Pulse shaping and diffraction properties of multi-layers reflection volume holographic gratings

The multi-layers coupled-wave theory is extended to systematically investigate the pulse shaping and diffraction properties of a system of multi-layers reflection volume holographic gratings (MRVHG) under ultrashort laser pulse (ULP) readout. The combined effects that the grating parameters such as the number and thickness of layers and gaps between them and the pulse duration of the input ULP have on the pulse shaping properties are considered. The pulse profiles of the diffracted and transmitted beams, the diffraction bandwidth, and the total diffraction efficiency are presented. The calculated results we have derived permit an optimal choice of grating parameters for the pulse shaping and process applications.     

Ultra-narrow-band tunable laserline notch filter

We report on an angularly tunable laserline notch filter from 760 to 785 nm with optical density of 5.7, 3 dB bandwidth of 9 cm⁻¹ (0.55 nm) and greater than 80% transmission. The notch filter is a single element composed of six bonded slanted reflective holographic gratings in glass.     

Effect of optical activity and crystal symmetry on maximal diffraction efficiency of reflection holograms in cubic photorefractive piezocrystals

The dependence of the maximal diffraction efficiency of a volume reflection hologram recorded in a cubic optically active photorefractive piezocrystal on the crystal thickness is investigated. The theoretical analysis is fulfilled on the basis of the coupled wave equations in a static grating approximation taking into account the linear electro-optic, inverse piezoelectric, and photoelastic effects. The optimal cuts of the crystals with various thickness for which the maximal diffraction efficiency of the reflection hologram can be attained are determined. It is shown that the optical activity of the crystal is responsible for a variety of the optimal cuts corresponding to different crystal thicknesses. Effect of the crystal on the dependence of the maximal diffraction efficiency of the reflection hologram on a crystal cut is discussed.     

Two-step holographic recording in photorefractive lithium niobate crystals using ultrashort laser pulses

We investigate non-volatile holographic data storage in photorefractive lithium niobate crystals. Infrared picosecond laser pulses are used to write holograms after sensitizing the crystal with blue light from a cw-laser. The dependence of the dynamic range and the photoconductivity on the pulse intensities and the recording wavelength is investigated in detail. The results can be explained by a two-center model if the mean intensity of the laser pulses is considered. We demonstrate that several fixed holograms can be multiplexed by employing the wavelength multiplexing technique.     

Holographic phase conjugation through a sub-wavelength hole

Holographic phase conjugation is analyzed as a method to create a photo-refractive lens with high numerical aperture. For this purpose a sub-wavelength hole is drilled into a metal surface directly on top of an iron-doped lithium niobate crystal. An interference pattern generated by the light coming from this point source and a plane reference wave is recorded. By using the phase-conjugated reference wave for read-out, a light wave being focused onto the former point source is reconstructed. In principle, a focusing system close to the theoretical diffraction limit could be implemented by this method. The performance of this arrangement is mainly determined by properties of the lithium niobate crystal, especially the crystal symmetry. Experimentally, the tight holographic focusing is demonstrated. The focus width of the reconstructed wave is shown to be below 1.2 μm, which is our spatial resolution. The diffraction efficiency obtained, however, is just 3×10⁻⁵ compared to 3×10⁻² in the plane-wave case. This can be explained by experimental reasons, the inhomogeneous light intensity and limitations originating from the crystal symmetry. We estimate that the diffraction efficiency for phase conjugation through a sub-wavelength hole can be improved by three to four orders of magnitude by addressing the above-mentioned issues.     

Spatial coherence measurements from two L-shape arrays in Shallow Water

In the Shallow Water’ 06 experiment, two L-shape arrays (ARRAY52 and ARRAY32) were deployed. The vertical line array (VLA) components of both ARRAY52 and ARRAY32 were exactly perpendicular to the direction of sound propagation. The horizontal line array (HLA) component of ARRAY52 was exactly perpendicular to the direction of sound propagation. The HLA component of ARRAY32 was exactly parallel to the direction of sound propagation. This configuration offered an opportunity to simultaneously analyze the three dimensional (3-D) spatial coherences: vertical, transverse horizontal and longitudinal horizontal. When the source and the receivers were below the thermocline, both the vertical and longitudinal horizontal coherence lengths in units of wavelength increased with increasing range and frequency. When the source was within the thermocline, the transverse horizontal coherence length in units of wavelength decreased with frequency and exhibited weak range dependence. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Evaluation of dynamic speckle activity using the empirical mode decomposition method

The empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method is used to process sequences of dynamic speckle patterns to segment the differential activity that presents a sample as a function of the spatial coordinates and time. The application of the method is illustrated by segmenting bruised regions in fruits. A discussion of the obtained results and a comparison with the use of the filter bank technique are also presented.     

High-efficiency,high-speed VCSELs for optical interconnects

High-efficiency, high-speed, tapered-oxide-apertured vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) emitting at 980 nm have been demonstrated. By carefully engineering the tapered oxide aperture, the mode volume can be greatly reduced without adding much optical scattering loss for the device sizes of interest. Consequently, these devices can achieve higher bandwidth at lower current and power dissipation. In addition, the parasitics are reduced by implementing deep oxidation layers and an improved p-doping scheme in the top mirror. Our devices show modulation bandwidth exceeding 20 GHz, a record for 980 nm VCSELs. Moreover, 35 Gb/s operation has been achieved at only 10 mW power dissipation. This corresponds to a data-rate/power-dissipation ratio of 3.5 Gbps/mW. Most importantly, our device structure is compatible with existing manufacturing processes and can be easily manufactured in large volume making them attractive for optical interconnects.     

Molecular imaging by Mid-IR laser ablation mass spectrometry

Mid-IR laser ablation at atmospheric pressure (AP) produces a mixture of ions, neutrals, clusters, and particles with a size distribution extending into the nanoparticle range. Using external electric fields the ions can be extracted and sampled by a mass spectrometer. In AP infrared (IR) matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) experiments, the plume was shown to contain an appreciable proportion of ionic components that reflected the composition of the ablated target and enabled mass spectrometric analysis. The detected ion intensities rapidly declined with increasing distance of sampling from the ablated surface to ∼4 mm. This was rationalized in terms of ion recombination and the stopping of the plume expansion by the background gas. In laser ablation electrospray ionization (LAESI) experiments, the ablation plume was intercepted by an electrospray. The neutral particles in the plume were ionized by the charged droplets in the spray and enabled the detection of large molecules (up to 66 kDa). Maximum ion production in LAESI was observed at large (∼15 mm) spray axis to ablated surface distance indicating a radically different ion formation mechanism compared to AP IR-MALDI. The feasibility of molecular imaging by both AP IR-MALDI and LAESI was demonstrated on targets with mock patterns. Presented at the 9-th International Conference on Laser Ablation, 2007 Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain     

New optical diagnostics of the VEPP-4M collider

The experiments in measuring the dynamic aperture and beam energy spread of the VEPP-4M collider [1] are described. The optical diagnostics of the accelerator were applied for these purposes. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Influence of the pump threshold on the single-frequency output power of singly resonant optical parametric oscillators

We demonstrate that for a given pump source, there is an optimum pump threshold to achieve the maximum single-frequency output power in singly resonant optical parametric oscillators. Therefore, cavity losses and parametric amplification have to be adjusted. In particular, continuous-wave output powers of 1.5 W were achieved with a 2.5 cm lithium niobate crystal in comparison with 0.5 W by a 5 cm long crystal within the same cavity design. This counter-intuitive result of weaker amplification leading to larger powers can be explained using a model from L.B. Kreuzer (Proc. Joint Conf. Lasers and Opt.-Elect., p. 52, 1969). Kreuzer also states that single-mode operation is possible only up to pump powers which are 4.6 times the threshold value. Additionally, implementing an outcoupling mirror to increase losses, single-frequency waves with powers of 3 W at 3.2 μm and 7 W at 1.5 μm could be generated simultaneously.     

Properties of thermally fixed holograms in photorefractive LiNbO<Subscript>3</Subscript>:Zn:Fe crystals

We have investigated the properties of thermally fixed holograms in LiNbO₃ crystals doped with the optical damage inhibitor Zn as well as the photorefractive Fe dopants. Time decays of fixed holograms at different temperatures showed a single thermally activated process with an activation energy of ∼1.08 eV. We have also studied the effect of an external electric field on the diffraction efficiency of these holograms. Results analysis has provided a new method to determine the photovoltaic field of the samples as well as the effective concentration of photorefractive traps.     

Frequency stabilization and output power undulations of diode lasers with feedback by volume holographic gratings

The mode-hop behavior and the power characteristics of a laser diode with wavelength-selective optical feedback are experimentally investigated. The feedback is provided by external volume holographic gratings, also called ‘Bragg mirrors’, at normal incidence. We demonstrate that a Bragg mirror forces a laser diode to operate only within a narrow wavelength range, and that the emission wavelength of the laser diode is stabilized against variations of the injection current. Moreover, we present periodic undulations of the power characteristics of the laser, depending on the driving current. They can be qualitatively explained with a simple model which takes into account that the threshold gain in the laser system strongly depends on the wavelength.     

Multi-shot interference approach for any kind of Bravais lattice

A mathematical scheme capable of describing the features of the photolithographic multi-beam–multi-shot approach is introduced here. We will show in detail how such a technique can reproduce any of the fourteen three-dimensional Bravais lattices. Furthermore, we will mathematically show the independence of the lattice constant of the structure from the laser wavelength. Finally, we will compare the four-beams–one-shot and the three-beams–three-shots techniques by means of simulations reproducing opal and connected FCC-like lattices.     

Higher-order surface solitons in one-dimensional Bessel optical lattices

We demonstrate the existence of higher-order solitons occurring at an interface separating two one-dimensional (1D) Bessel optical lattices with different orders or modulation depths in a defocusing medium. We show that, in contrast to homogeneous waveguides where higher-order solitons are always unstable, the Bessel lattices with an interface support branches of higher-order structures bifurcating from the corresponding linear modes. The profiles of solitons depend remarkably on the lattice parameters and the stability can be enhanced by increasing the lattice depth and selecting higher-order lattices. We also reveal that the interface model with defocusing saturable Kerr nonlinearity can support stable multi-peaked solitons. The uncovered phenomena may open a new way for soliton control and manipulation.     

Non-interferometric transient quantitative phase microscopy for ultrafast engineering

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics Bi_0.5(Na_1-x-yK_xAg_y)_0.5TiO₃ [BNKAT(x/y)] have been synthesized by the mixed oxide method. The effects of the amount of K⁺ and Ag⁺ on the electrical properties were examined. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that K⁺ and Ag⁺ ions partially substitute for the Na⁺ ions in Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃ and form a solid solution during sintering. At room temperature, the ceramics exhibit good performances with piezoelectric constant d₃₃=189 pC/N, electromechanical coupling factor k_p=35.0%, remanent polarization P_r=39.5 μC/cm², and coercive field E_c=3.3 kV/mm, respectively. The curves of the dielectric constant ε_r and loss tangent tan δ versus temperature show that the transition temperature from ferroelectric to anti-ferroelectric phase decreases with increasing the K⁺ content for the compositions researched. The dependencies of k_p and polarization versus electric (P–E) hysteresis loops on temperature reveal that the depolarization temperature T_d of BNKAT(0.15/0.015) ceramics, which have good piezoelectric properties (d₃₃=134 pC/N, k_p=32.5%) and strong ferroelectricity (P_r=39.5 μC/cm², E_c=4.1 kV/mm) at room temperature, is above 160 °C. PACS 77.22.-d; 77.65.Bn; 77.80.Bh; 77.80.Dj; 77.84.Dy     

Experimental implementation of ultrashort laser pulses in the von Neumann picture

The characterization and interpretation of ultrashort laser pulses is most intuitive in the joint time–frequency domain, where structures like multiple pulses become immediately apparent. For practical reasons, ultrafast femtosecond laser pulse shaping, however, is commonly carried out in the frequency domain. Here we implement pulse shaping of optical fields defined in the von Neumann representation, which is a joint time–frequency distribution with complex-valued Gaussian basis functions. We discuss the feasibility as well as the principal limitations of this technique, show illustrative examples, and propose possible applications in coherent control.     

Generalized holographic dark energy model

In this paper, the model of the holographic Chaplygin gas has been extended to two general cases: first the case of a modified variable Chaplygin gas and second the case of the viscous generalized Chaplygin gas. The dynamics of the model is expressed by the use of scalar fields and scalar potentials.     

Observation of negative alkali ions from alkali halides during 248-nm laser irradiation

Below laser fluences where a plasma is formed (the so-called plasma or plume formation threshold) a number of fundamental phenomena can occur where particles such as atomic and molecular ions, atoms and molecular neutrals, and electrons can be emitted. An understanding of such processes is necessary to develop predictive models for material removal from laser irradiated surfaces—at the foundation of laser etching, machining, and pulsed laser deposition. We have reported on a number of the mechanisms for such emission processes. Here, due to space limitations, we present a summary of our studies on the formation of negative alkali ions from single crystal KCl during exposure to pulsed 248-nm radiation at fluences well below the threshold for plasma formation. Despite the high electron affinities of the corresponding halogen atoms, negative halogen ions were not detected. Significantly, the positive and negative alkali ion distributions overlap strongly in time and space, consistent with K formation by the sequential attachment of two electrons to K⁺. Negative alkali ions are also observed under comparable conditions from LiF, NaCl, and KBr. In each material, the strong overlap between the positive and negative alkali ion distributions, and the lack of detected negative halogen ions, suggest that negative ion formation involves a similar mechanism.     

Thermal effects in singly resonant continuous-wave optical parametric oscillators

Stability and tuning characteristics of continuous-wave optical parametric oscillators (CW OPOs) are affected by various thermal effects arising from optical absorption in nonlinear crystals. In this paper, we present an experimental study of such effects in a singly resonant CW OPO. The OPO operates in the 3-μm mid-infrared region and it is based on a MgO-doped periodically poled lithium niobate crystal. We focus our study on two thermally induced phenomena that have been recently reported to exist in singly resonant CW OPOs: optical bi-stability and thermal self-locking. Thermal self-locking effect, which is known to alter the stability and tuning properties of doubly and triply resonant CW OPOs, is shown to be also of importance in singly resonant OPOs. We report the stability and tuning characteristics of a thermally loaded OPO and discuss a simple temperature-tuning method that can be used to scan the OPO idler frequency continuously over several THz.