Analysis of the dual-parallel Mach–Zehnder modulator-based equivalent phase modulation

In a dual polarization quadrature phase shift keyed (DP-QPSK) modulator, it is desired that one dual-parallel Mach–Zehnder (MZ) modulator in it is operated as a phase modulator (PM) to achieve some functions in conjunction with the other dual-parallel MZ modulator. Equivalent phase modulation is realized by controlling the bias points of a dual-parallel MZ modulator. If the parameters are accurately set, it functions as a true PM. However, the amplitude imbalance and the different arrival time of the two RF signals applied to the dual-parallel MZ modulator, and the deviations of the three bias points in the dual-parallel MZ modulator influence the performance of the equivalent phase modulator (e-PM). In this paper, we study the influences of these non-ideal factors on the performance of the e-PM. The results show important guidelines for significance for the further use of the dual-parallel MZ modulator-based equivalent phase modulation in a DP-QPSK modulator.     

Investigations of a wedge-shaped nematic liquid crystal cell using Mach–Zehnder interferometer

We report optical interferometric studies of a wedge-shaped nematic liquid crystal cell. Interference fringes were observed when a nematic liquid crystal cell was placed in one of the arms of Mach–Zehnder interferometer. In the case of homogenous gap cell, the fringe contrast remained unaffected on applying voltage. However, in the case of wedge-shaped cell, the fringe contrast was found to degrade under an applied electric (DC) field and it became poorer at higher voltages. At higher voltages the fringe contrast improved where complete switching occurred. The degradation in fringe contrast due to wedge-shaped cell structure might find applications for speckle reduction in future laser-based rear projection displays.     

A high sensitivity refractive index sensor based on photonic crystal fibre Mach–Zehnder interferometer

A compact and high sensitivity refractive index sensor based on a photonic crystal fibre Mach–Zehnder mode–mode interferometer is proposed. The sensing part is formed by in fibre SMF-PCF-SMF structure (SMF: single-mode fibre; PCF: photonic crystal fibre) using fusion splicing method. The fully collapse air holes of photonic crystal fibre make coupling of fibre core and cladding mode in the splicing collapse region which establish a Mach–Zehnder interferometer. The Mach–Zehnder interferometers with different photonic crystal fibre length are fabricated to investigate refractive index sensing characteristics. The refractive index measuring sensitivity can reach 224.2 nm/RIU (RIU: Refractive Index Unit) with a length of PCF L = 4 cm, experimentally. The proposed refractive index sensor is attractive due to its simple production process, compact size and high sensitivity.     

Tunable ring-coupled Mach–Zehnder interferometer based on lithium niobate

The fabrication and characterization are reported of a Fano resonance-based electro-optically tunable ring resonator-coupled Mach–Zehnder interferometer device based on a chalcogenide–lithium niobate hybrid waveguide system. The experiments reveal inherent asymmetric lineshapes that can be flipped to a near symmetrical resonance by applying a dc voltage of ~10 V across the electrode at the MZI non-resonator arm. Further increase in voltage yields the reverse of initial asymmetry. The optical filter-based transfer-matrix model easily explains the experimental data and indicates ways to further enhance the usability of such architecture.     

Spatially resolved phase objects using Mach–Zehnder interferometry

Phase characterization with a good spatial resolution is crucial for focused beams in nonlinear media. The phase-shifting interferometry technique, using the least-squares error criterion for several interferograms, is implemented using a reflective spatial light modulator (SLM). The method provides a convenient calibration for any phase-shift steps. The reliability of the proposed method is checked by direct comparison with results obtained by the Fourier transform method as well as using a previously characterized circular phase object.     

Filters based on spoof surface plasmon polaritons composed of planar Mach–Zehnder interferometer

Abstract

Filter characteristics of a planar Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) structure composed of periodically thin corrugated metal films were studied here. From theoretical simulation, spoof surface plasmon polaritons can propagate along the periodically thin corrugated metal films in microwave frequency, which can be excited by a coplanar waveguide. When the two arms of the MZI have the same length with the angle between them being 60°, the MZI structure has a very wide bandwidth with 8.6 GHz. By changing the length of one of the interference arms, a novel low-pass filter based on the planar MZI structure with two notched frequencies was proposed. The proposed planar structure can find potential applications in developing surface wave devices in integrated microwave circuits and systems.     

Implementation of high speed optical universal logic gates using the electro-optic effect-based Mach–Zehnder interferometer structures

The universal logic gates are the most important logic gates responsible for optimized design of different types of complex digital logic circuits. It is of great interest to implement the function of universal logic gates such as NAND and NOR logic gates using the concepts of electro-optic effect. The smart use of electro-optic effect can provide very effective optical power switching devices. The implementation of universal logic gates operation in the optical domain can improve the performance of the devices and includes the advantages of the optical communication system. The proper configuration of Mach–Zehnder interferometer working on the principle of electro-optic effect can provide the optical responses equivalent to the NAND and NOR logic gates. The proposed devices can be analyzed to check the various performance affecting parameters in order to specify the physical parameters.     

Switchable triple-wavelength thulium-doped fibre laser based on a Mach–Zehnder interferometer and fibre ring filter

A switchable triple-wavelength thulium-doped fibre laser based on an all-fibre Mach–Zehnder interferometer and fibre ring filter with a polarization-maintaining fibre is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. In the proposed fibre laser, a Mach–Zehnder interferometer comprising two 1 × 2 optical couplers is inserted into the optical cavity to produce the comb filter effect. The fibre ring filter comprises two optical couplers with a 3:7 splitting ratio and a 2-m-long polarization-maintaining fibre to improve lasing stability. Single-wavelength lasing can be tuned continuously from 1864.4 to 1884.5 nm, and five different modes of dual-wavelength and switchable triple-wavelength lasers can be realized by changing the polarization state. The signal-to-noise ratios of all lasers are more than 33 dB. The maximum power fluctuations and wavelength variations are less than 1.5 dB and 0.3 nm at room temperature, respectively, and the 3 dB bandwidth is less than 0.2 nm. The results demonstrate that stable and switchable single- or dual-wavelength lasers can be generated using the designed fibre laser.     

Bending vector sensor based on Mach–Zehnder interferometer using S type fibre taper and lateral-offset

Abstract

A novel, simple and highly sensitive bend vector sensor is proposed and experimentally demonstrated for directional bending measurement. This sensor consists of a lateral-offset and an S fibre taper processed through special fusion splicing method. The asymmetrical fibre structure of S fibre taper and lateral-offset determined a pair of directions along which the bending response to the transmission spectrum is different. Thus, it can be used for bending vector measurement. For a curvature range from ?4 to +4 m^?1, the bending sensitivities near 1550 nm reach 0.70807 and 0.99695 nm/m^?1, respectively.     

All-fibre Mach–Zehnder interferometer based on seven-core and coreless fibres for generating stable wavelength-switchable laser

In order to realize a wavelength-tuneable fibre-laser output, a ring-cavity erbium-doped fibre laser based on an all-fibre Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is proposed and experimentally tested. The MZI consists of a single-mode fibre, two segments of coreless fibre, and a seven-core fibre. For the proposed fibre laser, the length of the gain medium is 4?m and the lasing threshold is 75?mW. By adjusting the loss of the laser cavity, switchable single-wavelength laser emission is realized across the range of 1527.6–1549.9?nm and the wavelength interval is less than 2.4?nm; the peak power difference of each lasing wavelength is less than 7.9?dB. Tuneable dual- and three-wavelength laser outputs were obtained by adjusting the polarization controller. The 3-dB linewidth was less than 0.57?nm. The single- and dual-wavelength laser output power fluctuations were less than 1.4 and 1.7?dB, respectively, when monitored over a period of 30?min.     

L-Band multi-wavelength erbium-doped fibre laser based on non-linear optical loop mirror and dual-channel Mach–Zehnder interferometer

In this letter, we propose and demonstrate an L-Band linear cavity tunable multi-wavelength erbium-doped fibre laser based on non-linear optical loop mirror (NOLM) and dual-channel Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) . The NOLM provides the intensity-dependent transmissivity, can effectively alleviate the mode competition and beating caused by the homogeneous gain broadening, so that the multi-wavelength lasing can be achieved at room temperature. The dual-channel MZI, configured by linking the two outputs of the single-channel MZI, serves as comb filter. By adjusting the polarization controller in NOLM and pump power, the tunable multi-wavelength output at 1600 nm can be achieved. Moreover, the output stability of the laser has also been accomplished .     

Studies in an optical millimeter-wave generation scheme via two parallel dual-parallel Mach–Zehnder modulators

A novel filterless optical millimeter-wave generation scheme via two parallel dual-parallel Mach–Zehnder modulators (MZMs) is proposed. Theoretical analysis suggests that it can be used for the generation of millimeter-wave signal with octupling or 16-tupling of the local oscillator. An 80?GHz millimeter-wave is generated by octupling of a 10?GHz RF oscillator, or 16-tupling of a 5?GHz RF oscillator. Several influence factors on the performance of the optical sideband suppression ratio (OSSR) and the radio frequency spurious suppression ratio (RFSSR) are numerically studied. Simulation results show that the generated millimeter-wave can keep good performance, especially for octupling millimeter-wave generation; its performance is stable and insensitive to the extinction ratio of MZMs and the DC bias drift.     

Double Imaging Mach–Zehnder Spatial Carrier Digital Shearography

This paper presents a Double Imaging Mach–Zehnder Spatial Carrier Digital Shearography (DIM-SCDS) system. Compared to traditional Spatial Carrier Mach–Zehnder shearography, DIM-SCDS has two advantages: one is that it can adjust shearing amount and spatial carrier frequency independently; the other one is that it can measure a larger area with a shorter working distance. Two pairs of imaging lenses and apertures are placed in the two arms of Mach–Zehnder interferometry, respectively. Shearing amount is adjusted by the mirrors in the two arms, and spatial carrier frequency is determined by the angle between the two apertures when they are mapped to the same optical axis. Shearograms of the object under test are recorded using a CCD. Shearogram phases are calculated as the measurement results. Finally, the performance of DIM-SCDS is proved by experiments.     

Modelling nanofiber Mach–Zehnder interferometers for refractive index sensors

In a single-mode silica nanofibre a large amount of the energy of the guided light is in the form of evanescent waves, making it possible to develop a novel sensing element with high sensitivity. Based on theoretical modelling, a highly-sensitive sensor employing a nanofibre-assembled Mach–Zehnder structure is suggested and investigated here. The sensor is used to measure the refractive indices of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solutions of different concentrations. A phase shift of the guided mode, originating from the change of refractive index of the ambient medium, is obtained. In addition, the important parameters, including sensitivity and detection limit, are also estimated. The results show that Mach–Zehnder interferometric sensor based on nanofibres exhibits the capability of measuring an index variation of ～10^?6. Our simulations are helpful for studying and developing new miniaturised high-performance sensors with high sensitivity.     

Slow-light Mach–Zehnder modulators based on Si photonic crystals

Mach–Zehnder optical modulators are the key devices for high-speed electrical-to-optical conversion in Si photonics. Si rib waveguides with a p–n diode structure operated in the carrier depletion mode have mainly been developed as their phase shifters. Their length is usually longer than millimeters due to the limited change in the refractive index due to the carrier depletion in a Si p–n diode. This length is shorter than commercial LiNbO₃ modulators, but still much shorter devices are desired for large-scale integration and for simplifying the high-speed RF modulation. A promising solution is to use slow light in photonic crystal waveguides, which enhances the modulation efficiency in proportion to the group-velocity refractive index n_g. In particular, dispersion-engineered slow light allows more than five-fold enhancement, maintaining a wide working spectrum as well as large temperature tolerance. The devices with a phase shifter length of around 100 μm are fabricated by a standard process compatible with complementary metal-oxide semiconductors. The operation at 10 Gbps and higher speeds are obtained in the wavelength range of 16.9 nm and temperature range of 105 K.     

Multi-directional shearography based on multiplexed Mach–Zehnder interference system

ABSTRACT

Shearography is only sensitive to deformation in the shearing direction, and the deformation of object defects after loading may occur in multiple directions. This work reports a multi-direction shearography system that uses spatial phase-shift methods to detect the object from multi-shearing directions, effectively avoiding the missed detection of directional defects. A single laser is utilized to illuminate an object, and a single CCD camera records images in the multiplexed Mach–Zehnder interference system. First, the aperture stops in suitable size and location are set to produce different spatial carrier frequencies. Second, the shearing amount is independently adjusted by using different devices. Finally, the Fourier transform method is used to extract the phase information from the frequency domain. This system can be used for nondestructive testing of multi-directional defects and the feasibility of the method is verified by theoretical analysis and experiment.     

Quantum dynamics of the phase of a Bose–Einstein condensate

Abstract

In this review we discuss the dynamics of the phase of trapped Bose–Einstein condensates. In particular we consider the phenomena of phase decoherence (termed also as phase collapse, or diffusion), and phase revival in systems of interacting atoms. We analyse the dependence of the collapse and revival times on the trap potential, dimensionality of the gas, atom number fluctuations, and on the coherent dynamics of the condensate. We show that in a class of experimentally relevant systems, the collapse time is relatively short, and in some cases vanishes in the limit of a large number of atoms, implying that the trapped Bose gas cannot sustain a well-defined quantum phase, and that the phase memory is lost on a relatively short time scale. Furthermore, we calculate the relative atom number fluctuations or a model of two interacting condensates, and show that the fluctuations are generically sub-Poissonian.     

Tunable multi-tap microwave photonic filter with complex coefficients using a dual-parallel Mach–Zehnder modulator

We propose and demonstrate a tunable multi-tap microwave photonic filter (MPF) with complex coefficients. It is based on addition of carrier suppressed single sideband (CS-SSB) signal and phase-controllable optical carrier. Instead of using the technique of optical filtering, the CS-SSB signal is generated by a dual-parallel Mach–Zehnder modulator (DPMZM) in our scheme. Frequency tuning of the filter is achieved by changing the phase of the optical carrier, which can be controlled by a variable optical delay line (VDL). The proposed structure features high flexibility and wideband RF response, and the experimental results demonstrate that it can be tuned continuously over one free spectral range (FSR) without changing the spectral shape of the filter.     

Nonlinearity suppression of Mach–Zehnder modulator based on optical carrier processing in radio-over-fiber links

A highly linear transmitter that consists of a dual-drive Mach–Zehnder modulator (DD-MZM), an optical gain, and an optical phase shifter in radio-over-fiber links is proposed and demonstrated by simulation. The optical carrier is split equally with one part driving the DD-MZM, while the other part remaining unmodulated. By properly adjusting the magnitude and phase shift of unmodulated optical carrier, two kinds of main origins of third-order IMD (IMD3) have equal intensity and opposite phase, and cancel each other out. The comparison of the proposed technique and double-sideband modulation by MZM is presented. Simulation results shown that the spurious-free dynamic range of 125.3 dB Hz^2/3 is achieved, which is about 26 dB more than a quadrature biased MZM.