Enhanced supercontinuum generation through dispersion-management

We show in theory and simulation that the supercontinuum generation from an initial continuous wave field in a highly nonlinear fiber operating near the zero- dispersion point can be significantly enhanced with the aid of dispersion management. We characterize the spectral broadening as a process initiated by modulational instability, but driven by the zero- dispersion dynamics of an N- soliton interacting with the asymmetric phase profile generated by the Raman effect, self- steepening effect, and/ or higher- order dispersion. Higher N- soliton values lead to shorter pulses and a broader spectrum. This insight allows us to use dispersion management in conjunction with modulational instability to effectively increase the N value and greatly enhance the supercontiuum generation process. (C) 2005 Optical Society of America.