Complete all-optical switching of visible picosecond pulses in birefringent fiber

Switching of visible picosecond pulses with a 50:1 contrast ratio is demonstrated in a time-division interferometry arrangement. The high-contrast switching of the signal is accomplished by uniform cross-phase modulation by an orthogonally polarized control pulse that walks through the signal during propagation in a strongly birefringent 10-m fiber. © 1993 Optical Society of America.