Abstract

The nonlinear-optical loop mirror (NOLM) has been widely applied in such areas as ultrashort pulse generation, pulse shaping, and signal processing[1]. The NOLM has been used as an intensity dependent optical mirror in a linear cavity to generate mode-locked pulses passively. The nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM), which includes an amplifier in the loop, is also an interesting optical fiber device which is used for switching low intensity pulses[2]. Recently, striking progress has been achieved in the field of ultrashort pulse generation through the use of NOLM or NALM and in the future they are expected to be used as practical light sources for soliton communication[3,4]. Several reports have been published on ultrashort pulse generation in the 1.5 pm band using NALM[4,5].

© 1993 Optical Society of America