Highly sensitive, single-shot characterization for pulse widths from 0.4 to 85 ps using electro-optic shearing interferometry

Single-shot characterization using electro-optic shearing interferometry (EOSI) is shown for pulse widths ranging from their transform limit (0.4 ps) to 200x their limit (85 ps). In EOSI, the spectral phase is reconstructed by interfering two spectrally sheared replicas of the pulse under test, where the shear is produced by applying linear temporal-phase modulation. We present a new reconstruction algorithm for accurately characterizing chirped pulses, even if the pulse extends beyond the linear region of the phase modulation. Furthermore, since EOSI does not rely on nonlinear optical processes, it requires only 1 nJ pulse energies for all pulse widths, corresponding to a single-shot sensitivity 1000x higher than previously demonstrated.     

Ultrawideband monocycle generation using cross-phase modulation in a semiconductor optical amplifier

We propose a novel scheme to generate ultrawideband (UWB) monocycle pulses based on cross-phase modulation (XPM) of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). The proposed system consists of a SOA and an optical bandpass filter (OBF). Due to the XPM, a continuous wave (CW) probe signal is phase modulated by another optical Gauss pulse in the SOA. The OBF will convert the phase modulation to intensity modulation. A pair of polarity-reversed UWB monocycle pulses is achieved by locating the probe carrier at the positive and negative linear slopes of the OBF. Both cases conform to the UWB definition of the Federal Communications Commission.     

Sub-single-cycle optical pulse train with constant carrier envelope phase

We describe the synthesis of periodic waveforms consisting of a train of pulses that are 0.83 cycles long and have an electric field pulse width of 0.44 fs using 7 Raman sidebands generated by molecular modulation in H2. We verify by optical correlation that the carrier-envelope phase is constant in these waveforms when they are synthesized from commensurate sidebands. The estimated overall shift of the carrier-envelope phase is less than 0.18 cycles from the first to the last pulse of nearly 10(6) pulses in the pulse train.     

两种基于交叉相位调制的光脉冲压缩方案

基于交叉相位调制的时间透镜可实现精确的二次相位调制, 但是它在光脉冲压缩领域的应用受到了抽运光脉冲的峰值功率过高的限制. 对该峰值功率的表达式进行了推导, 提出使用带有正色散的传输介质来实现输出段色散, 从而降低了抽运光脉冲的峰值功率.并进一步指出, 可以将基于交叉相位调制的时间透镜应用于4f系统, 来实现光脉冲压缩, 从而更有效地降低了抽运光脉冲的峰值功率. 推导了该系统的抽运光脉冲的峰值功率和分辨率的表达式, 并进行了光脉冲压缩的仿真分析.研究结果表明, 在基于交叉相位调制的4f系统中, 可以利用峰值功率较低的抽运光脉冲产生飞秒量级超短光脉冲; 随着压缩系数的提高, 输出光脉冲的脉冲宽度主要受到4f系统分辨率的限制, 并对4f系统分辨率的提高进行了讨论.     

Widely tunable optical delay generator

We propose and demonstrate a method for quasi storage of light based on periodic spectral filtering realized in the time domain by amplitude modulation using frequency-to-time conversion. The delay can be tuned in a wide range by changing the frequency of an electrical modulation signal. In our experiments, the delay of single 2.5 ps pulses varied by 66 pulse widths. The technique works equally well for more complex optical data packets. Contrary to known approaches, the method has a very large spectral bandwidth and can be implemented by either fiber or integrated solutions using existing technologies. Because of the large bandwidth, fractional delays up to several tens of thousands of pulse widths can be achieved potentially for subpicosecond pulses, which is a tremendous value regarding the implementation simplicity.     

Direct space-to-time pulse shaper with reflective arrayed waveguide gratings and phase masks

We demonstrate for what we believe to be the first time the generation of sequences of ultrafast optical pulses by phase modulation in a direct space-to-time pulse shaper. The pulse shaper is based on the combination of a reflective arrayed waveguide grating multiplexer and an external reflector. The spatial modulation of the phase was obtained by fabricating corrugated patterns on the external reflector. We demonstrate that pulse sequences with different repetition rates can be obtained by changing the period in the patterned mask.     

Complete characterization of weak ultra-short near-UV pulses by spectral interferometry

We present a method for a complete characterization of a femtosecond ultraviolet pulse when a fundamental near-infrared beam is also available. Our approach relies on generation of the second harmonic from the pre-characterized fundamental, which serves as a reference against which an unknown pulse is measured using spectral interferometry (SI). The characterization apparatus is a modified second harmonic frequency resolved optical gating setup which additionally allows for taking SI spectra. The presented method is linear in the unknown field, simple and sensitive. We checked its accuracy using test pulses generated in a thick nonlinear crystal, demonstrating the ability to measure the phase in a broad spectral range, down to 0.1% peak spectral intensity as well as retrieving π leaps in the spectral phase. PACS 42.65.Ky; 42.65.Re     

Towards a control of multiple filamentation by spatial regularization of a high-power femtosecond laser pulse

We propose a new method for controlling randomly generated multiple filaments during the propagation of femtosecond laser pulses in optical media. The method is based on introducing a periodic amplitude modulation of the transverse beam profile. It is shown both experimentally and numerically that the introduction of a periodic mesh into a propagation path of a femtosecond near-infrared laser pulse leads to a deterministic spatial distribution of multiple filaments in the presence of initial random fluctuations. As a result, the number of filaments is increased as compared to the random case. PACS 42.65.Jx; 42.25.Bs; 42.60.Jf     

三角形光脉冲在正色散光纤中产生的实验研究

利用一种无源非线性脉冲整形方法, 实现了在普通正色散(ND)光纤中产生三角形光脉冲, 此方法依赖于脉冲预啁啾和脉冲在ND光纤中传输时群速度色散与自相位调制的相互作用. 实验研究表明, 在较宽的脉冲预啁啾值范围内, 通过优化脉冲输入功率和脉冲传输的ND光纤长度, 均可得到典型的三角形光脉冲: 脉冲时域形状前后沿的变化率接近恒定、整个脉冲具有线性频率啁啾. 另外, 在不同的脉冲预啁啾下, 要得到高质量的三角形光脉冲, 均需要较高的脉冲输入功率; 并且脉冲预啁啾较大时, 三角形脉冲的形成对ND光纤长度和脉冲输入功率有较大的容差, 易获得三角形光脉冲.     

直接相位调制产生周期性线性啁啾脉冲特性研究

提出一种利用周期性抛物线调制信号对光脉冲进行相位调制以获得周期性线性啁啾脉冲的方法, 并对其进行了数值模拟与实验研究. 数值模拟结果表明: 增益饱和效应、群速度色散以及同步误差对啁啾脉冲的时间-光谱特性影响较大; 自相位调制对啁啾脉冲的影响较小. 实验获得了0.52 nm带宽的周期性线性啁啾脉冲, 与模拟结果符合较好. 实验结果同时表明装置中存在较大的偏振模色散, 导致幅频效应较大, 后续的研究中需加入对此的考虑. 模拟及实验研究表明: 直接相位调制是一种新型的可方便地获得周期性线性啁啾脉冲的方法, 其在光谱色散平滑中具有潜在应用. 关键词： 直接相位调制 周期性线性啁啾脉冲 幅频效应     

Photonic multi-shape UWB pulse generation using a semiconductor optical amplifier-based nonlinear optical loop mirror

We propose and demonstrate a scheme to implement photonic multi-shape ultra-wideband(UWB) signal generation using a semiconductor optical amplifier(SOA) based nonlinear optical loop mirror(NOLM).By employing the cross phase modulation(XPM) effect,cross gain modulation(XGM),or both,multi-shape UWB waveforms are generated including monocycle,doublet,triplet,and quadruplet pulses.Both the shapes and polarities of the generated pulses are flexible to adjust,which may be very useful in UWB pulse shape modulation and pulse polarity modulation.     

Nonlinear pulse propagation in periodic media with and without defects

The influence of single defects within a periodic structure on the nonlinear transmission of optical pulses through the structure is investigated numerically. A stack of alternating linear and cubically nonlinear layers of submicron thicknesses is considered. The simulations are based on a modified equation for the pulse envelope. Diffraction of the pulse has been taken into account, too. The results of simulations have been demonstrated as an essential influence of defects within the periodic structure on the nonlinear propagation of optical pulses, when the carrier frequency is chosen within the stop band of the structure with the defect.     

Generation of long bursts of high-repetition-rate arbitrarily shaped optical pulses using time lens

A technique for the generation of long ultrahigh-speed bursts of optical pulses with arbitrary shapes is proposed. A laser pulse is temporally chirped by a time lens and then passes through a filter with a reconfigurable periodic spectral response, which produces time-delayed replicas of the chirped pulse and recombines them. As a result of the temporal interference between the replicas, the chirped pulse is broken up into short pulses with the shape determined by the chosen filter response. It is demonstrated that the filter acts on a long chirped optical pulse as a temporal modulator with a periodic modulation function. The modulation frequency and bandwidth of the modulator can be much higher than for commercially available high-frequency modulators. The additional advantage of this modulator is the arbitrary shape of the modulation function. A 2.4 ns burst of nearly flat-top pulses with a repetition rate of about 400 GHz is obtained in numerical simulations. In addition, the technique proposed can act as a pulse repetition rate multiplier and a pulse compressor. A repetition rate of 1.589 THz and an individual pulse width of 212 fs are achieved in simulations for a 9.7 ns sinusoidally phase modulated pulse burst.     

A performance study of a logical gate using PPM optical pulse modulation for TDM systems

In this paper we propose the operation of an all-optical logical gate based in an acousto optical tunable filter (AOTF) operating with a pulse position modulation (PPM). The performance of an AOTF realizing two-input AND/OR logical functions, which can be applied in transmission and processing of signals in all-optical form in TDM systems, was examined. This novel integrated acousto optical logical gate operates with two ultrashort soliton light pulses (2 ps), which are modulated in agreement with the technique of pulse position modulation (PPM). Initially, we evaluated the effect resulting of an increment in the acousto optical interaction length, for the temporal position of the output pulse, considering the anomalous group velocity dispersion (GVD), nonlinear self phase modulation (SPM) and without loss propagation regime of TE and TM input pulses not modulated. We have analyzed the four possible situations for the two-input logical gate, modulating the TE and TM input pulses through temporal displacement and allowing a variation in the coding parameter offset (ε). We can conclude that is possible to get AND/OR logical operations for the modes TM or TE, without to insert PPM error, since a phase control (Δ?) exists (applied on the TM input pulse) in agreement with each situation in the truth table. Finally we defined the truth table, considering the adequate phase difference and coding parameter offset for the operation of the AND/OR logical gate based in the AOTF.     

Highly sensitive direct characterization of femtosecond pulses by electro-optic spectral shearing interferometry

We report what is to our knowledge the first experimental demonstration of spectral shearing interferometry by use of an electro-optic temporal phase modulator to generate the spectral shear. This approach achieves far better sensitivity than nonlinear optical pulse characterization techniques, including other versions of spectral shearing interferometry. Temporal phase modulation is conceptually simple and is implemented easily with telecommunication components. The technique is versatile, and a wide range of pulse durations can be measured with minimal changes in the setup. We demonstrate the accurate characterization of a 156-MHz train of 1540-nm pulses with durations ranging from 750 fs to more than 30 ps after various amounts of chirping, at average powers below 1 microW.     

Electric-field reconstruction of femtosecond laser pulses from interferometric autocorrelation using an evolutionary algorithm

We present an evolutionary algorithm for reconstructing a femtosecond laser pulse from its interferometric autocorrelation trace and laser spectrum. The algorithm is optimized for the intensity and phase characterization of several-cycle optical pulses. We tested this algorithm with numerically-generated femtosecond pulses and then applied it to experimental data. In the experiment, a negatively chirped 31-fs pulse and a sub-10-fs pulse containing high-order phase distortion were characterized. Frequency-resolved optical gating measurements, performed for comparison, confirm the reliability of our technique.     

Shaping, propagation and characterization of ultrafast pulses in optical fibers

The characterization of medium- to low-energy shaped pulses at 1.55 7m through frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) is illustrated. This capability enables the study of ultrafast pulse propagation through optical fibers. The phase dynamics detected furnishes insight on pulse evolution, specifically on soliton formation - a subject of great importance for telecommunication applications. The combination of shaping and propagation of ultrafast pulses in fibers is examined theoretically using an adaptive pulse-shaping model, based on genetic algorithms, that furnishes optimized pulse shapes for fiber propagation.     

Spectral self-imaging effect by time-domain multilevel phase modulation of a periodic pulse train

We propose and analyze a novel (to our knowledge) approach to implement the spectral self-imaging effect of optical frequency combs. The technique is based on time-domain multilevel phase-only modulation of a periodic optical pulse train. The method admits both infinite- and finite-duration periodic pulse sequences. We show that the fractional spectral self-imaging effect allows one to reduce by an integer factor the comb frequency spacing. Numerical simulation results support our theoretical analysis.     

Photonic generation multiband UWB impulse radio signal

A novel method to photonic generation multiband ultra-wide band (MB-UWB) impulse radio signal based on the summation of multiple doublet pulses with different weights and proper time delays is proposed. Microwave sinusoidal signal is used to amplitude modulate a tunable laser to get multi-wavelength source. The optical signal is then phase modulation with Gaussian pulse and fed into a section of single-mode fiber (SMF). The SMF services as phase modulation to intensity modulation (PM-IM) conversion to generate Gaussian doublet pulse, and offers proper time delays to Gaussian doublet pulses with different weights. MB-UWB pulses with sidelobe suppression levels over 25 dB, central frequency from 5 to 8 GHz, 10 dB bandwidth from 2.9 to 3.8 GHz are obtained in experiment.     

Reconfigurable generation of high-repetition-rate optical pulse sequences based on time-domain phase-only filtering

We propose and demonstrate a fiber-based phase-only filtering technique for programmable optical pulse shaping, in which the filtering operation is implemented in the time domain by means of an electro-optical (EO) phase modulator. The technique has been applied for generating customized ultrahigh-repetition-rate optical pulse sequences (>40 GHz) from single input pulses by driving the EO phase modulator with a periodic electronic waveform (RF tone). The generated output pulses are replicas of the input pulse and both the repetition rate and the envelope profile of the generated sequences can be controlled and tuned electronically using this approach.