OPTICAL PARAMETRIC LOOP MIRROR

A novel configuration for four-wave mixing (FWM) is proposed that offers the remarkable feature of inherently separating the FWM wave from the input pump and signal waves and suppressing their background amplified stimulated emission without optical filtering. In the proposed configuration, an optical parametric loop mirror, two counterpropagating FWM waves generated in a Sagnac interferometer interfere with a relative phase difference that is introduced deliberately. FWM frequency-conversion experiments in a polarization-maintaining fiber achieved more than 35 dB of input-wave suppression against the FWM wave.