Analysis of high-contrast all-optical dual-wavelength switching in asymmetric dual-core fibers.

ABSTRACT

We systematically present experimental and theoretical results for the dual-wavelength switching of 1560 nm, 75 fs signal pulses (SPs) driven by 1030 nm, and 270 fs control pulses (CPs) in a dual-core fiber (DCF). We demonstrate a switching contrast of 31.9 dB, corresponding to a propagation distance of 14 mm, achieved by launching temporally synchronized SP-CP pairs into the fast core of the DCF with moderate inter-core asymmetry. Our analysis employs a system of three coupled propagation equations to identify the compensation of the asymmetry by nonlinearity as the physical mechanism behind the efficient switching performance.