Cherenkov radiation from 1550 nm pumping in tapered photonic crystal fibers.

The generation of Cherenkov radiation from soliton compression of 1550 nm pulses in tapered photonic crystal fibers is analyzed numerically, with a view to generating short-wavelength-tunable output pulses in the visible range. It is shown that low-noise femtosecond light sources with spectral power densities approaching those of existing supercontinuum sources are feasible with existing fiber laser and tapering technology.