Generation of multiple mid-infrared wavelengths by soliton fission in a photonic crystal fiber

Higher-order solitons are formed by coupling femtosecond pulses into the fundamental mode of a highly nonlinear silica photonic crystal fiber (HNL-SPCF) fabricated in our laboratory. It is experimentally observed that the higher-order solitons break up into a series of stable and broadband discrete fundamental solitons at the mid-infrared wavelength longer than 2000 nm through the process of soliton self-frequency shift due to the perturbations induced by the higher-order dispersive and nonlinear effects. The maximum soliton red-shift and the tunable wavelength range can be up to 1600 nm and over 400 nm, respectively. The nonlinear dynamic processes of femtosecond pulse breakup are consistent with the solution of the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation. This multiple stable and broadband mid-infrared wavelengths generated in such an HNL-SPCF can be used as all-fiber multiwavelength ultrashort pulse sources for multiphoton microscopy and ultrafast photonics.