_short Theory of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering in Fibers for Highly Multimode Excitations
title_sort theory of stimulated brillouin scattering in fibers for highly multimode excitations
url http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.14.031053
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