Generation of breathing solitons in the propagation and interactions of Airy–Gaussian beams in a cubic–quintic nonlinear medium

Using the split-step Fourier transform method, we numerically investigate the generation of breathing solitons in the propagation and interactions of Airy–Gaussian(AiG) beams in a cubic–quintic nonlinear medium in one transverse dimension. We show that the propagation of single AiG beams can generate stable breathing solitons that do not accelerate within a certain initial power range. The propagation direction of these breathing solitons can be controlled by introducing a launch angle to the incident AiG beams. When two AiG beams accelerated in opposite directions interact with each other,different breathing solitons and soliton pairs are observed by adjusting the phase shift, the beam interval, the amplitudes,and the light field distribution of the initial AiG beams.     

Beam divergence effects on high power optical parametric oscillation

The beam divergence effects of the input pump laser on a high power nanosecond optical parametric oscillator （OPO） have been numerically simulated. The OPO conversion efficiency is affected due to the angular deviation of real laser beams from ideal phase matching conditions. Our theoretical model is based on the decomposition of the Gaussian beam and assumes each component has a single deviation angle and thus a particular wave vector mismatch. We take into account the variable intensity profile in the spatial and temporal domains of the Gaussian beam, the pump depletion effects for large-signal processes as well as the oscillatory effects of the three waves. Two nonlinear crystals β-BaB2O4 （BBO） and LiB305 （LBO） have been investigated in detail. The results indicate that the degree of beam divergence strongly influences the maximum pump intensity, optimum crystal length and OPO conversion efficiency. The impact of beam divergence is much more severe in the case of critical phase-matching for BBO than in the case of non-critical phase-matching for LBO. The results provide a way to choose the optimum parameters for a high power ns OPO such as the nonlinear material, the crystal length and the pump intensity, etc. Good agreement is obtained with our experimental results.     

A miniaturized system for measurement of the refractive index of sub-microliter liquid

This study introduced the research and development of a portable and miniaturized system for the measurement of the refractive index of sub-microliter liquid based on a microfluidic chip. A technical method of double-beam interference, was proposed for use in the measurement. Based on this, by using a laser diode as a light source,changes in the refractive index were calculated by utilizing a complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor to detect the movement of interference fringes of the liquid. Firstly, this study simulated the effects of influencing factors on the interference infringes of two Gaussian beams, such as their spot sizes, distance between two beam spots, and detection range. Secondly, this research introduced the system design and construction of the doublebeam interference method and analyzed the results of refractive index tests on sub-microliter aqueous glucose solutions with different concentrations. The measurement accuracy reached 10~(-4) refractive index units. This system has a compact structure and is rendered portable by using batteries for its power supply. The entire system is designed to be a double Z-shaped structure with a length of about 15 cm, a width of 5 cm, and a height of about 10 cm. It can be used to measure changes in the refractive index of sub-microliter to nanoliter liquids based on the use of a microfluidic chip.     

Hollow Gaussian beams in strongly nonlocal nonlinear media

The propagation of hollow Gaussian beams in strongly nonlocal nonlinear media is studied in detail.Two analytical expressions are derived.For hollow Gaussian beams,the intensity distribution always evolves periodically.However the second-order moment beam width can keep invariant during propagation if the input power is equal to the critical power.The interaction of two hollow Gaussian beams and the vortical hollow Gaussian beams are also discussed.The vortical hollow Gaussian beams with an appropriate topological charge can keep their shapes invariant during propagation.     

Beam evolutions of solitons in strongly nonlocal media with fading optical lattices

We address the impact of imprinted fading optical lattices on the beam evolution of solitons in strongly nonlocal nonlinear media. The results show that the width of the soliton experiences a change with the increasing propagation distance, the critical power for the soliton varies with the lattice fading away, and the soliton breathing is affected by the initial lattice depth and the nonlocality degree.     

Analytical structure of Hermite Gaussian beam in far field

Based on the vectorial structure of electromagnetic beam and the method of stationary phase, the analytical structure of Hermite Gaussian beam in far field is presented. The structural energy flux distributions are also investigated in the far field. The structural pictures of some Hermite Gaussian beams are depicted in the far field. As the structure of Hermite Gaussian beam is dominated by the transverse mode numbers and the initial transverse Gaussian half width, it is more complex than that of Gaussian beam. The ratios of the structural energy fluxes to the whole energy flux are independent of the transverse mode numbers and the initial transverse Gaussian half width. The present research reveals the internal vectorial structure of Hermite Gaussian beam from other viewpoint.\     

Controllable transmission of vector beams in dichroic medium

Vector beams with spatially varying polarization distribution in the wavefront plane have received increasing attention in recent years. The manipulation of vector beams both in intensity and polarization distributions is highly desired and under development. In this work, we study the transmission property of vector beams through warm rubidium vapor and realize controllable transmission of vector beams based on atomic dichroism. By utilizing the linearly polarized beam and vector beams as the pump and probe beams in a pump–probe configuration, a spatially-dependent dichroism can be obtained,which leads to spatially varied absorption of the probe beam. The controllable intensity distribution of the probe beam, as a two-petal pattern, can rotate with the variation of the pump beam's polarization states. We experimentally demonstrate the mechanism of dichroism with linear polarization light and provide an explanation based on the optical pumping effect.Alternatively, the varying trend of the probe beam's intensity is also interpreted by utilizing the Jones matrix. Our results are thus beneficial for providing potential applications in optical manipulation in atomic ensembles.     

A V-Folded Digital Laser for On-Demand Vortex Beams by Astigmatic Transformation of Hermite–Gaussian Modes

A V-folded digital laser using a spatial light modulator(SLM) for intra-cavity loss shaping is exploited to generate Hermite–Gaussian modes with on-demand mode order. With a π/2 astigmatic mode converter, vortex beams carrying on-demand orbital angular momentum(OAM) with a tunable range from -11h to 12 h are obtained.The mode order of the HG mode, hence the OAM of the vortex beam, is digitally switched by changing the phase pattern imposed on the SLM without requiring any mechanic alignment of the cavity. This work has great potential applications in various OAM-tunable vortex beams.     

Transversal reverse transformation of anomalous hollow beams in strongly isotropic nonlocal media

Based on the nonlocal nonlinear Schr6dinger equation, the propagation properties of anomalous hollow beams in strongly isotropic nonlocal media are investigated. The analytical expressions of the beam propagation, the on-axis intensity and the beam width are obt.ained. The results show that the evolution of the beam is periodical and the input power is the most important parameter. The input power determines the variation of the period. Furthermore, it is found that there exists a critical input power in the x direction and in the y direction separately when the initial beam widths in the two transversal directions are unequal. The beam width remains invariant in the corresponding transversal direction when the input power equals the critical power in one of the transversal directions. Selecting a properinput power, the beam can be broadened or compressed in the two transversal directions at the same time, In particular, the beam can be broadened （compressed） in one transversal direction, whereas in the other transversal direction, it is compressed （broadened）, i.e., the transversal reverse transformation.     

Theory of Z-scan technique using Gaussian-Bessel beams with a phase object

This paper reports the theoretical study of combining Z-scan technique with Gauss-Bessel (GB) beams beside a phase object (PO) to measure the third-order nonlinear susceptibility components.By using this method,the sign of refractive index which depends on the shape of the close aperture Z-scan curve can be easily determined.Meanwhile,the magnitude of nonlinear coefficients can also be deduced by theoretical fit.The proposed method is advantageous for high sensitivity and imposes a lower stress in the cases of fragile materials,since small pulse energy is enough for the measurement of nonlinear coefficients.Predictions of the models are compared with Gaussian Z-scan measurement and GB Z-scan measurement.By using GB beams with a PO,the sensitivity of Z-scan measurements is found to be a factor of over 60 times greater than for Gaussian beams and 2 times greater than for Gaussian-Bessel beams.     

Systematical study of the trapping forces of optical tweezers formed by different types of optical ring beams

The technique of optical tweezers has been improved a lot since its invention, which extends the application fields of optical tweezers. Besides the conventionally used Gaussian beams, different types of ring beams have also been used to form optical tweezers for different purposes. The two typical kinds of ring beams used in optical tweezers are the hollow Gaussian beam and Laguerre--Gaussian (LG) beam. Both theoretical computation and experiments have shown that the axial trapping force is improved for the ring beams compared with the Gaussian beam, and hence the trapping stability is improved, although the transverse trapping forces of ring beams are smaller than that of Gaussian beam. However, no systematic study on the trapping forces of ring beam has ever been discussed. In this article, we will investigate the axial and transverse trapping forces of different types of ring beams with different parameters systematically, by numerical computation in which the ray optics model is adopted. The spherical aberration caused by the refractive index mismatch between oil and water is also considered in the article. The trapping forces for different objectives that obey the sine condition and tangent condition are also compared with each other. The result of systematical calculation will be useful for the applications of optical tweezers formed by different types of ring beams.     

Nonlinear Generation of Perfect Vector Beams in Ultraviolet Wavebands

Perfect vector beams are a class of special vector beams with invariant radius and intensity profiles under changing topological charges. However, with the limitation of current devices, the generation of these vector beams is limited in the visible and infrared wavebands. Herein, we generate perfect vector beams in the ultraviolet region assisted by nonlinear frequency conversion. Experimental and simulation results show that the radius of the generated ultraviolet perfect vector beams remains ...     

Efficient loading of ultracold sodium atoms in an optical dipole trap from a high power fiber laser

We report on a research of the loading of ultracold sodium atoms in an optical dipole trap,generated by two beams from a high power fiber laser.The effects of optical trap light power on atomic number,temperature and phase space density are experimentally investigated.A simple theory is proposed and it is in good accordance with the experimental results of the loaded atomic numbers.In a general estimation,an optimal value for each beam with a power of 9 W from the fiber laser is achieved.Our results provide a further understanding of the loading process of optical dipole trap and laid the foundation for generation of a sodium Bose–Einstein condensation with an optical dipole trap.     

Propagation of cylindrical vector beams in a turbulent atmosphere

<正>Based on the extended Huygens-Presnel principle,the propagation of cylindrical vector beams in a turbulent atmosphere is investigated.The intensity distribution and the polarization degree of beams on propagation are studied. It is found that the beam profile has a Gaussian shape under the influence of the atmospheric turbulence,and the polarization distribution shows a dip in the cross section as the beam propagates in the turbulent atmosphere.It is also found that the beam profile and the polarization distribution are closely related to beam parameter and atmospheric turbulence.     

An exact solution to paraxial propagation of laser beams in longitudinal inhomogeneous plasmas

An exact, general solution for laser beams propagating in longitudinally inhomogeneous plasmas is obtained in the form of the diffraction integral. The Gaussian beam and the Hermite--Gaussian beam are taken for example. In the case of an increasing plasma density along the propagation distance, natural diffraction of the Gaussian beam is retarded. This retardance has a less effect on the central part of the Hermite--Gaussian beam while a considerable rise of the power in bucket (PIB) occurs in the surrounding part of the beam.     

All-fiber linear polarization and orbital angular momentum modes amplifier based on few-mode erbium-doped fiber and long period fiber grating

A few-mode erbium-doped fiber(FM-EDF) is fabricated using modified chemical vapor deposition in combination with liquid solution. The core and cladding diameters of the fiber are approximately 19.44 and 124.12 μm,respectively. The refractive index difference is 0.98%, numerical aperture(NA) is 0.17, and normalized cut-off frequency at 1550 nm is 6.81. Therefore, it is a five-mode fiber, and can be used as a higher-order mode gain medium. Furthermore, a long period fiber grating(LPFG) is fabricated, which can convert LP01 mode to LP11 mode, and its conversion efficiency is up to 99%. The first-order orbital angular momentum(OAM) is also generated by combining the LPFG and polarization controller(PC). Then, an all-fiber amplification system based on the FM-EDF and LPFG, for LP11 mode and first-order OAM beams, is built up. Its on-off gain of the LP11 mode beam is 37.2 d B at 1521.2 nm. The variation, whose transverse mode field intensity of first-order OAM is increased with the increase of pumping power, is obvious. These show that both the LP11 mode and first-order OAM beams are amplified in the all-fiber amplification system. This is a novel all-fiber amplification scheme,which can be used in the optical communication fields.     

Spectral broadening induced by intense ultra-short pulse in 4H–SiC crystals

We report the observation of spectral broadening induced by 200 femtosecond laser pulses with the repetition rate of 1 kHz at the wavelength of 532 nm in semi-insulating 4H–SiC single crystals.It is demonstrated that the full width at half maximum of output spectrum increases linearly with the light propagation length and the peak power density,reaching a maximum 870 cm~(-1)on a crystal of 19 mm long under an incident laser with a peak power density of 60.1 GW/cm~2.Such spectral broadening can be well explained by the self-phase modulation model which correlates time-dependent phase change of pulses to intensity-dependent refractive index.The nonlinear refractive index n_2 is estimated to be1.88×10~(-15)cm~2/W.The intensity-dependent refractive index is probably due to both the nonlinear optical polarizability of the bound electrons and the increase of free electrons induced by the two-photon absorption process.Super continuum spectra could arise as crystals are long enough to induce the self-focusing effect.The results show that SiC crystals may find applications in spectral broadening of high power lasers.     

Arbitrary direction incident Gaussian beam scattering by multispheres

Based on spherical vector wave functions and their coordinate rotation theory,the field of a Gaussian beam in terms of the spherical vector wave functions in an arbitrary unparallel Cartesian coordinate system is expanded.The beam shape coefficient and its convergence property are discussed in detail.Scattering of an arbitrary direction Gaussian beam by multiple homogeneous isotropic spheres is investigated.The effects of beam waist width,sphere separation distance,sphere number,beam centre positioning,and incident angle for a Gaussian beam with two polarization modes incident on various shaped sphere clusters are numerically studied.Moreover,the scattering characteristics of two kinds of shaped red blood cells illuminated by an arbitrary direction incident Gaussian beam with two polarization modes are investigated.Our results are expected to provide useful insights into particle sizing and the measurement of the scattering characteristics of blood corpuscle particles with laser diagnostic techniques.     

Z-scan analysis of high-order nonlinear refraction effect induced by using elliptic Gaussian beam

The irradiance of an elliptic Gaussian beam that is high enough to excite high-order nonlinear refraction effect is used to calculate the normalized on-axis transmittance function in the z-scan technique by introducing complex beam parameters which make the calculation simpler. The transmittance formula is applied to the first-, first two-, and first three-order nonlinearities. Numerical evaluation shows that the symmetry no longer holds when using an elliptic Gaussian beam instead of a circular Gaussian beam. A distortion is observed in the central part of the curve, which decreases as ellipticity increases. Moreover, the variation of the normalized peak-valley difference decreases as ellipticity decreases.     

Dynamics of laser beams in inhomogeneous electron positron ion plasmas

Nonlinear interaction of laser and electron–positron–ion plasmas is investigated by invoking the variational principle and numerical simulation, in terms of a nonlinear Schr o¨dinger equation with inhomogeneities effect. It is shown that the plasma inhomogeneity has great influence on the laser beam dynamics. The laser beam can be self-trapped, focused, or defocused depending on the inhomogeneity character. The linearly decreasing axial plasma density makes the laser beam defocus, while the linearly increasing axial plasma density results in self-trapping of the beam. The self-focusing of the trapped beam is found in a high-density region. For the Gaussian types of density distribution, the beam field submits nonlinearly oscillating regime. The results provide an efficient way to manipulate the dynamics of laser beam propagating in plasma.