Abstract

Degenerate four-wave mixing (FWM) in photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) is an effective method for generating near-infrared coherent light across a wide range of wavelengths using compact, low-cost ytterbium or neodymium pump lasers [1]. For many applications, e.g. multiphoton microscopy, increasing the peak power of the short wavelength anti-Stokes sideband generated by FWM is advantageous. Several works have sought to scale the anti-Stokes peak power by optimizing the pump laser and PCF structure but the pump to anti-Stokes conversion efficiency remains limited by pump depletion [2]. By introducing Yb-doping into the core of a PCF designed for FWM, we propose to mitigate the effects of pump depletion by using stimulated emission to replenish the FWM pump energy that is transferred to the anti-Stokes (and Stokes) as it propagates down the fiber. Here we present a novel double-clad PCF with a Yb-doped core and demonstrate, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, that amplification of FWM pump pulses through stimulated emission increases the anti-Stokes power generated by FWM.

© 2023 IEEE