Change in optical path length of saturable absorbing dye-doped polymer films under laser irradiation

The cause of the change in the optical path lengthΔ(nd) of the saturable absorbing dye-doped polymer films under laser irradiation is investigated using polyvinyl alcohol and gelatin films doped with erythrosin B. The temperature rise of the dye-doped films, the changes in optical path length, film thickness, the refractive index and the optical density of the dye-doped films are measured under laser irradiation. The thermal expansion due to the temperature rise of the dye-doped films caused by the irradiation has greater effect on theΔ(nd) than the fading of dye molecules due to the irradiation of laser beams.     

Anti-Stokes femtosecond photon echo in dye-doped polymer films and the possibility of coherent optical cooling

An anti-Stokes model is proposed to explain the known experimental data on the femtosecond photon echo in dye-doped polymer films at room temperature. The possibility of implementing the anti-Stokes mode of coherent laser cooling of such films is analyzed.     

Fast optical recording in dye-doped polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal films

We describe a fast optical recording material based on a dye-doped polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal film. A holographic grating is written in this film with a single Q -switched Nd:YAG laser pulse that has a duration of ~6 ns . Such a grating is due to the reorientation effect of the liquid-crystal molecules through interaction with the photoinduced adsorption of the doped azo dyes. Experimental results indicate that the grating thus formed is permanent but electrically switchable.     

Multimode laser emission from dye-doped hollow polymer optical fibre

Well-resolved multimode laser emission was observed for the first time from a freestanding microring cavity based on Rhodamine B dye-doped hollow polymer optical fibre by transverse pumping. Fibres with different diameters such as 180, 460, 640 and 800 μm were fabricated from a dye-doped hollow polymer preform. A blueshift in the mode structure was observed with decrease in fibre diameter leading to wide range tunability of the laser emission.     

Femtosecond photon echo in dye-doped polymer films at room temperature

The signals of primary and stimulated femtosecond photon echo in polymer films doped with dye (phthalocyanine) molecules have been experimentally investigated at room temperature. A femtosecond echo spectrometer for these echo experiments is described. The decay curves of echo signals with increasing time intervals between excitation femtosecond pulses are obtained and blue shifts of the spectra of femtosecond echo signals with respect to the spectrum of excitation pulses are revealed. The possibilities of using the studied doped polymer films as recording media for high-temperature echo processors and coolants in optical refrigerators are analyzed.     

Analysis and design of a dye-doped polymer optical fiber amplifier

A rhodamine-B-doped polymer optical fiber amplifier (RBDPOFA) has been successfully fabricated and tested. In this paper, all parameters affecting the gain of the RBDPOFA are recognized. The time-dependent and time-independent rate equations are solved. By using Runge–Kutta and finite-element methods, different conditions are described and fluctuations of the fiber laser are analyzed. From the time-dependent rate equations, the gain and level-density variations with time can be predicted. These fiber amplifiers have unstable conditions. In experiments, the decay of dye dopants in the high pump power regime has been observed. For example, in a high pump power rhodamine-B is converted from the zwitterion isomer to the colorless lactone isomer [1]. Therefore, for complete coincidence of theoretical and experimental results, this effect must be included in the analysis, which is however beyond the scope of this paper and will be discussed in the near future. PACS 42.60.Da; 42.81.Wg; 31.15.Fx; 33.80.-b; 42.55.WdAn erratum to this article can be found at     

Hybrid near-field optical memory and photofabrication in dye-doped polymer film

A hybrid near-field fluorescence microscopy, which combines near-field scanning optical microscopy and photon scanning tunneling microscopy, is demonstrated for nanoscale optical memory and photofabrication on spin-coated dye-doped polymer films. Storage capacity and readout signal-to-noise ratio with near-field one-photon and two-photon excitations are studied.     

Characteristics of color optical shutter with dye-doped polymer network liquid crystal

The optical properties and the theoretical prediction of color optical shutter with dye-doped polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC) were investigated. The view-angle dependence of reflectance according to the bias conditions showed distinctive characteristics, which could be explained from the effects of dye absorption and path length. It was also shown that the thickness dependence of reflectance was strongly influenced by the light-scattering coefficient. Our experimental results matched up well with the theoretical prediction based on the light scattering of liquid crystals in polymer network and the absorption of dichroic dye. This work indicates potential to improve the optical device using dye-doped liquid crystal-polymer composite.     

Stable frequency doubling by all-optical poling in dye-doped polymer optical fibers

We present experimental studies of all-optical poling (AOP) in large-core dye-doped poly(methyl methacrylate) plastic optical fibers. We show that the confinement of light within the fiber core permits us to reach the upper limit of second harmonic generation achievable by AOP using repeated trans-cis isomerization. Quantification of the output power indicates self-seeding that can counteract relaxation of the orientation during readout of the induced nonlinearity.     

Peculiarities of femtosecond photon echo signals in dye-doped polymer films at high temperatures

Some results of femtosecond echo experiments on polyvinylbutyral polymer films doped with phtalocyanine molecules at high (up to room) temperatures are reported. Special attention is paid to the stimulated femtosecond photon echo (SFPE), which was observed in a solid-state medium at room temperature for the first time. A decay curve of the SFPE signal has been obtained and theoretically analyzed. The results of the analysis indicate that the random interaction between impurity molecules and quasi-localized low-frequency vibration modes in an amorphous matrix plays the dominant role in the character of optical dephasing at high temperatures.     

Orientation-enhanced nonlinear optical properties and phase-conjugate reflective system of a novel Azobenzene doped polymer film

This paper reports that the nonlinear refractive index of a novel organic optical storage film doped azo-diphenylamine polymer is measured by using the $Z$-scan technique. The nonlinear refractive index up to $3.7\times 10 ^{ - 6 }$~cm$^{2}$/W induced by thermo-optical effect is obtained. It indicates that the sample has excellent optical nonlinear properties. The physical mechanism of the great nonlinear optical effect is analysed and the optical conjugate characteristic is also discussed with degenerate four-wave-mixing. The phase conjugate wave diffracted from the formative refractive index grating in the sample is acquired and its equivalent reflectivity reaches about 22{\%}. On this basis, the reflective wave phase-conjugated mirror system was designed, and the image aberration experienced in propagation in the storage experiment is corrected by using the system.     

Femtosecond photon echo in a dye-doped polymer film and the possibility of coherent optical cooling

The signals of primary and stimulated femtosecond photon echoes are investigated in a dye-doped polymer film at room temperature. The homogeneous S ₀ → S ₁ spectral line width, which is due to the interaction between the impurity molecules and the quasi-local low-frequency modes, is estimated (≈5 × 10¹² Hz). Special attention is paid to the study of spectra of femtosecond echo signals. The short-wave shifts of these spectra, with respect to the spectrum of femtosecond exciting pulses, are observed. These shifts indicate that the anti-Stokes regime of femtosecond pulse emission is realized. Therefore, the coherent regime of laser cooling of solids appears to be possible. The prospects of using of this new cooling regime in the function of a solid-state optical refrigerator are discussed.     

Nonlinear optical interactions in dye-doped solids

We present a brief review of non-linear optical investigations on dye-doped solids using low-power CW lasers. After a brief introduction to the photophysics of the dye molecules, we discuss specific nonlinear processes such as self-diffraction, optical phase conjugation, two-beam coupling and polarization gratings in these systems. The application potential of dye-doped solid devices is discussed.     

Studying polymer thin films with hybrid optical microcavities

Organic and inorganic polymeric thin films have numerous applications, including solar cells, biodetection, and nanocomposites. Improving our understanding of the fundamental material behavior is critical to designing polymers with ideal behavior and increased lifetime. However, there are limited nondestructive characterization methods that are able to perform these high-resolution measurements. In this Letter, we demonstrate a method that is able to detect temperature-induced changes in the refractive index of polystyrene polymer thin films as small as 10(-7). This approach is based on optical microcavity resonators. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical simulations.     

Gain studies of Coumarin 503 dye-doped polymer laser

Solid-state dye doped polymer is an attractive alternative to the conventional liquid dye solution. In this paper, the laser characteristics of Coumarin 503 (C503) doped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) rods modified with ethyl alcohol (EtOH) are studied under nitrogen laser excitation in a transverse pumping configuration and the variation of gain of the dye in solid medium for different pumping powers is studied. The gain of Coumarin 503 in solid medium is compared with the gain of Coumarin 503 in liquid medium and it is found that the gain of the dyes in the solid environment is less than that in the liquid environment. The photobleaching of dye in polymer medium under nitrogen laser excitation is also studied by keeping the rod in a fixed position and by rotating the rod about its cylindrical axis. It is found that the photobleaching rate is faster when the rod is in a fixed position.     

Fast optical recording in dye-doped liquid crystals

Light-induced director reorientation in dye-doped nematic liquid crystals was recently reported to be an efficient method of writing permanent holographic gratings with high sensitivity [Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 1855 (1999)]. We report the achievement of stable director reorientation in the same materials by means of a single 4-ns pulse of the second harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser. Fast recording of high-resolution holographic gratings (more than 500 lines/mm) can be obtained with an energy density as low as 7x10(-3)J /cm(2) .     

Optical phase conjugation and double-exposure phase-conjugate interferometry in dye-doped thin film using He–Ne laser

We have experimentally demonstrated optical phase conjugation and double-exposure phase-conjugate interferometry in a methyl green dye-doped gelatin film via degenerate four-wave mixing using a low-power He–Ne laser for the first time. The origin of phase conjugation associated with this dye-doped film is discussed. A phase-conjugate reflectivity of 0.13% is obtained with a He–Ne laser of total power 35 mW. PACS 42.65.Hw; 42.65.-k; 42.40.-i     

Synthesis and optical properties of basic fuchsin dye-doped PMMA polymeric films for laser applications: wide scale absorption band

Basic fuchsin dye-doped poly(methyl methacrylate) polymeric films were sensitized with various dye concentrations ranging from 0.0833 to 1.667 wt% of basic fuchsin. Their structure, linear absorption, and optical limiting properties were examined. The films were prepared using a simple and fast casting technique dissolved in chloroform for both the dye and the polymer. Structural characterizations were achieved by XRD, and the films showed an amorphous hump supporting the noncrystalline structure of studied polymeric composites. Spectrophotometer measurements were used to estimate the spectral absorption measurements of the films such as transmittance, absorbance with the calculations of absorption index (k), and optical energy band gap (E _g ) in the wavelength region from 190 to 2500 nm. Results show that the optical constants change with increasing the dye doping concentrations. It has been found that optical energy gap (E _g ) appearing that, both direct and indirect optical transitions are conceivable for these films. Optical limiting properties of the films with various dye concentrations were studied using a continuous wave He–Ne laser operating at 632.8 nm. The results appeared that the sample has an obvious optical limiting effect. The designed BF/PMMA composites can be applicable in wide-scale applications.     

Method of improving optical poling efficiency in polymer films

The alignment of dye molecules in optically poled polymer films is modeled. We point out that when writing beams (fundamental and second harmonic) are linearly polarized with their polarization directions parallel, the majority of the dye molecules in a poled film are axially oriented perpendicular to the writing-beam polarization, whereas the minority are polar oriented parallel to the writing-beam polarization. Only the latter, however, contribute to the second-order nonlinearity of the film. This model is verified by experiments. Based on the model, a new method of improving optical poling efficiency is put forward.