Slowing of Pulses to c/10 With Subwatt Power Levels and Low Latency Using Brillouin Amplification in a Bismuth-Oxide Optical Fiber

We report the generation of slow light using Brillouin amplification in a short length of highly nonlinear bismuth-oxide fiber. By using just 2 m of fiber, we demonstrate a five-fold reduction in group velocity for ~200-ns pulses, which we believe to be a record for a slow-light propagation in an optical fiber. Moreover, by virtue of the high nonlinearity per unit length of this fiber, we achieve this at a very modest pump power level of just ~400 mW and with a low inherent device latency of 14 ns. These results highlight both the merits and practicality of using high nonlinearity nonsilica fibers for slow-light devices