Broad-spectrum frequency comb generation and carrier-envelope offset frequency measurement by second-harmonic generation of a mode-locked fiber laser

A frequency comb spanning more than one octave has been achieved by injecting the second-harmonic generation (780 nm) of a mode-locked fiber laser (1.56 microm) into a photonic crystal fiber. We propose and realize a novel interferometric scheme for observing the carrier-envelope offset frequency of the frequency comb. Frequency noise has been observed on the measured carrier-envelope offset frequency, which has been confirmed to be generated in the photonic crystal fiber by comparing the measured beat frequencies between cw lasers and frequency combs before and after the photonic crystal fiber. The mode-locked fiber laser is considered to be an important candidate for the light source used in realizing a compact optical frequency measurement system including applications in the telecommunication bands.     

Analysis of difference frequency generation and cascaded second-harmonic generation and difference frequency generation in lossy quasi-phase-matched semiconductor waveguides

The analytical expressions of converted wave power for difference frequency generation (DFG), cascaded second-harmonic generation and difference frequency generation (cSHG/DFG) processes have been obtained under the non-depletion approximation in lossy waveguides. It is shown that the analytical results and the numerical simulation with depletion agree very well for lossy waveguides. Employing the analytical solutions, the formulas of optimized waveguide lengths in lossy waveguides are obtained for DFG and cSHG/DFG processes. After designing an AlGaAs quasi-phase-matched ridge waveguide, we investigate and compare the characteristics of the second-order nonlinear effects with and without waveguide loss, such as conversion efficiency, conversion bandwidth, pump wavelength tolerance and temperature stability in detail.     

Widely tunable extreme UV frequency comb generation

Extreme UV (XUV) frequency comb generation in the wavelength range of 51 to 85 nm is reported based on high-order harmonic generation of two consecutive IR frequency comb pulses that were amplified in an optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier. The versatility of the system is demonstrated by recording direct XUV frequency comb excitation signals in He, Ne, and Ar with visibilities of up to 61%.     

Flat optical frequency comb generation using polarization modulator and frequency shifter with double recirculating frequency shifting loops

A scheme to generate ultra-flat and stable optical frequency comb (OFC) based on multi-wavelength optical seed source and polarization-modulator-based complementary frequency shifter (PCFS) has been proposed and demonstrated. The OFC generation scheme includes two stages: 5-carrier light source is generated by utilizing a polarization modulator at the first stage, and the light source is then used as the seed light in the PCFS at the second stage. Compared with the previous flat OFC generator based on a recirculation frequency shifter, the proposed scheme can greatly reduce the recirculation times, and such a property makes the accumulated noise of the system enormously decrease. In order to achieve the frequency comb with the best flatness, the optical amplifier gain, filter stop-band attenuation and modulator drive voltage are optimized. Experiment simulations show that high-quality OFC with hundreds of frequency lines and power fluctuation within 2 dB can be achieved without direct-current bias control and wavelength-selective-switch.     

Difference frequency generation combined with intracavity absorption

A previous study in which the optical parametric oscillator (OPO) has been shown to provide a light source suitable for intracavity absorption spectroscopy, is extended to difference frequency generation. The following experimental situation is discussed: in a nonlinear material an incident monochromatic pump wave, together with an incident many-mode idler wave, creates a many-mode wave at the difference frequency (signal wave) which is made to resonate in a cavity. The latter contains an absorbing medium whose absorption line is smaller than the signal bandwidth. For this device, the enhancement factor ξ is calculated. Large values of ξ can be expected only for pump powers which exceed the threshold value for optical parametric oscillation. Otherwise, the enhancement will be due only to the resonator effect.     

Compensating group-velocity mismatch in parametric frequency generation

We propose and numerically investigate a simple scheme based on frequency-selective mirrors for compensating group-velocity mismatch during harmonic generation. We address the case of frequency doubling and illustrate the effectiveness of the approach for multipass frequency doubling in LiNbO(3).     

Difference frequency generation laser based spectrometers

Tunable mid‐infrared laser sources are the key to precision optical trace gas detection. Difference‐frequency generation (DFG) based laser sources are among a few practical laser sources that have demonstrated ultra‐high detection sensitivities during real‐world applications when combined with appropriate signal enhancing and noise reduction spectroscopic techniques. This article will discuss the technical approaches, illustrate application examples of DFG sources, and offer perspectives to competing technologies.     

Widely-tunable mid-infrared frequency comb source based on difference frequency generation

We report on a mid-IR frequency comb source of unprecedented tunability covering the entire 3-10 μm molecular fingerprint region. The system is based on difference frequency generation in a GaSe crystal pumped by a 151 MHz Yb:fiber frequency comb. The process was seeded with Raman-shifted solitons generated in a highly nonlinear suspended-core fiber with the same source. Average powers up to 1.5 mW were achieved at the 4.7 μm wavelength.     

Temperature dependent narrow-band terahertz pulse generation in periodically poled crystals via difference frequency generation

Femtosecond optical pulse is used to generate narrow-band terahertz pulses depending on a quasi-phase-matched condition in periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) and stoichiometric lithium tantalate (PPSLT) crystals by difference frequency generation. The origin of narrow-band THz generation proved that the two frequency components of the fs pulse contribute to the frequency mixing. By cryogenic cooling, the absorption of THz waves in the crystal is significantly reduced which results in efficient THz generation. Simultaneously generated forward and backward THz pulses were 1.38 and 0.65 THz with as narrow as the bandwidth of 32 GHz in the PPSLT sample. Temperature dependence of the generated THz waveforms had good agreement with the simulation result using one dimensional plane-wave propagation model.     

Infrared laser generation by cascaded difference frequency generation combined with optical parametric oscillator

Optical Review - We introduce an infrared laser generation scheme by cascaded difference frequency generation (CDFG) combined with optical parametric oscillator (OPO). An inventive infrared laser...     

Millimeter wave generation through frequency 12-tupling using DP-polarization modulators

The polarization modulators are being utilized for the millimeter wave (MM-Wave) generation because of their bias drift free operation and high extinction ratio. In this work, an optical millimeter wave generation through frequency 12 tupling using dual parallel polarization modulator (DP-PolM) is demonstrated. By setting RF drive voltage and proper polarization angle of the DP-PolM, the frequency 12-tupled optical millimeter is generated with an optical sideband suppression ratio (OSSR) of 37.76 dB and radio frequency sideband suppression ratio (RFSSR) of 31.67 dB. A good agreement between simulation and theoretical approach is achieved. Further, impact of non ideal parameters on the OSSR, RFSSR and BER are also analysed and presented.     

Theoretical research on terahertz wave generation from planar waveguide by optimized cascaded difference frequency generation

A novel scheme for high-efficiency terahertz(THz)wave generation based on optimized cascaded difference frequency generation(OCDFG)with planar waveguide is presented.The phase mismatches of each-order cascaded difference frequency generation(CDFG)are modulated by changing the thickness of the waveguide,resulting in a decrement of phase mismatches in cascaded Stokes processes and an increment of phase mismatches in cascaded anti-Stokes processes simultaneously.The modulated phase mismatches enhance the cascaded Stokes processes and suppress the cascaded anti-Stokes processes simultaneously,yielding energy conversion efficiencies over 25%from optical wave to THz wave at 100 K.     

Creation of multi-frequency terahertz waves by optimized cascaded difference frequency generation

A new scheme which generates multi-frequency terahertz (THz) waves from planar waveguide by the optimized cascaded difference frequency generation (OCDFG) is proposed. A THz wave with frequency ω_T1 is generated by the OCDFG with two infrared pump waves, and simultaneously a series of cascaded optical waves with a frequency interval ω_T1 is generated. The THz wave with a frequency of M-times ω_T1 is generated by mixing the m-th-order and the (m+M)-th-order cascaded optical wave. The phase mismatch distributions of cascaded difference frequency generation (CDFG) are modulated by changing the thickness of planar waveguide step by step, thereby satisfying the phase-matching condition from first-order to high-order cascaded Stokes process step by step. As a result, the intensity of THz wave can be enhanced and modulated by controlling the cascading order of OCDFG.     

Optical generation of a precise microwave frequency comb by harmonic frequency locking

A semiconductor laser under negative optoelectronic feedback is applied to the generation of a microwave frequency comb through the nonlinear dynamics. The laser system is operated in a harmonic frequency-locked pulsing state, where its power spectrum is a microwave frequency comb that consists of multiples of a locking frequency. Every frequency component of the comb can be simultaneously stabilized by simply injecting an external microwave modulation at any component of the comb. This phenomenon can be viewed as a kind of microwave injection locking of the laser dynamics.     

利用非线性传输线产生高功率射频场

根据孤立子理论,分析了利用变容非线性传输线产生射频场的机理。利用电路仿真方法系统地研究了影响射频场产生的相关参数,发现电感和零压电容越小、输入电压越大,射频场的频率越高;电容的非线性率越大,射频场的峰值电压越高、高频成分越多。并在此基础上,仿真设计了能产生峰值功率为0.8 GW、主频为19.42 MHz射频场的非线性传输线。     

High frequency SAW devices based on third harmonic generation

We demonstrate the third harmonic generation in a ZnO/Si layered structure to obtain high frequency SAW devices. This configuration eliminates the need of high lithography resolution and allows easy integration of such devices and electronics on the same wafer. A theoretical study was carried out for the determination of the phase velocity and the electromechanical coupling coefficient (K²) dispersion curves of the surface acoustic waves. These results are also in agreement with those measured on a SAW filter designed for the third harmonic generation and the operating frequency is up to 2468 MHz.     

Rapid vibrational imaging with sum frequency generation microscopy

We demonstrate rapid vibrational imaging based on sum frequency generation (SFG) microscopy with a collinear excitation geometry. Using the tunable picosecond pulses from a high-repetition-rate optical parametric oscillator, vibrationally selective imaging of collagen fibers is achieved with submicrometer lateral resolution. We furthermore show simultaneous SFG and second harmonic generation imaging to emphasize the compatibility of the microscope with other nonlinear optical modalities.     

A filterless optical millimeter-wave generation based on frequency octupling

A novel method of a filterless optical millimeter-wave (MMW) signal generation with frequency octupling using four nested Mach–Zehnder modulators (MZMs) is proposed for Radio-over-fiber systems. By symmetrically biasing the MZMs and using two RF driving signals with 90 deg phase delay, a cost-effective, high-quality and filterless optical millimeter-wave at 80 GHz with an optical harmonic distortion suppression ratio exceeding 40 dB is obtained. The proposed system is insensitive to the MZM bias drift, which demonstrates a relatively higher stability. So it is a viable solution for the future ultra-high frequency MMW applications.     

THz frequency bands generation for Radio-over-Fiber systems

We propose a new design THz frequency for Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) systems that use the dense wavelength division multiplexing wavelength enhancement, whereas the increasing in channel capacity and signal security can be provided. The increasing in number of channel can be obtained by the increasing in wavelength density, while the security is introduced by the specific wavelength filter, which is operated by the central operator. The optical communication wavelength enhancement is reviewed. The advantage is that the proposed system can be implemented and used incorporating with the existed communication link in both wire and terabit wireless communication system.     

飞秒激光中脉冲内差频技术进展

中红外激光具有多种优势,可以广泛地用到生物、化学、物理等科学研究领域。通常采用直接激射和非线性频率转换这两种方式产生中红外激光,然而,为了实现中红外宽带超短脉冲的发射,非线性频率下转换是现今的唯一方法。脉冲内差频（IP-DFG）是一种简单的非线性频率转换方法,文中对红外IP-DFG的工作做了详细的回顾,从中红外激光晶体和基于IP-DFG产生具有超宽带的中红外超短脉冲的先进工作两个方面做了综述和评论,分别比较了非线性晶体类型、驱动脉冲源、产生超宽带中红外脉冲的光谱范围、转化效率等,并在最后讨论和阐明了IP-DFG领域面临的机遇和挑战。