An important group of nonlinear processes in optical fibre involves the mixing of four waves due to the intensity dependence of the refractive index. It is customary to distinguish between nonlinear effects that require external/pumping waves (cross-phase modulation and parametric processes such as four-wave mixing) and self-action of the propagating optical field (self-phase modulation and modulation instability). Here, we present a new nonlinear self-action effect, self-parametric amplification (SPA), which manifests itself as optical spectrum narrowing in normal dispersion fibre, leading to very stable propagation with a distinctive spectral distribution. The narrowing results from an inverse four-wave mixing, resembling an effective parametric amplification of the central part of the spectrum by energy transfer from the spectral tails. SPA and the observed stable nonlinear spectral propagation with random temporal waveform can find applications in optical communications and high power fibre lasers with nonlinear intra-cavity dynamics.

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An all-fiber 1.48-mum generator based on a laser-diode-pumped Yb-doped double-clad laser and a cascaded Raman wavelength converter has been developed. Second-order Raman Stokes radiation was generated in a phosphosilicate-fiber resonator formed by two pairs of Bragg gratings. A slope efficiency of the Raman converter of 48% with respect to the power emitted by the double-clad Yb laser has been achieved. We obtained an output power of 1 W at a slope efficiency of 34% with respect to the laser-diode array power, with a total optical-to-optical efficiency of 23%.