DISPERSION-MANAGED SOLITONS IN A FIBER LOOP WITH IN-LINE FILTERING

We investigate both numerically and experimentally soliton propagation in a fiber loop with dispersion management, in-line filters, and freq uency shifting. More than 90% of the fiber in the loop is in the norma l-dispersion regime, but the net dispersion is anomalous. Stable pulse s in the loop have an enhanced power relative to solitons in a fiber w ith uniform dispersion equal to the loop's path-averaged dispersion. B ecause the loop's path-averaged dispersion is small, the in-line filte ring and the frequency shifting play an important role in pulse shapin g. Recirculating loop experiments that demonstrate stable pulse propag ation over 28,000 km are consistent with results from computer modelin g. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.