Distributed measurement of the complex modulation of a photoinduced Bragg grating in an optical fiber

A method of measuring the complex modulation of a Bragg grating is derived from a one-dimensional model of light propagating in an optical fiber. Interference fringes between the Bragg grating and a reference air-gap reflector are measured, and a Fourier transform of the interference fringes generated as a laser is swept through the wavelength is used to compute the complex modulation function of the Bragg grating over a restricted domain. Supporting data, taken by temperature tuning a distributed feedback diode laser, are shown.     

Using the optical feedback regime for evaluating the slope of the modulation characteristic of a semiconductor laser

A new simple method based on the optical feedback phenomena is proposed for evaluating the slope of the modulation characteristic (generation frequency versus injection current) of a semiconductor laser. The slope is determined using the frequency of a signal formed as a result of the interference between the initial and scattered radiation, which is measured at the output of a photodiode built into the laser. The proposed method is theoretically justified, the scheme of realization is described, and the results of experimental verification using a particular laser diode are presented.     

Measuring optical fiber length by use of a short-pulse optical fiber ring laser in a self-injection seeding scheme

A method for measuring the length of an optical fiber by use of an optical fiber ring laser pulse source is proposed and demonstrated. The key element of the optical fiber ring laser is a gain-switched Fabry-Perot laser diode operated in a self-injection seeding scheme. This method is especially suitable for measuring a medium or long fiber, and a resolution of 0.1 m is experimentally achieved. The measurement is implemented by accurately determining the pulse frequency that can maximize the output power of the fiber ring laser. The measurement results depend only on the refractive index of the fiber corresponding to this single wavelength, instead of the group index of the fiber, which represents a great advantage over both optical time-domain reflectometry and optical low-coherence reflectometry methods.     

全固态飞秒光学频率梳研究进展及展望

自1999年至今,光学频率梳（Optical Frequency Comb,OFC）经历了二十多年的快速发展。基于飞秒激光的光学频率梳在频率计量学、超快光谱学、光学频率标准、阿秒脉冲的产生、多脉冲时域合成等众多前沿研究领域中发挥了不可替代的作用。特别是继飞秒钛宝石激光频率梳、飞秒光纤激光频率梳之后,基于二极管激光直接泵浦的全固态飞秒激光频率梳由于兼具钛宝石激光噪声低、重复频率高,光纤激光结构紧凑、电光效率高的共同优势,引起了许多研究组的兴趣,并取得系列有意义的进展。本文综述了全固态光学频率梳的发展和已取得的典型应用,并结合笔者所在课题组取得的研究成果,对全固态光学频率梳未来的发展方向进行展望,为促进全固态飞秒锁模振荡器的发展提供借鉴。     

Space interferometry application of laser frequency stabilization with molecular iodine

A number of planned space interferometry missions, including the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) gravitational wave detector, require a laser system with high-frequency stability over long time scales. A 1064 nm wavelength nonplanar ring oscillator (NPRO) laser stabilized to a resonant transition in molecular iodine is suitable for these missions, providing high-frequency stability at an absolute reference frequency. The iodine stabilized laser also offers low sensitivity to temperature and alignment fluctuations and allows frequency tuning. We have evaluated the noise performance of a NPRO laser stabilized to iodine using frequency modulation spectroscopy and have found an Allan standard deviation of 10(-14) over 100 s. Simplified optical configurations and the radiation hardness of the frequency-doubling crystals have also been investigated.     

Frequency-shifted optical feedback in a pumping laser diode dynamically amplified by a microchip laser

Compared with conventional optical heterodyne detection, laser optical feedback imaging (LOFI) allows for a several orders of magnitude higher intensity modulation contrast. The maximum contrast amplification is typically 10(3) for a diode laser in the gigahertz range and 10(6) for a microchip laser in the megahertz range. To take advantage of the wavelength tunability of a laser diode and of the lower resonant detection frequency of a microchip laser, we used LOFI modulation induced by the frequency-shifted optical feedback in a laser diode as a modulated pumping power for a microchip laser for resonant dynamic amplification. In this way, we were able to transfer the optical feedback sensitivity of the laser diode to the megahertz range. Application to telemetry is also reported.     

Measurement uncertainty and temporal resolution of Doppler global velocimetry using laser frequency modulation

A Doppler global velocimetry (DGV) measurement technique with a sinusoidal laser frequency modulation is presented for measuring velocity fields in fluid flows. A cesium absorption cell is used for the conversion of the Doppler shift frequency into a change in light intensity, which can be measured by a fiber coupled avalanche photo diode array. Because of a harmonic analysis of the detector element signals, no errors due to detector offset drifts occur and no reference detector array is necessary for measuring the scattered light power. Hence, large errors such as image misalignment errors and beam split errors are eliminated. Furthermore, the measurement system is also capable of achieving high measurement rates up to the modulation frequency (100 kHz) and thus opens new perspectives to multiple point investigations of instationary flows, e.g., for turbulence analysis. A fundamental measurement uncertainty analysis based on the theory of Cramér and Rao is given and validated by experimental results. The current relation between time resolution and measurement uncertainty, as well as further optimization strategies, are discussed.     

一种基于光拍频的连续激光调制光谱测量方法

针对F-P干涉仪分析连续激光调制光谱的局限性,本文提出了一种基于光拍频的连续激光调制光谱的测量方法,该方法可实现调制频率低达千赫兹的连续激光调制光谱的测量.本方法以光电转换理论为基础,利用频谱分析仪测得参考光与连续调制光谱的拍频信号,然后通过相应的数学计算得到连续调制光谱的各个光频的相对电场强度,从而实现连续调制光谱的分析.本文在理论建模与分析的基础上,利用该方法对半导体激光器出射激光经电光调制器调制产生的调制光谱进行了测量,测量结果与F-P干涉仪测量结果一致,验证了该方法的可行性.     

Combination of highly nonlinear fiber, an optical bandpass filter, and a Fabry-Perot filter to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of a supercontinuum continuous-wave optical source

We present a theoretical study of a supercontinuum (SC) continuous-wave (cw) optical source generation in highly nonlinear fiber and its noise properties through numerical simulations based on the nonlinear Schr?dinger equation. Fluctuations of pump pulses generate substructures between the longitudinal modes that result in the generation of white noise and then in degradation of coherence and in a decrease of the modulation depths and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). A scheme for improvement of the SNR of a multiwavelength cw optical source based on a SC by use of the combination of a highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF), an optical bandpass filter, and a Fabry-Perot (FP) filter is presented. Numerical simulations show that the improvement in modulation depth is relative to the HNLF's length, the 3-dB bandwidth of the optical bandpass filter, and the reflection ratio of the FP filter and that the average improvement in modulation depth is 13.7 dB under specified conditions.     

Glass-fiber self-mixing intra-arterial laser Doppler velocimetry: signal stability and feedback analysis

We have developed a blood velocimeter based on the principle of self-mixing in a semiconductor laser diode through an optical fiber. The intensity of the light is modulated by feedback from moving scattering particles that contain the Doppler-shift frequency. Upon feedback the characteristics of the laser diode change. The threshold current decreases, and an instable region may become present above the new threshold. The amplitude of the Doppler signal turns out to be related to the difference in intensity between situations with and without feedback. This amplitude is highest just above feedback. The suppression of reflection from the glass-fiber facets is of paramount importance in the obtaining of a higher signal-to-noise ratio. Using an optical stabilization of the feedback, we optimized the performance of the laser-fiber system and the Doppler modulation depth and clarified its behavior with a suitable physical model. We also investigated the effect of the finite coherence length of the laser. We tested the efficiency of the self-mixing velocimeter in vivo with the optical glass fiber inserted in the artery with endoscopic catheters, both in upstream and in downstream blood flow conditions. For the latter we used a special side-reflecting device solution for the fiber facet to allow downstream measurements.     

Frequency Modulation Multiplexing for Simultaneous Detection of Multiple Gases by use of Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy with Diode Lasers

Modulation frequency multiplexing provides a straightforward method, analogous to television or radio broadcasting, for performing simultaneous detection of multiple gases by use of wavelength modulation spectroscopy with diode lasers. When fiber-optic coupled lasers are used, our approach guarantees that all beams transit the same optical path and impinge on the same detector. Each laser is modulated at a different frequency and the detector output is processed by a set of lock-in amplifiers, one for each laser, to measure the absorbance encountered by each laser.     

Absolute, high-resolution optical position encoder

Modern computer-controlled manufacturing machinery requires the absolute and highly accurate measurement of the linear position. Such an absolute, optical linear position encoder is described here. It is based on the transilluminance of a glass scale with an inexpensive light-emitting diode. The scale has two code tracks, one based on a pseudo-random binary sequence for the coarse determination of position and another periodic code for accurate fine-position measurement. A single-lens telecentric optical system images the code tracks in a mechanically insensitive way onto a custom photodetector. This special detector IC is capable of determining the components of the (complex) Fourier transform for the spatial frequency of the periodic code. The absolute optical position encoder shows a resolution of 10 nm and an absolute accuracy of better than 100 nm over short distances, verified with a commercial laser interferometer.     

Low-noise broadband light generation from optical fibers for use in high-resolution optical coherence tomography

Broadband light generation from a single-mode optical fiber was developed for high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT). No noise amplification was observed for light broadened by self-phase modulation. The investigation showed that the intensity noise of light broadened by self-phase modulation in a single-mode optical fiber was much lower than that of continuum light from a microstructure fiber (MSF). The spectral width of a femtosecond input laser pulse was successfully broadened by a factor of 11, and a coherence length of 3.7 microm was achieved with this source. The application of light broadened by a single-mode optical fiber and MSF was compared for use in OCT imaging. The results showed that a single-mode fiber with a small core diameter is a useful way to generate low-noise, broadband light for high-resolution OCT imaging.     

Integrated optical Young interferometer

The integrated optical configuration of a Young interferometer is proposed for refractometry and chemical sensing. We coupled light into an integrated optical Ybranch by fixing a laser diode directly at the input of the optical device. We solved the problem of ambiguity in the interference order by operating the laser diode at currents below threshold, resulting in visibility modulation of the interference fringes caused by the low coherence length of the emitted light. A very compact device results that measures the refractive index of liquids or gases. An electronic scanning technique by means of a CCD array provides a fast readout without the need for moving parts.     

Spectral superresolution with ultrashort optical pulses

A superresolution technique for the measurement of transmission, reflection, and absorption spectra is proposed. An ultrashort laser pulse is propagated in a dispersive element and then periodically phase modulated. The temporal modulation is transformed into periodic spectral modulation, for which the number of harmonics, 2M+1, is determined by the modulation index. The modulated pulse is transmitted through (reflected from) the sample to be tested and measured by a spectrometer. By performing 2M+1 measurements for 2M+1 delays between the dispersed pulse and modulation signal, one can restore the spectral response of the sample with superresolution after simple processing. We numerically demonstrate the measurement of the transmission spectrum of an ultranarrow optical filter with a minimum feature of 0.43 pm by an optical spectrum analyzer with a 10 pm resolution. A twentyfold enhancement of the resolution is achieved in the presence of noise with a level of 0.1%. The advantage of the system is its full reconfigurability.     

Scheme for Extending the Bandwidth of Injection-current-induced Laser Diode Optical Frequency Modulation

Abstract

It is shown that optical frequency modulation of laser diodes via control of their injection current is dominated by thermal effects for modulation frequencies in the range up to about 1 MHz, and that the modulation bandwidth is determined by the complex thermal structure of the laser. A theoretical model is developed, based on the thermal properties and the heat transfer between the laser chip, its submount and its heat sink. The theory is validated by experiments which indicate that the 1 dB modulation bandwidth of the typical laser diode used was about 10 kHz. The design of a simple equalization circuit for the laser diode is described, and its application was shown to increase the modulation bandwidth to about 300 kHz. It is shown that the equalization technique is valuable in extending the bandwidth of phase demodulation techniques commonly employed in interferometric fibre optic sensors.     

Electronic subtracter for trace-gas detection with InGaAsP diode lasers

An electronic noise-cancellation scheme has been developed and tested for second-harmonic (2f) detection with short-external-cavity and distributed-feedback InGaAsP diode lasers and wavelength modulation. The 2f background signal and noise from, e.g., optical feedback, optical fringes, and power-supply pickup are effectively reduced by subtraction of a measure of the signal-beam photocurrent from a measure of the reference-beam photocurrent. The dynamic range required for the lock-in amplifier is also reduced because the signal owing to modulation of the laser output at the first harmonic is canceled. Reduction of the 2f background and dynamic range are important for atmospheric-pressure detection where a large wavelength modulation is necessary. The detector noise was minimized by the use of zero-biased detectors in the subtraction circuit. A beam-noise level (defined as 2× the rms value) equivalent to a line-center absorption of 1.6 × 10(-6) was achieved with an equivalent-noise bandwidth of 1.25 Hz for 2f detection at 10 kHz. The electronic circuit is easy to construct and low cost.     

Reduction of optical beat interference using gain-saturated RSOA in upstream WDM/SCM optical links

A new scheme for reducing optical beat interference (OBI) noise in optical network units is proposed for subcarrier multiplexing-based access network applications. The optical spectrum of the transmit lasers is broadened by using a radio frequency (RF) clipping tone with a modulation depth greater than one. This reduces the impact of the OBI noise. The distortions caused by an RF clipping tone are also suppressed by introducing a gain-saturated reflective optical amplifier, which shows the characteristics of high-pass filter. The proposed scheme has been verified by measuring the error vector magnitude of 16QAM signal with 20 Mbps. Error-free transmission has been achieved even when the light of OBI-noise-causing lasers is stronger than that of the signal laser by 7 dB     

Integrating waveguide biosensor

A capillary biosensor is demonstrated which uses the waveguiding properties of the capillary to integrate the signal over an increased surface area without simultaneously increasing the background noise from the detector. This biosensor achieves limits of detection of 30-50 pg/mL in immunoassays using a diode laser for excitation and a PMT for detection. This is approximately 2 orders of magnitude greater sensitivity than was achieved using the same immunoassay reagents in a fiber optic biosensor or a planar array biosensor. Two different approaches to using the capillaries as immunosensors are described, either of which could be adapted for multianalyte sensing.     

A simple method for the evaluation of microwave mixer diodes

A simple method is described for the evaluation of the various microwave mixer diodes which can be used in 9-GHz electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometers using magnetic field modulation below 1 kHz. The advantage of this method over other methods is that it is optimized for EPR applications and determines the optimum operating conditions for each microwave diode. This method utilizes a microwave bridge with a reference arm with an attenuator to control the microwave bias power level, and a signal arm where the signal is attenuated, phase shifted, and modulated at the typical magnetic field modulation frequencies. The microwave power from the two arms is recombined and demodulated by the microwave diode. The output of the microwave diode is then recorded with various video loads, microwave bias power, and modulation frequencies. Measurements are performed to determine the effect of the preamplifier that followed the microwave diode on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The recorded spectra are used to determine the SNR, the noise floor, and the 1/f corner frequency. Comparison of these factors for the different types of microwave diodes shows that some Schottky-barrier diodes have noise figures at 1 kHz that are as low as those for tunnel diodes