Experimental measurements of the transfer function of a nonlinear optical loop mirror

Measurement of the average values of the input and output powers of a device can give insight into the transfer function (TF) of that device, but this approach usually hides the real impact of certain propagation phenomena. However, to the best of our knowledge, measurements of the TF of nonlinear optical loop mirrors (NOLMs) have always been carried out using this approach, which may lead to underestimating the impact of dispersive and nonlinear effects. Here, we present the experimental measurement of the TF of a NOLM, made from experimental measurements of the input and output intensity profiles of the device, using a frequency-resolved optical gating technique. Our approach clearly highlights the impact of dispersion effects and Kerr nonlinearity on the NOLM's TF. (C) 2022 Optical Society of America