Plasmonic All-Optical Tunable Wavelength Shifter

Journal Article · Sat Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 2007 · Nature Photonics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2007.229· OSTI ID:981979

Flugel, B; Macararenhas, A; Snoke, D W; Pfeiffer, L N; West, K

At present, wavelength-division-multiplexed fibre lines routinely operate at 10 Gbit s{sup -1} per channel. The transition from static-path networks to true all-optical networks encompassing many nodes, in which channels are added/dropped and efficiently reassigned, will require improved tools for all-optical wavelength shifting. Specifically, one must be able to shift the carrier wavelength (frequency) of an optical data signal over tens of nanometres (a THz range) without the bottleneck of electrical conversion. Popular approaches to this problem make use of the nonlinear interaction between two wavelengths within a semiconductor optical amplifier whereas more novel methods invoke terahertz-frequency electro-optic modulation and polaritons. Here we outline the principles and demonstrate the use of optically excited plasmons as a tunable frequency source that can be mixed with a laser frequency through Raman scattering. The scheme is all-optical and enables dynamical control of the output carrier wavelength simply by varying the power of a control laser.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO.
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 981979
• Journal Information: Nature Photonics, Journal Name: Nature Photonics Journal Issue: 12, December 2007 Vol. 1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
AMPLIFIERS
CARRIERS
CONTROL
CONVERSION
DATA
INTERACTIONS
LASERS
MODULATION
Materials Science and Semiconductors
PLASMONS
POLARONS
POWER
PRODUCTION
SCATTERING
SIGNALS
Solid State Spectroscopy
THZ RANGE
TOOLS
WAVELENGTHS