Abstract

We report first evidence of chaotic emission in stimulated Brillouin scattering under cw pump conditions involving a single Stoke and pump signal. Single mode optical fibre is used as the nonlinear medium. First analysis of this fundamental process establishes chaotic dynamics to be prevalent in both the Stokes and transmitted pump signals; existing over a very wide parameter region including that close to the SBS threshold. The interplay of nonlinear dispersion with Brillouin gain is identified as a key mechanism responsible for this behaviour.

© 1991 Optical Society of America