Widely tunable, acousto-optic resonances in Chalcogenide As2Se3 fiber

We report for the first time acousto-optical transmission resonances in a non-silica fiber. The resonances, generated in highly nonlinear, single-mode Chalcogenide (As2Se3) fiber, are up to -9 dB deep and tunable over 235 nm around 1450 nm by varying the frequency of an acoustic wave propagating in the fiber, creating a variable period long period grating. The material properties of Chalcogenide modify the acoustic wave propagation leading to a different frequency range of operation when compared to Silica fiber. A tunable resonant structure in this medium opens up possibilities for all-optical processing and mid-IR applications. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.