Combined effect of Raman and parametric gain on single-pump parametric amplifiers

We investigate the combined effect of Raman and parametric gain on single-pump parametric amplifiers. The phasematched parametric gain is shown to depend strongly on the real part of the complex Raman susceptibility. In fused silica fibers this results in a significant reduction in the available parametric gain for signal detunings beyond 10 THz. We are able to experimentally measure this effect for signal detunings ranging from 7 to 22 THz. Finally we discuss the implications of these results for the design of broadband optical parametric amplifiers.