Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

International Conference on Electrical Engineering and Photonics (EExPolytech)

Two-Wave Mixing in a Bidirectional Rare-Earth-Doped Fiber Amplifier

Dmitry A. Korobko, Aleksey V. Tregubov, D.P. Kachalkin, Явтушенко Игорь Олегович, Абанин А.И., Andrei A. Fotiadi

Published Oct 16, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We develop a theoretical model describing the mutual amplification of two counter-propagating monochromatic waves in a rare-earth-doped fiber amplifier. It is shown that the interference between the waves forms a dynamic population inversion grating within the active fiber core, which, in turn, mediates a nonlinear coupling between the waves. This coupling enables energy transfer from one optical wave to the other, leading to preferential amplification of one of them at the expense of the opposite-propagating field. The phenomenon occurs in both pumped and unpumped active fibers provided there exists a nonzero difference in the polarizabilities of the dopant ions in their ground and excited states. Such dynamical interactions can substantially modify the local gain profile and open a pathway to novel optical amplification regimes.

DOI
10.1109/eexpolytech66949.2025.11252138

Related papers

Brillouin-like amplification in rare-earth-doped optical fibers

Andrei A. Fotiadi, Dmitry A. Korobko, И. О. Золотовский +1 more

We present a theoretical formalism to describe the amplification of two monochromatic waves counter-propagating in a rare-earth-doped optical fiber amplifier. Interaction of the waves through a dynamical population inversion grating inscribed in the active fiber by the waves during their amplification results in a strong power transfer from one wave to another providing a preferable amplification of one wave at the expense of another. In this sense, the effect is similar to stimulated Brillouin scattering and is expected to be observed with both pumped and unpumped rare-earth-doped fibers possessing a finite polarizability difference between the excited and ground states.

Optics Express•Oct 25, 2021•11 citations

Modeling of Brillouin-like amplification in rare-earth-doped optical fibers

Andrei A. Fotiadi, Dmitry A. Korobko, И. О. Золотовский

We present a theoretical formalism to describe the amplification of two monochromatic waves counter-propagating in a rare-earth-doped optical fiber amplifier. Interaction of the waves through a dynamical population inversion grating inscribed in the active fiber by the waves during their amplification results in a strong power transfer from one wave to another providing a preferable amplification of one wave at the expense of another. In this sense, the effect is similar to stimulated Brillouin scattering and is expected to be observed with both pumped and unpumped rare-earth-doped fibers possessing a finite polarizability difference between the excited and ground states.

SPIE Conference on Nonlinear Optics and its Applications•Apr 8, 2022•1 citation

Brillouin-like effects in rare-earth-doped bi-directional optical fiber amplifiers

Andrei A. Fotiadi, Dmitry A. Korobko, Ivan Chapalo +2 more

Brillouin amplification, the most prominent effect implemented with Brillouin dynamical gratings (BDG), enables exponential narrowband gain that is Stokes-shifted by some value in the GHz range. In this process, the interaction of the counterpropagating pump and Stokes waves through a BDG they produce causes an increase of the Stokes-shifted wave amplitude and decrease of the pump wave amplitude during their propagation through the fiber. Here, we report on a similar effect that could be implemented in rare-earth-doped fibers with the population inversion dynamical gratings. The effect is the most pronounced in a bidirectional rare-earth-doped optical fiber amplifier. Two monochromatic optical signal waves are introduced into the fiber from opposite ends and experience amplification (if the fiber is pumped) or attenuation (if the fiber is unpumped) as they propagate through the fiber. The signal waves are coherent on a sub-kHz level and slightly detuned. In terms commonly accepted in stimulated Brillouin scattering these counterpropagating signal waves correspond to what is referred to as "pump" and "Stokes" waves. However, in contrast to the Brillouin process, their interference inside the rare-earth-doped fiber creates not acoustic, but the population inversion dynamical gain grating. Then interaction between the signal waves and created population inversion dynamical gratings cause a strong power transfer from one signal wave to another.

•Jun 5, 2023•0 citations

Nonlinear wave mixing and dynamically controlled gratings in EDFAs

J.L. Zyskind, James W. Sulhoff, Baruch Fischer +1 more

Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) are active fibers that can be used to generate strong nonlinearities, such as wave mixing. We consider gratings induced in the excited-state population of erbium ions, which can produce strong coupling effects. We report two- and four-wave mixing in EDFAs and a coupled-wave analysis useful in understanding these effects.

Optical Fiber Communication Conference•Jan 1, 1994•0 citations

Gain and noise in rare-earth-doped optical fibers

Marco Montecchi, Antonio Mecozzi, M. Settembre +2 more

Two pumping schemes are considered for optical amplifiers based on rare-earth-doped optical fibers in which pump light is fed either along with the signal light (copropagating) or through the opposite end of the fiber (counterpropagating), including the effects of the excited-state absorption (ESA) process. A rate-equation analysis shows that when ESA is absent the signal gain is the same in both pumping schemes, even under gain saturation, whereas when ESA is present the saturated signal gain is larger in the counterpropagating scheme. Independently of ESA the optical signal-to-noise ratio at the amplifier output is the same in both pumping schemes if the dopant behaves as a four-level laser system, and it is larger in the copropagating scheme for a three-level dopant.

Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Jan 1, 1991•10 citations

Slow and fast light via two-wave mixing in the rare-earth doped optical fibers (Conference Presentation)

Serguei I. Stepanov, Marcos Plata Sánchez, Eliseo Hernández

Dynamic population Bragg gratings can be recorded in the rare-earth-doped (e.g. doped with erbium or ytterbium) optical fibers with mWatt-scale cw laser power. Two-wave mixing (TWM) via such gratings is utilized in single-frequency fiber lasers and in adaptive interferometric fiber sensors with automatic stabilization of the operation point. Slow and fast light propagation can also be observed in the vicinity of narrow (~20-200Hz) spectral profile of stationary no-degenerate TWM. In particular, slow light propagation is observed for the purely amplitude grating, recorded in the erbium-doped fiber in spectral range 1510-1550nm. In its turn, in ytterbium-doped fibers at 1064nm (or in erbium-doped fiber at the wavelength below 1500nm) the dynamic grating has significant contribution of the phase component, the TWM profile has essentially asymmetric form, and both slow and fast (superluminal) light propagation is possible at different frequency off-sets between the counter-propagating interacting waves.

•Apr 28, 2017•0 citations
We develop a theoretical model describing the mutual amplification of two counter-propagating monochromatic waves in a rare-earth-doped fiber amplifier. It is shown that the interference between the waves forms a dynamic population inversion grating within the active fiber core, which, in turn, mediates a nonlinear coupling between the waves. This coupling enables energy transfer from one optical wave to the other, leading to preferential amplification of one of them at the expense of the opposite-propagating field. The phenomenon occurs in both pumped and unpumped active fibers provided there exists a nonzero difference in the polarizabilities of the dopant ions in their ground and excited states. Such dynamical interactions can substantially modify the local gain profile and open a pathway to novel optical amplification regimes.
We present a theoretical formalism to describe the amplification of two monochromatic waves counter-propagating in a rare-earth-doped optical fiber amplifier. Interaction of the waves through a dynamical population inversion grating inscribed in the active fiber by the waves during their amplification results in a strong power transfer from one wave to another providing a preferable amplification of one wave at the expense of another. In this sense, the effect is similar to stimulated Brillouin scattering and is expected to be observed with both pumped and unpumped rare-earth-doped fibers possessing a finite polarizability difference between the excited and ground states.
We present a theoretical formalism to describe the amplification of two monochromatic waves counter-propagating in a rare-earth-doped optical fiber amplifier. Interaction of the waves through a dynamical population inversion grating inscribed in the active fiber by the waves during their amplification results in a strong power transfer from one wave to another providing a preferable amplification of one wave at the expense of another. In this sense, the effect is similar to stimulated Brillouin scattering and is expected to be observed with both pumped and unpumped rare-earth-doped fibers possessing a finite polarizability difference between the excited and ground states.
Brillouin amplification, the most prominent effect implemented with Brillouin dynamical gratings (BDG), enables exponential narrowband gain that is Stokes-shifted by some value in the GHz range. In this process, the interaction of the counterpropagating pump and Stokes waves through a BDG they produce causes an increase of the Stokes-shifted wave amplitude and decrease of the pump wave amplitude during their propagation through the fiber. Here, we report on a similar effect that could be implemented in rare-earth-doped fibers with the population inversion dynamical gratings. The effect is the most pronounced in a bidirectional rare-earth-doped optical fiber amplifier. Two monochromatic optical signal waves are introduced into the fiber from opposite ends and experience amplification (if the fiber is pumped) or attenuation (if the fiber is unpumped) as they propagate through the fiber. The signal waves are coherent on a sub-kHz level and slightly detuned. In terms commonly accepted in stimulated Brillouin scattering these counterpropagating signal waves correspond to what is referred to as "pump" and "Stokes" waves. However, in contrast to the Brillouin process, their interference inside the rare-earth-doped fiber creates not acoustic, but the population inversion dynamical gain grating. Then interaction between the signal waves and created population inversion dynamical gratings cause a strong power transfer from one signal wave to another.
Two pumping schemes are considered for optical amplifiers based on rare-earth-doped optical fibers in which pump light is fed either along with the signal light (copropagating) or through the opposite end of the fiber (counterpropagating), including the effects of the excited-state absorption (ESA) process. A rate-equation analysis shows that when ESA is absent the signal gain is the same in both pumping schemes, even under gain saturation, whereas when ESA is present the saturated signal gain is larger in the counterpropagating scheme. Independently of ESA the optical signal-to-noise ratio at the amplifier output is the same in both pumping schemes if the dopant behaves as a four-level laser system, and it is larger in the copropagating scheme for a three-level dopant.
Dynamic population Bragg gratings can be recorded in the rare-earth-doped (e.g. doped with erbium or ytterbium) optical fibers with mWatt-scale cw laser power. Two-wave mixing (TWM) via such gratings is utilized in single-frequency fiber lasers and in adaptive interferometric fiber sensors with automatic stabilization of the operation point. Slow and fast light propagation can also be observed in the vicinity of narrow (~20-200Hz) spectral profile of stationary no-degenerate TWM. In particular, slow light propagation is observed for the purely amplitude grating, recorded in the erbium-doped fiber in spectral range 1510-1550nm. In its turn, in ytterbium-doped fibers at 1064nm (or in erbium-doped fiber at the wavelength below 1500nm) the dynamic grating has significant contribution of the phase component, the TWM profile has essentially asymmetric form, and both slow and fast (superluminal) light propagation is possible at different frequency off-sets between the counter-propagating interacting waves.