Controlling modulation instability using an incoherent low amplitude seed

We use a continuous-wave low power incoherent seed to control spontaneous modulation instability (MI) in a highly-nonlinear optical fiber. We show both experimentally and numerically that spectral and noise properties of MI can be accurately controlled provided the spectral characteristics of the seed are chosen carefully. Specifically, we evidence the strong influence of the seed coherence on the output pulses signal-to-noise ratio and bandwidth. Stochastic nonlinear Schrödinger equation simulations are in excellent agreement with experiments.