Strain Characteristics of CO2-Laser-Carved Long Period Fiber Gratings

Unique strain characteristics of long period fiber gratings (LPFG) fabricated by a focused CO₂ laser beam carving periodic grooves on the fiber are investigated for the first time to our knowledge. Resonant wavelength, transmission attenuation, and polarization dependent loss (PDL) of the CO₂-laser-carved LPFG are found to depend strongly on the tensile strain applied, and their strain sensitivities are dependent on the depth of grooves and/or the initial refractive index modulation. The average strain sensitivity of resonant wavelength for LPFG is increased by 229 times and is up to -102.89 nm/mepsiv by means of carving periodic grooves on the fiber. When a stretching force is applied to the LPFG, the resonant wavelength can "blue" shift by -11.84 nm, the absolute value of peak transmission attenuation and the maximum PDL can be increased by 25.913 and 26.535 dB, respectively. The CO₂-laser-carved LPFG combines the features of the three types of LPFGs reported previously, i.e, the CO ₂-laser-induced LPFGs without physical deformation, the corrugated LPFGs fabricated by hydrofluoric acid etching, and the microbend-induced LPFGs. The mechanisms of refractive index modulation in the CO₂-laser-carved LPFGs under tensile strain are rather complicated and may be regarded as a combination of the stress-relaxation-, the groove-, the strain-, and the microbend-induced refractive index perturbations     

Writing of Apodized Phase-Shifted Long-Period Fiber Gratings With a Computer-Controlled CO $_{2}$ Laser

We apply a $hbox{CO}_{2}$ -laser writing method to the fabrication of sophisticated long-period fiber grating (LPFG) filters. The method allows the position of the writing beam to be computer-programmed to produce the required grating profile without using any mask. We demonstrate the flexibility and the controllability of the method with a number of apodized phase-shifted LPFGs written in a germanium–boron codoped fiber.      

Axial rotation dependence of resonances in curvedCO2-laser-induced long-period fibre gratings

The magnitude and wavelength of transmission resonances in curved CO₂-laser-induced long-period fibre gratings (LPFGs) are shown to exhibit a strong dependence on the axial rotational orientation of the LPFGs     

Picosecond CO2 laser-pulse generation and amplification

The generation of 30-ps 10-μm laser pulses from an optical-free-induction-decay (OFID) 10-μm CO₂ laser system and the first realization of a UV-preionized high-pressure CO₂-laser-pulse amplifier with Ernst-electrode profiles for these ultrashort CO₂ laser pulses are described. For a given transverse electric discharge width, the Ernst profile makes it possible to position the UV-radiation sources nearer to the discharge than with the Rogowski or Chang profile. A more homogeneous preionization of the discharge area is possible. Thus, the amplifier works up to 15 bar with a laser-gas mixture of 5:5:90 (CO₂:N₂:He). The authors amplified 30-ps OFID 10-μm CO₂-laser pulses up to ten times by passing through the amplifier twice. Thus, 10-μm OFID pulse energies of 1 mJ were achieved. With the amplifier used as an oscillator, a maximum output energy of 600 mJ was obtained in longitudinal-multimode operation for 50-ns pulses     

A Highly Sensitive Fiber-Optic Refractive Index Sensor Based on an Edge-Written Long-Period Fiber Grating

A novel long-period fiber grating (LPFG) is edge-written without any destructive damage on the fiber based on the thermal shock and rapid cooling effects of the high-frequency CO₂ laser pulses exposure method in this letter. The refractive index disturbance induced by high-frequency CO₂ laser pulses mainly occurs in the edge region of the fiber cladding rather than in the fiber core. An edge-written LPFG with a resonant peak of ~18 dB is obtained using a standard telecommunication fiber. The experimental results show that such a novel LPFG structure has much higher refractive index sensitivity over conventional LPFGs side-written, which can be used as a refractive index sensor, or a tunable filter and modulator by controlling the refractive index sensitive film which is coated on the cladding of such an LPFG.     

薄包层长周期光纤光栅的研究

报道了在薄包层光纤上用高频CO2激光脉冲写入的长周期光纤光栅(LPFG),并分析了该类薄包层LPFG横截面折射率的分布.结合LPFG的腐蚀实验,通过传输谱图的比较发现:较先写入光栅后腐蚀光纤包层的方法,先腐蚀光纤包层后写入光栅的方法更能有效地调整谐振波长.进一步研究发现薄包层LPFG对环境折射率的敏感度更高.     

Reduction of transmission spectrum shift of long-period fibergratings by a UV-preexposure method

We examined the photosensitivity and stability in an ultraviolet (UV)-preexposure method that locks the photosensitivity of refractive index by hydrogen loading in the fabrication of long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs). Photosensitivity and stability comparisons are made between the UV-preexposure method, a typical hydrogen-loading method, and a UV-exposure method without hydrogen loading. The UV-preexposure method can enhance the photosensitivity to induce effective refractive index modulations up to 1.6×10^-4, which is sufficient for fabricating LPFGs in a practical manner under the hydrogen-loading condition at a relatively low pressure of 2.9 MPa. The sensitivity is preserved in terms of the length of time at least over 10 000 h. The spectrum changes after the completion of the LPFG writing are more stable than under the typical hydrogen loading. Therefore, the proposed UV-preexposure method is one of the most useful techniques for fabricating precise and stable fiber gratings, because there are no free hydrogen molecules in the fiber when the fiber gratings are written     

Fabrication of long-period fibre grating by CO/sub 2/ laser-annealing in fibre-drawing process

Long-period fibre grating (LPFG) writing by a CO₂ laser-annealing using a fibre-drawing process is demonstrated. The fibre in the drawing process was irradiated periodically by a CO₂ laser to modify the refractive index. An LPFG with transmission loss of -10 dB and full width at half-maximum of 13 nm has been fabricated. Results show that the refractive index change was induced by stress at the moment of laser annealing     

Strong fiber Bragg grating fabrication by hybrid 157- and 248-nmlaser exposure

A permanent 248-nm photosensitivity response was locked into hydrogen-loaded standard telecommunication fiber by uniform 157-nm F₂-laser pre-exposure. Strong (>30 dB) fiber Bragg gratings were efficiently generated after hydrogen out-diffusion, improving the thermal stability. The 157-mn radiation produced weakly absorbing Si-OH and Ge-OH absorption bands at 1.39-μm     

Rapid long-period grating formation in hydrogen-loaded fibre with157 nm F2-laser radiation

Long-period gratings were fabricated in hydrogen-loaded telecommunication fibre using 157 nm F₂-laser radiation. A >20 dB attenuation peak at 1590 nm was induced with only 5.0 J/cm² accumulated fluence, a value >250-fold smaller in comparison with fluence requirements for 248 nm KrF-laser irradiation     

Determination of the effective number of rotational levelsaffecting the dynamics of CO2 lasers

We present a simple experimental procedure which allows us to characterize the role of the rotational manifolds in the dynamics of a single mode CO₂ laser     

High-temperature sensitivity of long-period gratings in B-Gecodoped fiber

We report an investigation of thermal properties of long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs) of various periods fabricated in the conventional B-Ge codoped fiber. It has been found that the temperature sensitivity of the LPFGs produced in the B-Ge fiber can be significantly enhanced as compared with the standard telecom fiber. A total of 27.5-nm spectral shift was achieved from only 10°C change in temperature for an LPFG with 240-μm period, demonstrating a first ever reported high sensitivity of 2.75 nm/°C. Such an LPFG may lead to high-efficiency and low-cost thermal/electrical tunable loss filters or sensors with extremely high-temperature resolution. The nonlinear thermal response of the supersensitive LPG was also reported and first explained     

Studies of CW lasing action in CO2-CO,N2O-CO, CO2-H2O, and N2O-H2O mixtures pumped by blackbody radiation

A proof of principle experiment to evaluate the efficacy of CO and H₂O in increasing the power output for N₂O and CO ₂ lasing mixtures has been conducted and theoretically analyzed for a blackbody radiation-pumped laser. The results for N₂ O-CO, CO₂-CO, N₂O-H₂O and CO₂-H₂O mixtures are presented. Additions of CO to the N₂O lasant increased power up to 28% for N₂O laser mixtures, whereas additions of CO to the CO₂ lasant, and the addition of H₂O to both the CO₂ and N₂O lasants, resulted in decreased output power     

New short-wavelength laser emissions from optically pumped 13CD3OD

We report the discovery of 15 new laser emissions from ¹³ CD₃OD when optically pumped with a CW CO₂ laser. The wavelengths of these lines, ranging from 57.5 to 135.2 μm, are reported along with their polarization relative to the CO₂ pump laser, operating pressure and relative intensity. A three-laser heterodyne system was then used to measure the frequencies of 12 optically pumped laser emissions from this methanol isotope. These emissions range from 65.7 to 151.8 μm and are reported with fractional uncertainties up to 2·10^-7     

New FIR laser lines from fully deuterated dichloromethane:completion of perpendicular/parallel emission pairs

We report 16 new far-infrared (FIR) laser emissions of CD₂ Cl₂. These lines are obtained by optically pumping the active molecule by means of a large-tunability waveguide CO₂ laser. Our tunability of 290 MHz around each CO₂ laser emission allows for the excitation of large-offset absorption transitions of CD₂Cl₂, not reachable by conventional CO₂ Lasers. While the overwhelming majority of the known FIR laser emissions of CD₂Cl₂ are polarized parallel to the polarization of the pump CO₂ line, 13 of the 16 new lines reported in this paper are polarized perpendicularly to the corresponding CO₂ pump line. The presence of both perpendicular and parallel lines is extremely important for the assignment of laser transitions     

Enhancement and tuning of fibre Bragg grating reflection by 157 nmF2-laser post exposure

The weak reflectivity (1-2 dB) of a fibre Bragg grating can be significantly amplified (to 14 dB, 96%) in a standard telecommunication fibre by post irradiation with uniform 157 nm F₂-laser radiation. This enhancement, together with wavelength tuning, can be precisely controlled by the post exposure fluence     

Novel fiber-optic sensors based on long-period fiber gratings written by high-frequency CO/sub 2/ laser pulses

In this paper, we report a novel long-period fiber grating (LPFG) fabricated by using a new writing technique that is mainly based on the thermal shock effect of focused high-frequency CO/sub 2/ laser pulses at several kilohertz. A number of unique characteristics of such a LPFG, such as bend, torsion, and transverse load, are observed by experiments, for the first time, to our knowledge. Based on these unique features, a novel bend-insensitive LPFG sensor that could solve the problem of cross-sensitivity between bend and other measurands, a novel torsion sensor that can realize absolute measurement of twist rate, and a load sensor that can achieve simultaneous measurement of transverse load and temperature using a single LPFG element are proposed and demonstrated. These unique features of the LPFGs are mainly due to the asymmetrical distribution of the refractive index on the cross section of the LPFG induced by high-frequency CO/sub 2/ laser pulses.     

Subnanosecond multi-gigawatt CO2 laser

A semiconductor switching technique has been utilized to produce 30-300 ps variable duration CO₂ laser pulses of 0.5-MW peak power. Eight passes through a 1.2-m long, UV-preionized, 3-atm TE CO₂ amplifier raise the output laser peak power to the 10¹⁰ W level. Sampling the amplifier gain in linear and saturated regimes using CO₂ laser radiation ranging from CW to 30 ps pulse length permits comparison with computer modeling of picosecond CO₂ pulse amplification. The potential for further peak power scaling of picosecond molecular lasers is discussed     

The 13CH3OH optically pumped far-infraredlaser: new lines and frequency measurements

We report 18 new laser lines from ¹³CH₃OH generated in an optically pumped far-infrared laser; the laser lines are in the range of 54.2-420 μm and are all characterized in wavelength, polarization relative to the pumping CO₂ radiation, and pump offset relative to the CO₂ center frequency. The frequencies of seven of these new lines along with 10 previously reported lines were measured by an accurate heterodyne technique, mixing them in a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) point contact diode, with another laser line of known frequency     

High vibrational temperatures in optically-pumped CO2

A pulsed 4.3-μm CO₂ laser was used to optically pump mixtures of CO₂ and He, and create transient gain at 9 and 10 μm. A conventional continuous-wave CO₂ laser operating on both regular and sequence bands measures this transient gain, and determined the ν₃ (asymmetric stretching)-mode vibrational temperature T₃. The measured values of T ₃ are generally much higher than those attained in discharge-excited CO₂. It is shown that a Treanor distribution must be used to describe the populations in the ν₃ -mode when dilute mixtures of CO₂ in He are optically pumped to ν₃-mode temperatures of 3000 to 4000 K. Under these conditions the sequence-band gain coefficients are almost equal to those on the regular bands. The collisional relaxation of energy from the ν₃ mode shows evidence of fast V-T relaxation at high values of T₃, followed by a slower relaxation rate characteristic of the 00⁰1 population lifetime