Wavelength conversion by use of four-wave mixing in a novel optical loop configuration

A novel loop configuration for generation of four-wave mixing (FWM) and suppression of input pump wave, signal wave, and amplified spontaneous emission is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The novel loop configuration is very simple and functions independently of the wavelengths of the pump and the signal waves. By use of the novel loop configuration, nonreturn-to-zero wavelength conversion at 10 Gbits/s is achieved. The FWM-to-pump ratio, the FWM-to-signal ratio, and the signal-to-noise ratio are improved by 17.9, 18.8, and 8.2 dB, respectively. A principle experiment of wavelength conversion of four simultaneous channels is demonstrated.