%X We present a theoretical analysis supported by comprehensive numerical simulations of quasi-phase-matched fourwave mixing (FWM) of ultrashort optical pulses that propagate in weakly width-modulated silicon photonic nanowire gratings. Our study reveals that, by properly designing the optical waveguide such that the interacting pulses copropagate with the same group velocity, a conversion efficiency enhancement of more than 15 dB, as compared to a uniform waveguide, can readily be achieved. We also analyze the dependence of the conversion efficiency and FWM gain on the pulse width, time delay, walk-off parameter, and grating modulation depth. © 2014 Optical Society of America.
%O This version is the author-accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
%K Wavelength conversion devices; Nonlinear optical devices; 
Waveguides, channeled;  Nonlinear optics, four-wave mixing; (190.4975) Parametric processes; Nonlinear optics, integrated optics.
%J Optics Letters
%L discovery1443006
%P 4017 - 4020
%D 2014
%T Wavelength conversion and parametric amplification of optical pulses via quasi-phase-matched four-wave mixing in long-period Bragg silicon waveguides
%A S Lavdas
%A S Zhao
%A NC Panoiu
%A JB Driscoll
%A RR Grote
%A RM Osgood
%V 39
%N 13