Prospects for increasing average power of optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers via multi-beam pumping

We demonstrate optical parametric amplification of broadband chirped pulses in BBO crystal pumped by several intersecting beams extracted from independent laser amplifiers. The energy of amplified signal ranged from 0.23 to 0.72 mJ depending on a number of pump beams used as well as pumping configuration employed. The conversion efficiency dependence on intersection angles of pump beams is revealed and modeling of interplay of interacting waves is presented.     

Bandwidth and stability enhancement of optical parametric amplification using chirped ferroelectric superlattice

We report a theoretical analysis and numerical simulation of bandwidth and stability enhancement in optical parametric amplification (OPA) when using chirped periodically poled KTiOPO₄. Calculation results show that the bandwidth and stability are enhanced significantly by the use of a chirped grating. Temperature-gradient and fanned gratings are introduced and chirp factors of them are deduced and calculated. The use of a fanned grating flattens the Quasi-phase-matching response and improves the efficiency. Finally, we propose a method to reduce the instability induced by an unstable pump.     

Progress in chirped pulse optical parametric amplifiers

We discuss the main issues of optical parametric chirped pulse amplification and overview recent progress in the field. Although we distinguish between the two operating modes of modern chirped pulse parametric amplifiers, OPCPA and NOPA, we reveal that both represent the same technique and share a common concept. PACS 42.65.Yj; 42.65.Re     

Spectral enhancement in optical parametric amplifiers in the saturated regime

We present numerical and experimental studies on a front-end laser system for seeding a sub-picosecond multi-terawatt/petawatt light source based on two highly saturated optical parametric amplifiers. Numerical results showing energy gain, spectral gain, and stability as saturation is approached are presented. An experimental realisation of the system has been constructed, and its performance has been found to be in good agreement with the numerical simulations. The total gain is in excess of 10⁵ over a few picosecond gain window, and the pulse energy is ～100 μJ with 4 % root mean square stability.     

Bandwidth enhancement by differential mode attenuation in multimode photonic crystal Bragg fibers

In multimode bandgap guiding fibers higher-order modes have high radiation losses. Once excited, after a short propagation distance such modes are leaked out of the fiber core. Reduction of the number of excited modes in the fiber core leads to a decrease of intermodal dispersion and a dramatic enhancement of fiber bandwidth. Due to the increase in the propagation loss, bandwidth enhancement by differential mode attenuation also leads to the reduction of the maximal length of a usable fiber span. We demonstrate that by proper design of a photonic crystal reflector long fiber spans of high bandwidth are possible.     

Thermal noise for SBS suppression in fiber optical parametric amplifiers

We demonstrate a new and simple solution to suppress stimulated Brillouin scattering in fiber optical parametric amplifiers. Cumbersome PRBS or sinusoidal generators used to broaden the pump spectrum are replaced by a filtered microwave noise source. Stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold can be increased up to large values still keeping an excellent quality of amplification of nonreturn to zero signals. The simplicity and the performances of this setup open the way for a wide variety of applications for FOPAs.     

频率啁啾光脉冲在行波半导体激光放大器中的传播特性

本文就行波半导体激光放大器(TW-SLA)中载流子引起的群速度色散对激光脉冲传播特性的影响作了理论研究.由于载流子引起的群速度色散效应,使远离饱和区工作的TW-SLA会对有频率啁啾的光脉冲产生展宽或压缩.本文就TW-SLA参数、频率啁啾参数跟脉冲增宽因子的关系作了理论研究.结果表明,线性的TW-SLA具有对低能量光脉冲压缩的可能性.因此,在光学通信系统中,它可用作对光纤损耗及色散的补偿元件.     

Strong signal suppression in single-pump optical parametric amplifiers

We show that the combined action of parametric gain and Raman scattering can lead to the complete suppression of an input optical signal in a single-pump parametric amplifier. This suppression is due to an interference between the two parametric gain modes. The interference occurs only at a set of discrete combinations of pump power, phase mismatch, and frequency detuning. Experimentally we are able to demonstrate over 95% (13 dB) suppression of an input signal in an amplifier with a peak parametric gain of only 6 dB.     

All-optical SBS reduction in fiber optic parametric amplifiers

We experimentally demonstrate an original way based on cross-phase modulation process to suppress stimulated Brillouin scattering in a fiber optical parametric amplifier (FOPA). The setup is potentially less expensive than conventional electrical modulation schemes, and good performances are reported in terms of amplification quality and high gain value.     

Ultrafast noncollinear optical parametric chirped pulse amplification in KTiOAsO4

Amplification of femtosecond pulses at 1.56 microm based on noncollinear parametric chirped pulse amplification in a potassium titanyl arsenate (KTA) crystal with pumping at 1.05 microm is reported. The 100 fs pulses of an erbium fiber laser are parametrically amplified while synchronously pumped by an amplified mode-locked Nd:YLF laser. This amplifier has a saturated gain of 65 dB with 30% conversion efficiency and has produced 160 fs pulses with peak powers of up to 0.75 GW. The system produced 380 mW before compression and can be readily scaled to the multiwatt range with bandwidths to support sub-100 fs pulses.     

Raman-noise-induced noise-figure limit for chi(3) parametric amplifiers

The nonzero response time of the Kerr [chi(3)] nonlinearity determines the quantum-limited noise figure of chi(3) parametric amplifiers. This nonzero response time of the nonlinearity requires coupling of the parametric amplification process to a molecular-vibration phonon bath, causing the addition of excess noise through Raman gain or loss at temperatures above 0 K. The effect of this excess noise on the noise figure can be surprisingly significant. We derive analytical expressions for this quantum-limited noise figure for phase-insensitive operation of a chi(3) amplifier and show good agreement with published noise-figure measurements.     

Generation of accurately synchronized pump source for optical parametric chirped pulse amplification

We demonstrate the generation of ultra-short pulses at 1064 nm by continuous-wave seeded non-collinear optical parametric amplification in a -barium borate crystal pumped by the second harmonics of a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser. After two stages of seeded parametric amplifiers, the generated pulses at 1064 nm were accurately synchronized with the fundamental pump pulses, which could be used as seeding pulses for further amplification and then frequency doubling to produce an accurately synchronized pump source for optical parametric amplification of chirped pulses from the same Ti:sapphire laser. PACS 42.65.Re; 42.65.-k; 52.35.Mw     

Crosstalk in double-pumped fiber optic parametric amplifiers for wavelength division multiplexing systems

We study experimentally inter-channel crosstalk in double-pumped fiber optic parametric amplifiers constructed with conventional dispersion shifted fibers (DSFs) having different lengths (L_A = 13.8, L_B = 6.8, L_C = 4.3, and L_D = 0.8 km). For long fibers (L_A and L_B), eye diagram measurements in a 5-channel (100 GHz spacing) system show that in order to have negligible crosstalk, the output signal power per channel, P_s, should be limited to P_s < 0 dBm. By decreasing the fiber length (to L_C) it is possible to increase the output signal power and/or the number of signals while keeping the crosstalk on negligible levels. This trend was further confirmed by using a very short DSF (L_D = 0.8 km).Finally, we experimentally demonstrate that a general trend in 2P-FOPAs is that spurious FWM increases with the number of signal channels up to a given number of channels when a saturation regime is reached. This saturation of the generation of spurious tones occurs when the bandwidth occupied by the signals exceeds ∼4-5 nm.     

Pump-noise transfer in dual-pump fiber-optic parametric amplifiers: walk-off effects

Transfer of intensity noise from pumps to signal in dual-pump fiber-optic parametric amplifiers is simulated numerically for a realistic configuration in which both pumps are amplified and filtered before they enter the fiber. The walk-off effects induced by different group velocities of pumps, signal, and idler are fully taken into account. It is found that the optical signal-to-noise ratio can be as low as 15 dB when the amplifier length is close to 0.5 km, but it can be improved by 3 dB or so by use of longer fibers.     

Performance analysis of dual-pump optical parametric amplifiers in silicon waveguide

Nondegenerate Four Wave Mixing (FWM) process in a silicon waveguide is influenced by two photon absorption (TPA), TPA induced free carrier absorption (FCA) besides self-phase modulation (SPM), cross-phase modulation (XPM), SRS, GVD and linear scattering losses. Influences of pump parameters of the dual-pump parametric amplifier (OPA) in the silicon waveguide on gain spectrum and noise figure are numerically investigated. Compared with single-pump configuration, dual-pump silicon OPA indicates a flat gain and noise figure. Then impact of waveguide dispersion on bandwidth and ripples for dual-pump silicon optical parametric amplifiers is discussed. Optimal pump configurations are evaluated. The results show that polarization independent net gain of silicon OPA can be achieved by using circular and orthogonally polarized pump.     

Field patterns in periodically modulated optical parametric amplifiers and oscillators

Spatially localized and periodic field patterns in periodically modulated optical parametric amplifiers and oscillators are studied. In the degenerate case (equal signal and idler beams) we elaborate on the systematic method of construction of the stationary localized modes in the amplifiers, and study their properties and stability. We describe a method of constructing periodic solutions in optical parametric oscillators, by adjusting the form of the external driven field to the given form of either signal or pump beams.     

Investigation of gain ripple in two-pump fiber optical parametric amplifiers

By using the four-sideband theory, we analyze the gain spectrum in wideband two-pump fiber optical parametric amplifiers and predict gain ripples over the flat gain region. We derive an approximation of their pseudo-periods and discuss methods for reducing their amplitudes.     

Analysis of tapered mode transformers for semiconductor optical amplifiers

Abstact Numerical data are presented on the operation of field transformers consisting of down-tapered rectangular waveguides. The propagation is analysed through a classical finite difference 3-D BPM method. A new adiabaticity criterion is proposed. Adiabatic and nonadiabatic (linear or exponential) tapers are investigated, allowing one to increase the field radius from 0.5 to 1.5 or 2 m at =1.5 m, with a coupling loss to a Gaussian beam from 0.1 to 1 dB. For a given overall length, the more efficient field expansion (but also the larger coupling loss) is obtained with an adiabatic design. According to preliminary results on the effect of fabrication imperfections, it seems that linear tapers would be less sensitive to defects than optimized adiabatic tapers.