Optical gain exceeding 35 dB at 156 μm due to stimulated Raman scattering by molecular D_2 in a solid silica optical fiber

Abstract

A stimulated-Raman-gain medium at 1.56-μm wavelength, consisting of molecular deuterium dissolved in low-loss silica optical fiber and pumped by 1.06-μm Nd:YAG laser light, is described. In a 100-m-long fiber with pump power of 130 W, InGaAsP injection-laser probe light at 1.56 μm was amplified by a factor of 4000 to an output power of 150 mW. The measured stimulated-Raman-gain coefficient at 1.56 μm is 7 × 10⁻² cm/W, about equal to the Raman gain of SiO₂ at the same wavelength.