Compensation of self-phase modulation in fiber-based chirped-pulse amplification systems

We demonstrate a simple, all-fiber technique for removing nonlinear phase due to self-phase modulation in fiber-based chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) systems. Using a LiNbO3 electro-optic phase modulator to emulate a negative nonlinear index of refraction, we are able to remove 1.0 pi rad of self-phase modulation acquired by pulses during amplification and eliminate nearly all pulse distortion. Our technique is high speed, removes nonlinear phase on a pulse-to-pulse basis, and can be readily integrated into existing CPA systems. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America