Scaling of Raman amplification in realistic slow-light photonic crystal waveguides

The prospect for low pump-power Raman amplification in silicon waveguides has recently been boosted by theoretical studies discussing the enhancement of nonlinear phenomena in slow-light structures. In principle, the slowing down of either the pump or the signal beam is equivalent in terms of Raman gain, but in the presence of losses, we show that they play different roles in determining the net signal gain. We also investigate the impact of the mode profile in realistic slow-light waveguides on the total gain, an effect that is usually neglected in the context of stimulated Raman scattering. By taking representative losses and mode shapes into account, we provide a realistic estimation of the achievable performance of slow-light photonic crystal waveguides.