Experimental investigation of high-energy wave-breaking-free-pulse generation in bidirectional-pumping all-fiber laser

We report a passively mode-locked all-fiber laser with bidirectional pumping, emitting high-energy wave-breaking-free pulses. Experimental investigations show that forward and backward pump powers mainly contribute on the chirp and the nonlinear phase shift of pulses, respectively. Nonlinear chirp pulses with 50 nJ pulse energy, 340 ps duration at a 8.2 MHz repetition rate are directly emitted from the all-fiber laser pumped by two 550 mW, 977 nm laser diodes. The pulses cannot be compressed to near the transform limit, showing that the chirp of pulses is nonlinear.     

Population transfer in a Λ-type five-level system with equally populated initial and empty final doublet states

We investigate the selective and efficient population transfer in a Λ-type five-level system with equally populated initial and empty final doublet states by time-separated chirped pump and Stokes pulses. We show that it is possible to achieve selective, efficient, and robust population transfer from either of the equally populated initial doublet states to either of the final ground doublet levels by merging stimulated Raman adiabatic passage and chirped adiabatic passage techniques. Moreover, the maximal coherent superpositions between either of the initial doublet states and either of the final doublet states, between the intermediate level and either of the final doublet states, or between the final doublet levels can be achieved by varying the chirp rates and single-photon detuning of the pump and Stokes pulses. This method may have potential applications in quantum coherent control of population dynamics in realistic atomic or molecular systems with equally populated initial and empty final manifolds.     

Dynamic behavior of postfilamentation Raman pulses

We report on the postfilamentation behavior of a Stokes pulse created from intense and collimated ultrashort pulses propagating in air. A systematic analysis of the pulse propagation revealed that the redshifted Raman pulse produced during filamentation had a larger divergence than the postfilamentation intense pump pulse. Also, the analysis of the far-field Stokes transverse ring revealed that the intensity in this ionization-free light channel is still sufficiently high to induce stimulated Raman scattering after ionization had ended. This behavior further extends the potential of filamentation to remotely induce third-order nonlinearities.     

Pulse distortion of a scattered chirped pulse

We have studied the time-dependent properties of a chirped short pulse when the pulse is scattered by a spherical particle. We used generalized Lorentz-Mie formulas to study the scattered electrical field and pulse distortion. Plane wave Gaussian pulses of different chirps with a constant pulse-filling coefficient l(0) = 1.98 have been studied. A morphology-dependent resonance causes a prolonged trailing edge (small scattering angle) and oscillations (large scattering angle) in the scattered pulse. When frequency sweeping superimposes on a morphology-dependent resonance, the pulse chirp affects the scattered pattern and distorts the scattered intensity. Multisecondary pulses are generated because of the pulse chirp and even subsecondary pulses occur if the incident pulse is deeply chirped. The pulse widths of secondary and subsecondary pulses are shorter than those of an incident pulse.     

Ultrafast coherent population transfer with a train of weak femtosecond pulse pairs

We investigate ultrafast coherent population transfer in a Λ-type three-level system driven by a train of weak phase-locked pump-Stokes femtosecond pulse pairs, where the pump and Stokes pulses in each pair are applied in counterintuitive order, similar to that in the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage technique. It is shown that due to temporal constructive quantum interference and the subsequent coherent accumulation, complete population transfer can be achieved by a few pulse pairs with suitable interpair and intrapair time delays even if a single pair of pulses in the train is so weak that nearly no population transfer can take place. The method is efficient and robust to moderate variations in the interpair and intrapair time delays, number of pulse pairs, and laser intensity, which is particularly favorable to coherent population transfer in quantum systems with weak oscillator strengths.     

An Experimental Study of a Synchronously Pumped Fibre Raman Oscillator

Abstract

A synchronously pumped fibre Raman oscillator has been constructed employing a mode-locked c.w. Nd:YAG laser as a pump source and 150 m of single-mode optical fibre as the Raman-active medium. A detailed spectral and temporal study of the laser has been undertaken. Time-dispersion tuning offered an operating spectral range of 1·0725–1·1220 µm for the first Stokes oscillation and 1·149–1·179 µm for the associated second Stokes component. Pulse durations ～ 100 ps were generated with average output powers of about 40 and 9 mW for the first and second Stokes Raman pulses respectively.     

A long cavity passive mode-locking fibre laser with the reflective non-linear optical loop mirror

In this paper, we report a long cavity passively mode-locked fibre laser. The proposed mode locker is a reflective long cavity non-linear optical loop mirror (NOLM) which consists of a 50:50 coupler and 2-km single-mode fibres. The laser achieves stable mode locking at a fundamental repetition rate of 100 kHz. The rectangular pulses operating in dissipative soliton resonance region is generated in the laser. The relationship between the pulse duration and the pump power is investigated in detail. When the pump power is 200 mW, the laser generates rectangular pulses at 1565.57 nm (central wavelength) with pulse duration of 81.5 ns. The single pulse energy as high as 33.34 nJ is obtained. The results show that the reflective NOLM is an efficient mode locker and useful for the generation of high energy pulse.     

Passive mode-locking in erbium-doped fibre laser based on BN-GO saturable absorber

A C-band mode-locked fibre laser incorporating a boron nitride-doped graphene oxide (BN-GO)-based saturable absorber (SA) is proposed and demonstrated. The SA is fabricated by depositing multiple layers of synthesized BN-GO nanoparticles onto the polished surface of a side-polished fibre, which is then inserted into an erbium-doped fibre laser cavity to generate the desired pulsed output. The strong nonlinear optical response and light absorption of the BN-GO nanoparticles induces the generation of a highly stable mode-locked pulse at 1567.32?nm with visible Kelly’s sidebands. The pulses have a measured repetition rate of 13.56?MHz and a pulse width of 1.18?ps at the maximum pump power of 280.5?mW. The pulses have a frequency signal-to-noise ratio of ～53?dB, indicating a highly stable output. The proposed laser would find significant telecommunications applications, particularly for dense wavelength division multiplexing systems.     

Polarization changes of partially coherent pulses propagating in optical fibers

We consider polarization changes of partially coherent pulses propagating through birefringent dispersive fibers in the linear regime. We show that the evolution of the degree of polarization across such pulses is determined not only by the coherence properties of the pulse in the source plane, but also by the spatial walk-off introduced by the group-velocity mismatch between the two polarization components. The interplay between these two factors determines the asymptotic value of the degree of polarization of an initially unpolarized statistical pulse. We compare our results with previously discussed coherence-induced polarization changes of partially coherent beams propagating in free space.     

Characterization of the supercontinuum radiation generated by self-focusing of few-cycle 800 nm pulses in argon

Self-focusing of few-cycle pulses in atmospheric-pressure argon results in a supercontinuum which differs remarkably from the case of longer pulses: under single-filament conditions it extends to 200 nm and 250 nm with 6 fs and 10 fs pulses, respectively; the radiation, including the shortest wavelengths, is collimated and shows no conical emission. The short-wavelength part is intrinsically at least as short as the incoming fundamental pulse. These features make the few-cycle supercontinuum attractive as a source of widely tunable 10 fs pump pulses for spectroscopic applications. We present extensive experimental results including the dependence of the spectrum on pulse energy, duration and chirp, filament length, gas pressure and a comparison with nitrogen and air. We discuss them and other features including the role of the third harmonic and identify the conditions required to get a single highly stable filament. We also present a model, based on self-guiding, which predicts useful scaling rules.     

Advantages and Limits of Light Pulse Compression inside and outside the Laser Cavity

Limits for the compression of frequency-modulated light pulses, the chirp of which is a result of non-linear optical interactions in non-resonant and resonant media, are dealt with. In extracavity pulse compressors with non-resonant, non-linear samples the minimum pulse duration decreases with increasing field strength of the input pulse, the maximum of which must be restricted to avoid high-order non-linear effects and optical damage. Compression down to about 5 fs seems to be possible. In intracavity pulse compression, successfully used for example in passively mode-locked lasers, the chirp is generated by quasi-resonant interaction between light pulses and saturable absorbers or depletable amplifiers. Here the minimum achievable pulse duration is limited mainly by the frequency-selective action of the quasi-resonant samples.     

Nickel oxide nanoparticles thin film saturable absorber for 1-micron pulsed all-fibre lasers operation

A passive Q-switched and mode-locked ytterbium-doped fibre laser (YDFL) pulse generation using a nickel oxide thin film as a saturable absorber is reported. The nickel oxide nanoparticle thin film was fabricated by a simple processing technique, and it has a modulation depth of 39% and saturation intensity of 0.04 MW/cm². The saturable absorber was constructed by inserting a small piece of the film between two fibre ferrules. Then it was integrated in a YDFL cavity. The Q-switching operation started at a threshold pump power of 117.73 mW with an initial wavelength of 1073.5 nm. When the pump power was raised from 117.73 to 133 mW, the repetition rate grew from 9.5 to 15.8 kHz. The pulses had a maximum pulse energy of 478 nJ. Furthermore, a stable self-started mode-locked pulse was also succesfully generated at the threshold pump power of 97.3 mW. The central wavelength and repetition rate of the laser were 1037.72 nm and 23 MHz, respectively. The maximum pulse energy of 0.56 nJ and a peak power of 26.4 W were recorded at a pump power of 137.5 mW.     

Chirped femtosecond pulse scattering by spherical particles

Generalized Lorentz-Mie formulas are used to study the scattering characteristics when a chirped femtosecond pulse illuminates a spherical particle. For a linear chirped Gaussian pulse with the envelope function g(τ) = exp[-π(1 + ib)τ(2)], dimensionless parameter b is defined as a chirp. The calculation illustrated that even for pulses with a constant carrier wavelength (λ(0) = 0.5 μm) and pulse-filling coefficient (l(0) = 1.98), the efficiencies for extinction and scattering differ very much between the carrier wave and the different chirped pulses. The slowly varying background of the extinction and the scattering curves is damped by the chirp. When the pulse is deeply chirped, the maxima and minima of the background curves reduce to the point where they disappear, and the efficiency curves illustrate a steplike dependence on the sphere size. Another feature is that the chirped-pulse scattering seems blind: it depends only on the amount of chirp (|b|), regardless of upchirp (b > 0) or downchirp (b< 0).     

Tungsten tri-oxide (WO3) film absorber for generating Q-switched pulses in erbium laser

ABSTRACT

This paper reports a new type of passive saturable absorber (SA) made of transition metal oxide (TMO) embedded in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The Tungsten trioxide (WO₃)-PVA SA is placed in an erbium-doped fibre laser cavity to produce Q-switched pulses operating at 1562.82?nm. The pulse laser starts to manifest at the threshold pump power of 40?mW and continues to exist until the maximum pump power of 195?mW. Within that pump power range, its pulse energy, repetition rate and pulse width vary from 98 to 142.85?nJ, 29.86 to 56.7?kHz and 5.032 to 1.85?µs, respectively. The pulse train is stable with a signal to noise ratio of 70?dB. This is the first demonstration of a Q-switched laser using such a SA.     

Generation of soliton and bound soliton pulses in mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser using graphene film as saturable absorber

We report an observation of soliton and bound-state soliton in passive mode-locked fibre laser employing graphene film as a passive saturable absorber (SA). The SA was fabricated from the graphene flakes, which were obtained from electrochemical exfoliation process. The graphene flakes was mixed with polyethylene oxide solution to form a polymer composite, which was then dried at room temperature to produce a film. The film was then integrated in a laser cavity by attaching it to the end of a fibre ferrule with the aid of index matching gel. The fibre laser generated soliton pulses with a 20.7 MHz repetition rate, 0.88 ps pulse width, 0.0158 mW average output power, 0.175 pJ pulse energy and 18.72 W peak power at the wavelength of 1564 nm. A bound soliton with pulse duration of ~1.04 ps was also obtained at the pump power of 110.85 mW by carefully adjusting the polarization of the oscillating laser. The formation of bound soliton is due to the direct pulse to pulse interaction. The results show that the proposed graphene-based SA offers a simple and cost efficient approach of generating soliton and bound soliton in mode-locked EDFL set-up.     

Comparative study of femtosecond and nanosecond laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of depleted uranium

We present spectra of depleted uranium metal from laser plasmas generated by nanosecond Nd:YAG (1064 nm) and femtosecond Ti:sapphire (800 nm) laser pulses. The latter pulses produce short-lived and relatively cool plasmas in comparison to the longer pulses, and the spectra of neutral uranium atoms appear immediately after excitation. Evidence for nonequilibrium excitation with femtosecond pulses is found in the dependence of spectral line intensities on the pulse chirp.     

Amplification of Picosecond Pulses in Neodymium-doped Single-mode Optical Fibres

Abstract

The picosecond pulses from the output of a fibre-grating pair compressed mode-locked c.w. pumped Nd : YAG laser have been amplified in a neodymium-doped single mode optical fibre using a counter propagating c.w. pump geometry. Gains of up to times ten were measured in a 2·5 m fibre length for input signal energies of up to 0·2 pJ per pulse.     

Waveguide damage detection by the matching pursuit approach employing the dispersion-based chirp functions

If the wave mode used in guided wave non-destructive inspection is dispersive, reflected pulses from damaged parts may be significantly distorted due to wave dispersion. The main concern, in this case, is how to detect the reflected pulses in noisy signals, and to extract meaningful damage information from the detected pulses. However, current signal processing techniques used for guided wave inspection do not account for pulse dispersion, so the extracted information is often not so accurate. The objective of this study is to develop an efficient technique to deal with dispersed pulses for guided-wave nondestructive evaluation. Our idea is to model dispersed pulses by chirp functions of special form that can simulate up to quadratically varying group delay. To determine the parameters of the chirp functions approximating dispersed, reflected pulses, an adaptive matching pursuit algorithm is employed. Once the characterizing parameters are found, the damage location and extent can be estimated. The proposed method is tested with experimentally measured signals of longitudinal waves in a circular cylinder.     

Measurement of time-frequency parameters of picosecond optical pulses

A method is proposed that permits accurate and reliable measurement of the train-average pulse duration as well as the value and sign of the frequency chirp of picosecond optical pulses in high-repetition-rate trains.