Temperature Dependence of the Zero Dispersion Wavelength in a Photonic Crystal Fiber

We present here a measurement of the temperature dependence of the zero dispersion wavelength in an air/silica photonic crystal fiber. This is done through a simple method based on a fourth-order four-wave mixing process by pumping the fiber in a low normal dispersion regime. The zero dispersion wavelength is found to increase by about 10 nm from room temperature to 250°C. This result is in good agreement with numerical simulations which demonstrate that it is mainly due to the thermo-optic effect. We found that the zero-dispersion wavelength evolution is not linear with temperature and that the shift rate is continuously increased from 39 pm/°C at room temperature to 63 pm/°C at 250°C.