Optical amplification in bismuth-doped silica glass

We demonstrated an amplification phenomenon in a bismuth-doped silica glass at 1.3 mum with 0.8-mum excitation. This luminescent material is a promising candidate for use as the core-fiber material of an optical amplifier at the natural zero-dispersion wavelength (1.3 mum) of silica glass fiber. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.