Tunable infrared generation using a femtosecond 250 kHz Ti:sapphireregenerative amplifier

A mode-locked Ti:sapphire regenerative amplifier system pumped with a single argon ion laser produces μJ energy 100 femtosecond pulses of 800 nm wavelength at 250 kHz repetition rate. Pumping a Type II BaB₂O₄ (BBO) optical parametric amplifiers (OPA) with this output generates 500 nJ infrared pulses and continuous tuning from 1.1 μm to beyond 2.5 μm. Difference frequency generation of the signal idler output from this OPA source in AgGaS₂ produces 60 nJ mid infrared pulses and continuous tuning from 2.4 μm to beyond 12 μm     

Broadband mid-infrared generation with two-dimensionalquasi-phase-matched structures

We report the use of highly elliptical pump beams to generate broadband, spatially-chirped mid-infrared light in periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN). We fabricated PPLN crystals with a fan-out grating period varying continuously from 25.5 to 31.2 μm across a 15-mm width and pumped them in both optical parametric generator and monolithic optical parametric oscillator configurations with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. Although the fan-out grating pattern is typically thought of as a continuously varying 1-D quasiphase-matched (QPM) structure, the elliptical pump beam illuminates the full 2-D structure of the fan. The phase-matching and gain characteristics of the crystals prefer noncollinear optical parametric generator operation for elliptical pump beams; however, collinear operation was achieved with polished plane- parallel crystal endfaces such that the Fresnel reflections set up a low- finesse monolithic cavity in the crystals themselves. The generated signal and idler beams were spatially chirped in the near field and angularly chirped in the far field while covering spectral bands as large as 1250 cm^-1. With a simple modification, this system also offers an easy way to generate broadband optical frequency combs across the signal and idler spectral bands. We also present theoretical and modeling considerations for large-aperture pumped or flood illuminated 2-D QPM structures. The Fourier transform of the spatial variation in the nonlinear coefficient in a crystal generates a 2-D map of available grating vectors in wave vector mismatch space. This method can be used to glean phase-matching information from complicated 2-D structures that would be difficult to analyze using other methods     

All-optical 1.5 μm to 1.3 μm wavelength conversion in awalk-off compensating nonlinear optical loop mirror

We demonstrate highly efficient all-optical conversion from 1.5 μm to 1.3 μm using a novel nonlinear optical loop mirror that compensates for walk-off. We make the fiber loop by splicing alternating segments of standard single-mode and dispersion-shifted fibers and choose their lengths such that the walk-off of the 1.3 μm and 1.5 μm pulses in one segment is completely reversed in the adjacent segment. We also show that the width of the converted pulses can be tailored by this scheme     

Generation of high-power femtosecond pulses near 1.5 μm using acolor-center laser system

The authors have developed a high-power F-center laser system capable of generating femtosecond pulses with energies exceeding 50 pJ at wavelengths near 1.5 μm. Short pulses (140 fs) from an additive-pulse mode-locked NaCl laser are amplified in a multipass NaCl amplifier at kilohertz repetition rates. The system can generate peak powers approaching 500 MW, with wavelengths tunable from 1.52 to 1.64 μm. The amplified pulses are used to generate a continuum in various solid media without optical damage. The continuum generated in BaF₂ is extremely broad, extending from below 400 nm to 3.5 μm. Construction and operating details are discussed as well as the system's utility for femtosecond measurements in the infrared and high-power experiments     

三波混频光参量放大器中带宽的研究

对三波混频光参量放大器中参量过程的带宽进行了研究 ,给出了具有普遍意义的参量带宽和增益带宽的数学显式模型 ,这些模型引入了非线性晶体长度、群速、色散、增益系数等变量对带宽的影响 ,依据这些模型对影响参量放大器中带宽的各种因素进行了模拟计算、分析和比较 ,结果表明 :信号光和闲置光之间的群速度失配是影响参量放大过程带宽的主要因素 ,当信号光和闲置光之间实现群速度匹配时 ,可以获得最宽的带宽 ,因此对于任何三波混频光参量放大器中的参量过程 ,都可以通过选择合适的非共线角、非线性晶体长度、抽运光强度来获得最宽的带宽 ,从而支持超宽带增益     

Tunable UV generation to 0.2325 μm in LiB3O5

LiB₃O₅ has been found to be phase matchable for sum-frequency generation down to 0.2325 μm at 20.0°C by mixing the Nd:YAG laser wavelength at 1.0642 μm with the second harmonic of a visible dye laser. Sellmeier's equations, which are highly accurate from 0.22 to 1.32 μm, are reported. It is demonstrated that a much shorter wavelength of 0.218 μm could be generated in this compound by mixing the fourth harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser with the idler of the KNbO₃ parametric oscillator tuned to 1.208 μm     

Characterization of an Nd:YAG-pumped β-BaB2O4 optical parametric oscillator in collinear and noncollinearphase-matched configurations

We present the characterization of type I (e→o+o) phase matching in beta-barium borate (BBO) optical parametric oscillators pumped by the third harmonic of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser in a collinear phase-matched geometry and three separate noncollinear configurations. Using a 12 mm long crystal, we show that the optical conversion efficiency increases from 10.7% in the collinear case to 40% with a noncollinearity of 90.8 mrad, and a corresponding fall in the operational threshold from 274 to 188 mJ·cm^-2. We discuss the constraints imposed upon the spectral and spatial coherence of the pump beam, and show that the spatial restriction is eased in the noncollinear regime. Included in the paper is a theoretical model of noncollinear phase matching which predicts the tuning responses of each OPO accurately. Several of the oscillators were capable of tuning ranges from 450 nm to 1.68 μm using a single mirror set. We discuss in some detail the observed increases in conversion efficiency and linewidth, and the fall in operational threshold with noncollinearity, with particular attention to the pump beam walkoff     

Experimental Performance of a Two-Stage Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate Parametric Amplifier

A two-stage periodically poled lithium niobate parametric amplifier is used to boost the idler wave energy by almost a factor of three near the degenerate wavelength of the second stage. For nondegenerate values, the idler wave energy is boosted by a factor of two. Our experimental results validate a numerical model that includes arbitrary beam profiles, beam walkoff, pump depletion, and optical elements between crystals. Experimental performance of the whole system was found to be much more stable over a wide range of temperatures due to noncollinear phase-matching conditions in the second stage.     

High contrast GaInAs:Fe photoconductive optical AND gate fortime-division demultiplexing

A high-contrast, three port optical AND gate based on the photoconductive effect in Ga_0.47In_0.53As:Fe and operating in the λ=1.3-5 μm wavelength range is demonstrated. A 250:1 optical power contrast ratio (or 48 dB in electrical power after detection) is obtained in an optical-to-optical time division demultiplexing of a 100 MHz pulse train by a 6.25 MHz clock, both at λ=1.3 μm, with the demultiplexed output pulses at λ=1.5 μm     

Dual-wavelength ultrafast complete optical switching in apolarization-maintaining fiber

Complete optical switching of 2-30 ps signal pulses in the 0.83-1.0 μm wavelength range is demonstrated using 50 ps control pulses at 1.053 μm in an optical-fiber Kerr modulator/switch. This is achieved using an initial temporal offset between the pulses and group velocity dispersion to enable the fast pulse to walk-through the slow one. It is shown that a minimum switching power results when the initial offset is one-half of the relative group delay. As an important corollary, complete switching can occur with a control pulse shorter than the signal pulse     

Stimulated Raman amplification of 1.6-μm-band pulsed light inoptical fibers

A synchronous Raman fiber amplifier is proposed which is pumped at a wavelength around 1.55 μm by output pulses from an erbium-doped fiber amplifier. This arrangement achieves an output optical peak power exceeding 200 mW and a 3-dB net gain bandwidth of 33 nm around 1.66 μm. The Raman fiber amplifier is useful for 1.6-μm-band OTDR as it can be used in live maintenance of optical transmission networks     

波面倾斜脉冲泵浦的高效可见光飞秒光参量产生和放大器

利用脉冲波面倾斜技术补偿三波相互作用的群速度失配，建立了掺钛蓝宝石飞秒再生放大器输出倍频光泵浦共线类匹配ＢＢＯ晶体的光参量产生和放大器，其信号和空闲光输出调谐范围为０．４７～２．７μｍ，脉冲宽度为１００～１７０ｆｓ，重复率为１ｋＨｚ。脉冲最大输出能量为６．５μＪ，总能量转换效率大于１５％。     

Application of an Er3+-doped fibre amplifier to an OTDRoperating at 1.6 μm

An erbium-doped fibre amplifier with a high gain coefficient at 1.6 μm is constructed employing a dual pumping scheme. The amplifier is successfully applied to an OTDR, producing output optical pulses characterised by a peak power of 476 mW for a duration of 1 μs     

Heterodyne autocorrelation method for characterizing 1.55 μmoptical pulse train and for measuring dispersion and nonlinearity inoptical fibers

Heterodyne autocorrelation measurement of 1.55 μm optical pulses from an actively mode-locked external cavity diode laser is performed before and after transmission through an optical fiber. In heterodyne autocorrelation, optical spectrum is resolved electronically. This method is suitable for measurement of optical pulses with a spectral width of less than 100 GHz, and it gives not only the pulse width and chirp of the pulses, but also it is useful for determining the dispersion and optical Kerr constant of an optical fiber. Analytical formalism for deducing these quantities is given for Gaussian pulses. Principal measurement is performed using a mode-locked diode laser. Dispersion is measured for a conventional-dispersion fiber of 35 km. Also, self-phase modulation (SPM) is measured for a dispersion-shifted fiber of 15.83 km     

Generation of ultrashort pulses from a neodymium glass laser system

A neodymium glass laser system capable of generating high-energy, ultrashort pulses at a convenient repetition rate is described. The effect of nonlinear frequency pulling on active mode locking is discussed. By minimizing the nonlinear frequency pulling, it is possible to routinely generate stable ~10-ps pulses at a 100-MHz repetition rate from the actively mode-locked oscillator. The regenerator amplifier increases the oscillator pulse energy to over 30 μJ at a 370-Hz repetition rate. Using intracavity self-phase modulation, the regenerative amplifier also broadens the pulse bandwidth to ~35 Å. By subsequent pulse compression while maintaining high energy, it is possible to produce 0.55-ps pulses with >10 μJ. An optical fiber pulse compressor further shortens the pulses to 30 fs (30 nJ), the shortest pulses ever generated at 1.054 μm from a neodymium laser system     

Polarisation-maintaining, harmonically modelocked soliton fibrelaser with repetition rate stabilisation using optical pumping ofsaturable Bragg reflector

Well-organised harmonic modelocking with up to 12 pulses in a 1.5 μm polarisation-maintaining erbium soliton fibre laser is achieved. With eight pulses in the cavity, repetition rate timing jitter is suppressed by 7.3 dB through optical pumping above the absorber bandgap. This stabilised laser operates at 463 MHz with nearly transform-limited, 660 fs, 1 pJ pulses     

Optical pulse compression in 1.5 μm wavelength region usinglarge-positive-dispersion fibre and grating pair

Optical pulse compression at 1.5 μm has been conducted. 20 ps (FWHM) optical pulses from a Tl:KCl-colour-centre laser were compressed into pedestal-free 1.2 ps pulses using a large-positive-dispersion fibre and a grating pair. In addition, 280 fs pulses were obtained from the resultant 1.2 ps through the soliton compression effect in a negative-dispersion fibre     

单发次皮秒脉冲宽度的二阶自相关法测试

理论分析非共线二次谐波转换中非共线夹角与相位匹配角、温度及波长的变化关系,综合考虑非共轴二次谐波转换中群速度延迟、色散等因素影响,合理给出入射光斑直径、两束光之间的夹角、位相匹配角、晶体尺寸等设计参数。利用非线性晶体(KDP)非共线匹配倍频效应,研制了针对皮秒脉冲测试的单发次自相关仪,并对单发次皮秒输出脉冲宽度进行测试分析。     

Compensation of dispersion in optical fibers for the 1.3-1.6 μmregion with a grating and telescope

The transmission of ultrashort optical pulses over long distances in optical fibers is limited by pulse broadening due to group velocity dispersion. A grating and telescope dispersion compensator with group velocity dispersion of equal magnitude and opposite sign can compensate for the fiber dispersion. The possible benefits of such dispersion compensation in the 1.3-1.6-μm wavelength region are investigated. The results show that compensation of first-order dispersion at 1.55 μm in a fiber with zero dispersion near 1.3 μm is primarily limited by the second-order dispersion of the grating and the telescope compensator. For a wavelength slightly greater than the zero dispersion wavelength, both the first- and second-order group velocity dispersion can be canceled by the grating and telescope dispersion compensator, allowing transmission exceeding 100 Gb/s over 100 km