Three-dimensional coupled wave study for finite-sized anisotropic volume holographic gratings under ultrashort pulsed beam readout

The three-dimensional coupled wave theory is extended to systematically investigate the diffraction properties of finite-sized anisotropic volume holographic gratings (VHGs) under ultrashort pulsed beam (UPB) readout. The effects of the grating geometrical size and the polarizations of the recording and readout beams on the diffraction properties are presented, in particular under the influence of grating material dispersion. The wavelength selectivity of the finite-sized VHG is analyzed. The wavelength selectivity determines the intensity distributions of the transmitted and diffracted pulsed beams along the output face of the VHG. The distortion and widening of the diffracted pulsed beams are different for different points on the output face, as is numerically shown for a VHG recorded in a LiNbO3 crystal. The beam quality is analyzed, and the variations of the total diffraction efficiency are shown in relation to the geometrical size of the grating and the temporal width of the readout UPB. In addition, the diffraction properties of the finite-sized and one-dimensional VHG for pulsed and continuous-wave readout are compared. The study shows the potential application of VHGs in controlling spatial and temporal features of UPBs simultaneously.     

Diffraction properties of volume holographic gratings for an ultrashort pulsed beam with different polarization states readout

The diffraction properties of volume holographic gratings are studied when the gratings are illuminated by an ultrashort pulsed beam with different polarization states. The developed coupled wave theory of Kogelnik is used. Considering the dispersion effect of the grating media, solutions for the diffracted and transmitted intensities, diffraction efficiencies and the bandwidths of the gratings are given in transmission volume holographic gratings and reflection volume holographic gratings. The bandwidths of the gratings are reduced by the dispersion effect of the grating media. They also have different influences on the diffraction of an ultrashort pulsed beam with different polarization states. For different values of the ratio of the spectral bandwidth of the input pulse to that of the grating, the changes of the spectral and temporal distributions of the diffracted intensities, as well as the diffraction efficiencies of the gratings are shown.     

Generation of dark hollow femtosecond pulsed beam by phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator

Based on the refractive laser beam shaping system, the dark hollow femtosecond pulse beam shaping technique with a phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) is demonstrated. The phase distribution of the LC-SLM is derived by the energy conservation and constant optical path principle. The effects of the shaping system on the temporal properties, including spectral phase distribution and bandwidth of the femtosecond pulse, are analyzed in detail. Experimental results show that the hollow intensity distribution of the output pulsed beam can be maintained much at more than 1200 mm. The spectral phase of the pulse is changed, and the pulse width is expanded from 199 to 230 fs, which is caused by the spatial-temporal coupling effect. The coupling effect mainly depends on the phase-only LC-SLM itself, not on its loaded phase distribution. The experimental results indicate that the proposed shaping setup can generate a dark hollow femtosecond pulsed beam effectively, because the temporal Gaussian waveform is unchanged.     

Polarization of holographic grating diffraction. II. Experiment

The transmittance, ellipsometric parameters, and depolarization of transmission, diffraction, and reflection of two volume holographic gratings (VHGs) are measured at a wavelength of 632.8 nm. The measured data are in good agreement with the theoretical simulated results, which demonstrated the correlation between the diffraction strength and the polarization properties of a VHG. Vector electromagnetic theory and polarization characterization are necessary for complete interpretation of the diffraction property of a VHG. The diffraction efficiency is measured at 532 nm in a polarization-sensing experiment. The measured data and theoretical simulation have demonstrated the potential application of the holographic beam splitter for polarization-sensor technology.     

Pulse shaping by the electro-optic effect in chirped periodically poled lithium niobate

We propose an ultrafast pulse shaping method by modulating the pulse phase and amplitude by the electro-optic effect and Bragg diffraction in the aperiodically optical superlattice. Linear-chirped periodically poled lithium niobate is used. The input pulse can be shaped, for example, by compressing it through the extraordinary refractive index change of the crystal by applying and changing the external electric field.     

Polarization-dependent diffraction efficiency of a photorefractive volume grating and suppression of this efficiency

In terms of refractive-index ellipsoid of a uniaxial crystal, the relationship between the diffraction efficiency of a volume grating and the polarization state of a readout beam is theoretically analyzed. The direction of a refractive light beam and the corresponding refractive-index modulation will both be changed by a variation of the polarization state. In the polarization state of the readout beam, which may lead to a strong variation in the diffraction efficiency of the volume grating. This kind of polarization-dependent diffraction efficiency of a volume grating in an anisotropic crystal is extremely disadvantageous for some applications. A method to suppress the polarization-dependent diffraction efficiency by use of double volume gratings is presented, and experiments with LiNbO3:Fe crystal are also demonstrated. The experimental results indicate that this method can well suppress the polarization-dependent diffraction efficiency of a volume grating. Furthermore, the diffraction properties of the double volume gratings are almost independent of the polarization state of the readout beam. The relative values of the diffraction peaks are calculated on the basis of the relationship between index modulation and the state of polarization. The experimental values are in good agreement with the theoretical analyses.     

Pulsed Laser Written Diffraction Gratings in Liquid Crystal Polymers

Abstract

In this work the writing of diffraction gratings in liquid crystal polymer films is studied, where the exposure mechanism is thermal and takes the material from an opaque to a transparent state. A pulsed ruby laser is used to write gratings and the evolution of diffraction is monitored using a continuous wave laser. The resulting diffraction efficiency is compared with an analytic theory for a range of laser pulse energies and grating spacings. Results from the comparison are very good, and final efficiencies of around 5% are obtained, which is near the theoretical maximum for the material used.     

Programmable polarization-independent spectral phase compensation and pulse shaping by use of a single-layer liquid-crystal modulator

What we believe to be the first use of a single-layer liquid-crystal modulator array for spectral phase pulse shaping that operates independently of input polarization is reported. Polarization insensitivity is essential to optical-fiber-based applications such as dispersion compensation.     

Modification of AlN thin films morphology and structure by temporally shaping of fs laser pulses used for deposition

We studied the effect of temporally pulse shaping upon the properties of thin layers synthesized by pulsed laser deposition with fs laser pulses generated by a Ti-sapphire laser source. We showed that the film morphology and structure can be gradually modified when applying mono-pulses of different duration or passing to a sequence of two pulses of different intensities.     

Low Heat Welding of Titanium Materials with a Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser

Titanium materials exhibit a property profile that is just as versatile as that of steel materials. Titanium materials therefore have outstanding properties, such as excellent resistance to corrosion and high strength values at low densities, which makes them ideal for use in the chemical industry and as structural materials in lightweight construction. Due to the high affinity of titanium to atmospheric gases at increased temperatures above 500 °C, titanium components have to be welded in a sophisticated process under inert shielding gas by TIG welding or by an electron beam in a vacuum. A novel innovative laser beam welding process using a pulsed laser with free pulse shaping will be presented here with which oxidation‐free titanium weld seams with excellent mechanical and technological properties can be produced. For this low heat welding process, the otherwise commonly used inert gas covering can be substituted with a shielding gas nozzle. The process‐specific low heat input and the resulting low energy input per unit length both have a positive effect on the microstructure and thus on the mechanical properties. This welding process offers both technological and economical advantages over the processes used up until now, particularly for the machining of complex components and for series production.     

Investigation of the transient thermal profile of an anisotropic crystal in a pulsed and end-pumped laser

Thermal effects are a result of the temperature field and temperature fluctuation. They are an important factor in the design and operation of end-pumped lasers. In this paper, we investigate both the thermal effect and thermally induced diffraction losses. A thermal model is established that can explain the thermal effect in an anisotropic cubic laser crystal that is end-pumped by a laser diode during repeated pulsed operation. By solving the thermal flow equation numerically, the dynamics of the thermal build-up as well as the temperature distribution in the laser crystal were obtained. When the laser crystal reached a quasi-steady state, the thermally induced diffraction losses show oscillatory behaviour, which is inversely proportional to the frequency of the pump pulses and pump power.     

沉积时间对脉冲激光沉积法制备ZnO薄膜性能的影响

采用脉冲激光沉积技术(PLD)在氧气气氛中以高纯Zn为(99.999%)靶材,在单晶硅和石英衬底表面成功生长了ZnO薄膜.通过X射线衍射仪、表明轮廓仪、荧光光谱仪、紫外可见分光光度计对合成薄膜材料的晶体结构、厚度、光学性质等进行了研究,分析了ZnO薄膜的沉积时间对其性能的影响.结果表明,采用PLD法在室温下可以制备出(002)结晶取向和透过率高于75%的ZnO薄膜,但室温下沉积的ZnO薄膜的发射性能较差,沉积时间的延长不能改善薄膜的发光性能.     

6H-SiC单晶表面ZnO薄膜的制备及其结构表征

利用脉冲激光淀积(PLD)技术在6H-SiC单晶衬底上制备了ZnO薄膜. 利用X射线衍射(XRD), 反射式高能电子衍射(RHEED)和同步辐射掠入射X射线衍射(SRGID)φ扫描等实验技术研究了ZnO薄膜的结构. 结果表明:在单晶6H-SiC衬底上制备的ZnO薄膜已经达到单晶水平, 不同入射角的SRGID结果, 显示了ZnO薄膜内部不同深度处a方向的晶格弛豫是不一致的, 从接近衬底界面处到薄膜的中间部分再到薄膜的表面处, a方向的晶格常数分别为0.3264、0.3272和0.3223nm. 通过计算得到ZnO薄膜的泊松比为0.504, ZnO薄膜与单晶6H-SiC衬底在平行于衬底表面a轴方向的实际晶格失配度为5.84%.     

Pulsed galvanostatic control of ionophore-based polymeric ion sensors

This paper describes a pulsed galvanostatic technique to interrogate ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) with no intrinsic ion-exchange properties. Each applied current pulse is followed by a longer baseline potential pulse to regenerate the phase boundary region of the ion-selective membrane. The applied current fully controls the magnitude and sign of the ion flux into the membrane, thus offering instrumental control over an effect that has become very important in ion-selective electrode research in recent years. The resulting chronopotentiometric response curves essentially mimic traditional ISE behavior, with apparently Nernstian response slopes and selectivities that can be described with the Nicolsky equation. Additionally, the magnitude and sign of the current pulse may be used to tune sensor selectivity. Perhaps most important, however, appears to be the finding that the extent of concentration polarization near the membrane surface can be accurately controlled by this technique. A growing number of potentiometric techniques are starting to make use of nonequilibrium principles, and the method introduced here may prove to be very useful to advance these areas of research. The basic characteristics of this pulsed galvanostatic technique are here evaluated with plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) membranes containing the sodium-selective ionophore tert-butyl calix[4]arene tetramethyl ester and a lipophilic inert salt.     

Ferroelectric properties of pulsed laser deposited PZT (92/8) thin films

The effect of pulse amplitude on the ferroelectric and switching properties of pulsed laser deposited PZT (92/8) thin films has been studied. The structural analysis revealed that the films had a well crystallized perovskite phase without secondary phases. The atomic force microscopy has been employed to estimate the grain size and surface roughness of the film. A well-saturated P–E hysteresis loop was observed with average values of remnant polarization (P_r) ≈ 16.0 μC/cm², saturation polarization (P_s) ≈ 21.7 μC/cm² and coercive field ≈138 kV/cm. The P–E loops were very stable with frequency, confirming that the contribution of the leakage current and/or mobile free charges to the polarization is minimum. The polarization current exhibits the exponential dependence on the pulse amplitude and the leakage current seems to be governed by the hopping mechanism which is generally associated to structural defects.     

Conical Diffraction from Uniaxial Gratings

Abstract

We develop a method for solving the problem of conical diffraction at a corrugated interface between an isotropic medium and a uniaxial crystal. The method, based on the Rayleigh hypothesis, is valid for gratings with shallow grooves, arbitrary orientations of the optic axis, and arbitrary orientation of the plane of incidence with respect to the main section of the cylindrical corrugation. The theoretical formalism is applied to model the conversion between polarization states of electromagnetic waves reflected at the sinusoidally corrugated interface between a uniaxial crystal and an isotropic dielectric or metal, for incidences from the isotropic side or the uniaxial one. The combined effect of conical diffraction and material anisotropy on polarization conversion is exemplified in both cases.     

Generation of pulsed polarization-entangled two-photon state via temporal and spectral engineering

The quantum state of the photon pair generated from type-II spontaneous parametric downconversion pumped by an ultrafast laser pulse exhibits strong decoherence in its polarization entanglement, an effect which can be attributed to the clock effect of the pump pulse or, equivalently, to distinguishing spectral information in the two-photon state. Here, we propose novel temporal and spectral engineering techniques to eliminate these detrimental decoherence effects. The temporal engineering of the two-photon wavefunction results in a universal Bell-state synthesizer that is independent of the choice of pump source, crystal parameters, wavelengths of the interacting photons and the bandwidth of the spectral filter. In the spectral engineering technique, the distinguishing spectral features of the two-photon state are eliminated through modifications to the two-photon source. In addition, spectral engineering also provides a means for the generation of polarization-entangled states with novel spectral characteristics: the frequency-correlated state and the frequency-uncorrelated state.     

Smallest flattop focus by polarization engineering

Spatial engineering of polarization as a new method of beam shaping is analyzed by using scalar diffraction theory. For the one-dimensional case, it is shown that the smallest flattop far-field distribution can be obtained by adopting a linear polarization that changes direction as a linear function of location in the pupil plane. The resulting light field is functionally equivalent to a cosinusoidal function modulation of the wavefront but maintains high efficiency. This polarization beam shaping technique proves to be highly useful in applications where diffraction effects need to be taken into account. The extension of this technique to two-dimensional beam shaping is also demonstrated.     

Optimal Twist and Polarization Angles for the Reflective Liquid Crystal Light Modulator

Abstract

We determine the twist angle and the input polarization angle that optimize the efficiency, modulation sensitivity, and contrast ratio for the reflective liquid crystal modulators (especially the liquid crystal light valve). If a monochromatic light source is used, and when the input polarization is parallel to the front molecular director of the liquid crystal, the conventionally used 45° twist has a theoretical maximum reflectance of only 81%. However, a 63·6° twist angle yields the highest efficiency (theoretical maximum reflectance of 100%) as well as a higher modulation sensitivity. When the input polarization is not parallel, different options that yield a high efficiency and an increased modulation sensitivity are available. If the light source is not monochromatic but has a narrow bandwidth, the dispersion effect tends to reduce the contrast ratio, so that a tradeoff between contrast and sensitivity must be made. We show that a configuration with 65–75° twist angle has an efficiency close to 100% with continuously increasing sensitivity but decreasing contrast as the input polarization changes from 0° to ?30°.     

Electric field control of a Bragg diffraction optical beam splitter based on a cubic K(0.99)Li(0.01)Ta(0.63)Nb(0.37)O3 single crystal

We have realized an electric field controlled Bragg diffraction optical beam splitter based on a photorefractive Bragg diffraction grating. In our experiments, the splitter was produced by wave coupling (532.0 nm) with a potassium lithium tantalate niobate single crystal. In the process of splitting, the incident beam could be split into multioutput beams by the splitter. The influence of an externally applied electric field was studied, and the results show that the intensity of the Bragg diffraction could be controlled by the electric field. The polarization properties of the splitter are discussed.