Supercontinuum generation by femtosecond single and dual wavelength pumping in photonic crystal fibers with two zero dispersion wavelengths

We investigate supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fibers under femtosecond single and dual wavelength pumping experimentally and by numerical simulations. Details about the expansion of the blue but also the red side of the continuum due to cross-phase modulation (XPM) and transfer of energy to dispersive waves are revealed and experimentally confirmed. Additionally, simple guidelines are given to predicte the maximum bandwidth of supercontinuum generation only by the use of the dispersion curve of the fiber. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America.