Numerical simulation of supercontinuum generation based on similaritons in femtosecond fiber lasers

In this paper, we conducted numerical simulations of the supercontinuum generation characteristics using a femtosecond fiber laser source. The research focused on analyzing the output characteristics of the supercontinuum generated in different types of optical fibers. The primary objective of this work was to optimize the output pulse parameters of the laser and the characteristics of highly nonlinear fibers to achieve a supercontinuum with the broadest spectral bandwidth and high coherence. To accomplish this, we developed and employed a mathematical model that describes the evolution and propagation of ultrashort pulses in optical fibers. The study examines key processes contributing to spectral broadening, including self-phase modulation, stimulated Raman scattering, four-wave mixing, and group velocity dispersion. Our findings demonstrate that hybrid-structure fibers with tailored dispersion profiles enable significant spectral broadening of the supercontinuum while requiring lower peak input pulse power and shorter fiber lengths. Additionally, we investigated the effects of critical factors on supercontinuum formation, which allowed us to propose strategies for improving the performance of such light sources in various applications, including spectroscopy, medicine, metrology, and telecommunications.