Turbulence-induced square-root broadening of the Raman fiber laser output spectrum

The output characteristics of the conventional one-stage Raman fiber laser (RFL) are described in an optical wave turbulence formalism. Simple analytical expressions describing RFL output power and its spectral shape are presented, and square-root law for the output spectrum broadening law has been discovered. The indications of the turbulent-like spectral broadening in other types of cw fiber lasers and propagation phenomena in fibers are also discussed. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America.