Effects of stimulated Raman scattering on Kerr switching profiles in a nonlinear fiber loop mirror

Nonlinear fiber loop mirror (NFLM) switches based on the Kerr effects of fibers have received considerable attention for their potential application as high speed all-optical signal processing devices. High power pump beams needed for the NFLM switches to induce large nonlinear refractive index changes in the fiber may cause other nonlinear processes such as stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), modulation instability (Ml) and parametric mixing. Therefore, it is important to investigate the effects of other nonlinear processes on the switching profiles of the NFLMs. In this presentation we report the detailed characteristics of Kerr switching profiles of NFLMs under high power pumping. Pumping powers to induce a 3π phase shift in the fibers were strong enough to generate SRS and MI