Monolithic PM Raman fiber laser at 1679 nm for Raman amplification at 1810 nm

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) has been subject to much attention within the field of fiber lasers and amplifiers as it provides an extended wavelength coverage in comparison to rare-earth based devices. Motivated by the projected capacity crunch, different approaches are being explored to increase the capacity of communication systems. One approach is by exploiting new optical wavelength bands, outside the conventional amplification windows. In the development of lasers and amplifiers in the short wave IR above the Erbium band, SRS seems to be a promising candidate. In this paper we demonstrate a monolithic RM Raman fiber laser (RFL), which acts as a pump for a Raman amplifier (RA) at 1810 nm. The lasing wavelength of a RFL, thus also for a RA, can in principle be designed arbitrarily within the entire wavelength range from the Erbium band up to the Thulium/Holmium band by the utilization of cascaded SRS.