Designing Ho:ZBLAN photonic crystal fiber for high power mid-infrared wavelength conversion at 2.86  µm

We present a theoretical framework for an optical parametric amplifier influencing four-wave mixing (FWM) using a ZBLAN photonic crystal fiber (PCF) to achieve high-power mid-infrared pulse generation at 2.86 µm. In this prolific wavelength conversion scheme, the Stokes wavelength is precisely tuned via a degenerate FWM process by varying the pump wavelength of a continuous wave source and the signal frequency of picosecond pulses within a specific range. The proposed fiber design, optimized with a lattice pitch of 8.95 µm and an air hole diameter of 3 µm, enables efficient Stokes photon generation at 2.86 µm when pumped with 1551 nm light using a 4 cm ZBLAN PCF. The signal source consists of 3 ps pulses at 6 GHz with a wavelength of 1.064 µm. Additionally, the Stokes output power is significantly enhanced using a holmium-doped PCF. Numerical simulations of this frequency conversion approach demonstrate the generation of periodic picosecond pulses at 2.86 µm with a duration of approximately 5 ps and an output power of 9.15 W.