Toward generation of μJ range sub-ps THz pulses by optical rectification

Recently the possibility of scaling up the energy of sub-ps THz pulses generated in lithium-niobate by tilted pulse front excitation was demonstrated. Using 500 μJ energy pump pulses at 780 nm center wavelength, we achieved THz pulses with energy up to 240 nJ. In this article, results of calculations using a simple model predict the possibility of increasing the THz pulse energy above 1 μJ and the quantum efficiency up to 50% by decreasing the temperature. The dependence of the THz pulse energy and the maximum achievable electric field on the crystal length and the pump pulse duration is also presented. According to the calculations, generation of the maximum THz energy needs a specific pump pulse duration, because of increasing dispersion and absorption with increasing frequency. Not only longer, but also shorter pulses lead to a degradation of the THz energy. Results of calculations for GaSe, GaP and ZnTe are also presented. PACS 07.57.Hm; 42.65.Ky; 42.79.Nv     

基于多路复用体全息光栅的角度放大器设计

为设计基于多路复用体全息光栅的角度放大器, 建立了多路复用角度放大器(MAM)模型, 从效率均衡性和角度分布均匀性两个方面归纳了其设计规则; 研究了光刻过程中的误差对MAM性能的影响; 分析了实际发散光束对MAM性能的影响. 研究表明:控制光栅空间频率和光栅倾斜角可以实现需要的MAM角度分布, 控制光栅厚度和折射率调制深度可以实现MAM最佳衍射效率; MAM最大复用路数不超过10路; 增大光栅倾角或者记录光与工作光波长之比有利于抑制参考光角度误差带来的MAM出射角分布误差, 减小光栅厚度有利于抑制厚度误差与折射率调制深度误差对衍射效率的影响; 当远场发散角大于光栅角半宽时, 最佳衍射效率下降到50%以下且角度选择曲线失去局部最小值; 增大空间频率或者光栅厚度可以减小所需的折射率调制深度, 增多MAM可复用路数, 但是不利于效率均衡性设计和抑制发散光束的影响.     

Transmissive quasi-optical Ronchi phase grating for terahertz frequencies

A transmissive, square-wave Ronchi phase grating has been fabricated from the dielectric polytetrafluoroethylene to diffract an ~0.7 THz beam quasi-optically. When illuminated by a coherent, cw terahertz (THz) source, the spot separation of the ±1 diffractive orders and the diffraction efficiency were measured as a function of THz frequency and rotation angle. The grating performance depends sensitively on the refractive index, whose value can be measured with an accuracy limited by the fabrication precision. The use of these gratings for polarization-insensitive quasi-optical imaging and phased arrays is discussed.     

基于多路复用体全息光栅的角度放大器设计

为设计基于多路复用体全息光栅的角度放大器, 建立了多路复用角度放大器(MAM)模型, 从效率均衡性和角度分布均匀性两个方面归纳了其设计规则; 研究了光刻过程中的误差对MAM性能的影响; 分析了实际发散光束对MAM性能的影响. 研究表明:控制光栅空间频率和光栅倾斜角可以实现需要的MAM角度分布, 控制光栅厚度和折射率调制深度可以实现MAM最佳衍射效率; MAM最大复用路数不超过10路; 增大光栅倾角或者记录光与工作光波长之比有利于抑制参考光角度误差带来的MAM出射角分布误差, 减小光栅厚度有利于抑制厚度误差     

基于液晶/聚合物光栅的高转化效率有机半导体激光器

采用有机半导体发光材料聚[2-甲氧基-5-(2-乙基己氧基)-1,4-苯乙炔]作为增益介质,低官能度光敏单体制备的液晶/聚合物光栅作为外部反馈谐振腔,制备出参数可独立控制的分离式结构的有机半导体激光器.液晶/聚合物光栅中液晶分子的取向影响光栅折射率调制量,从而影响光栅的反馈能力,最终影响激光器出射激光的性能.通过研究发现决定液晶分子取向的主要有两种与光栅周期有关的作用力,利用这一原理制备不同周期的光栅,光栅周期小于450 nm时,相分离出的液晶分子取向由光栅矢量方向变为光栅沟槽方向,此时光栅的折射率调制量增加,光反馈能力增强.采用周期为395 nm的液晶/聚合物光栅制备二级布拉格散射的有机半导体激光器,相较于大周期光栅(593 nm)制备的激光器,激光阈值由0.70μJ/pulse降低至0.18μJ/pulse,转化效率由2.5%提高到6.4%,且出射激光垂直于基板表面发射,有利于后续的处理及应用.     

非线性光栅的自适应光限幅

首次采用液晶为自聚焦媒质,夹在内表面刻有光栅的两玻璃片间,以Ar离子激光514.5nm波长的激光束垂直入射到光栅上,实验验证了该光栅的自适应光限幅特征。     

利用光衍射效应探测周期极化微结构晶体

以光栅衍射理论为基础，从理论上分析研究了微结构晶体衍射效率与占空比和折射率的关系.采用波长为532nm，最大功率为80mW 的连续激光为光源，分别对周期极化掺镁铌酸锂微结构晶体和周期极化同成分铌酸锂微结构晶体的占空比及极化反转引起的折射率变化进行了测试.测试结果表明，掺镁铌酸锂晶体周期极化反转所引起的折射率改变量大于同成分铌酸锂晶体极化反转所引起的折射率变化. 关键词： 光栅衍射 占空比 折射率变化     

纳米银掺杂的高效率全息聚合物分散液晶光栅制备

报道了一种基于掺杂纳米银聚合物分散液晶(PDLC)材料的高衍射率全息电控光栅的制备及特性。通过在原有聚合物分散液晶材料体系中添加适量的纳米银颗粒以制备体全息光栅,实验研究了掺杂不同质量比的纳米银颗粒对全息聚合物分散液晶(H-PDLC)体光栅的衍射效率、驱动阈值电压、响应时间的影响。实验结果表明,通过掺杂纳米银材料,能够优化聚合物和液晶两相分离结构,使聚合物与液晶分离更加彻底,显著提高H-PDLC体光栅的一级衍射效率,同时能改善体光栅的电光特性,缩短响应时间。初步分析表明,由于纳米银颗粒的表面等离子体效应和体系折射率匹配的优化改善了H-PDLC光栅的特性。     

Optimization of highly efficient terahertz generation in lithium niobate driven by Ti:sapphire laser pulses with 30 fs pulse duration

We systematically study the optimization of highly efficient terahertz(THz) generation in lithium niobate(LN)crystal pumped by 800 nm laser pulses with 30 fs pulse duration. At room temperature, we obtain a record optical-to-THz energy conversion efficiency of 0.43% by chirping the pump laser pulses. Our method provides a new technique for producing millijoule THz radiation in LN via optical rectification driven by joule-level Ti:sapphire laser systems, which deliver sub-50-fs pulse durations.     

C60掺杂向列相液晶中光栅衍射选择性的分析

利用琼斯矩阵(Jones matrix) 方法对C60掺杂向列相液晶中光栅衍射选择性进行分析.给出两束p 偏振光在液晶样品中产生相位全息光栅的透射矩阵,通过探测光的矢量和光栅透射矩阵的琼斯矩阵运算,可以探测衍射光束的偏振态与入射光偏振态的关系.分析发现对于p 偏振的探测光,透射光和正、负一阶衍射光的偏振态均为p 偏振,且正、负一阶衍射效率相同;对于s 偏振的探测光只有透射光存在,可见记录的相位光栅表现出光栅衍射的选择性.     

写入光偏振态对Ce:KNSBN晶体衍射特性的影响

采用非同时读出条件下晶体两波耦合实验装置,以单束光入射Ce:KNSBN光折变晶体,通过改变抽运光偏振方向和品体c轴的夹角φ.系统记录了不同φ角下的抽运光透射光强I',随时间的变化情况.实验结果表明,当φ≤30°时,基本没有光扇效应;实验研究了正交偏振光写入下Ce:KNSBN晶体的两波耦合动态过程,并与e光写入下两波耦合动态过程进行了比较,发现正交偏振光写入时光扇噪声得到了明显抑制,在相同的写入参量条件下光栅的衍射效率明显提高.     

Nonlinear Model of Record and Readout of Holographic Transmission Diffraction Gratings in Absorbent Photopolymers. II. Numerical Modeling and Experiment

The temporal dynamics of harmonic amplitudes and refractive index grating profiles is modeled numerically for the theoretical model of the (N+1)th spatial harmonic of the refractive index grating constructed on the basis of the solution of coupled kinetic photopolymerization equations derived in [1] with allowance for the absorption for N = 2. Solutions of the self-consistent diffraction problem [1] are used to analyze numerically the diffraction efficiency and angular selectivity of recorded gratings. Model parameters of the experimentally investigated photopolymer material are estimated by means of a comparison of the experimental data on the diffraction kinetics and angular selectivity with the results of model calculations presented in [1]. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 7, pp. 85–92, July, 2005.     

Investigation of dielectric properties and diffraction efficiency enhancements caused by photothermal effect in DR9 dye-doped nematic liquid crystal

In this work, we studied dielectric properties and laser-induced refractive index changes originating from photothermal effects of liquid crystal material doped with Disperse Red 9 (DR9) dye. Dye concentration is arranged to be between percentages changing from 0.2 wt.% to 1 wt.% in E63 nematic liquid crystal. Nonlinear optical properties such as diffraction efficiency (η) and refractive index modulation (Δn) were investigated by diffraction grating measurements. It was found the diffraction efficiency of pure E63 nematic liquid crystal is 1%. As the doping amount of DR9 dye in nematic LC is increased, diffraction efficiency took higher values and the maximum diffraction efficiency of 10% was gained with E63 doped with 0.8 wt.%DR9 dye. Moreover, dielectric permittivity and dielectric anisotropy values of the samples were investigated in the frequency range of 100 Hz-10 MHz by using dielectric spectroscopy technique. It was observed that dielectric constant values of the liquid crystal material are strongly affected by doping with dye.     

Effect of proton exchange and annealing on diffraction efficiency of Fe:LiNbO3 crystals

Influence of proton exchange and annealing on the photorefractive properties of Fe:LiNbO₃ crystals has been investigated using two-wave coupling phenomena. The two-wave coupling phenomena results in microscopic interference pattern inside the sample which subsequently helps in the formation of refractive index grating. The diffraction efficiency of the crystal increases after proton exchange, whereas the reverse is observed on annealed samples. The former is attributed to an increase of extraordinary refractive index of the crystal, while the latter to the oxidization of Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺.     

Enhanced Terahertz Phonon Polariton in Lithium Niobate Chip

Terahertz (THz) phonon polaritons, fundamental quasi-particles that couple lattice vibrations with electromagnetic fields at THz frequencies, are found in a variety of materials that offer the potential for a wide range of THz optoelectronic devices and on-chip integrated systems. However, these compact devices and on-chip systems are hampered by the absence of on-chip powerful THz phonon polariton sources. In this study, the efficient generation and amplification of THz phonon polaritons are proposed and directly visualized on a lithium niobate (LN) chip via a tilted pulsefront phase matching technique. By combining lateral pumping and phase matching schemes, two orders of magnitude are successfully attained in the interaction distance between the pump light and the LN chip, accompanied by a substantial amplification of generated THz phonon polariton. The results of this study may lead to abundant potential applications in chip scale THz photonic devices and systems based on LN materials and its integrated heterostructures.     

Large refractive index modulation tilted holographic planar structured grating based on dichromated gelatin

A new type grating, tilted holographic planar structured dichromated gelatin (DCG) grating with large refractive index modulation, is presented in this paper. The grating is inscribed by superposing two coherent laser beams from the front and the thin side surfaces, respectively. The relationship between the tilted angle and the three types of coupling modes is analyzed when coupling with fiber. Besides, the couple mode theory and experimental investigation are applied on major characteristics analysis of the radiation mode DCG grating of tilted angle 45°. Due to the tilted planar structured grating has large refractive index modulation, it not only offers convenience for connecting (or integrating) with other fiber or waveguide-based devices, but also provide some special characteristics such as low wavelength selectivity (which is required for some applications such as multiple spectrum biomedical imaging). Therefore, this unique grating device has a wide application in optical fields such as for the waveguide-based, parallel, multiple spectrum imaging system.     

光诱导液晶中偶氮聚合物形成相光栅的研究

报道了一种新型偶氮聚合物掺杂液晶的复合体系.该体系中的偶氮聚合物在光诱导下发生顺反式异构形成与液晶分离的相光栅.通过建立多指数模型研究该相光栅在He-Ne光的辐照下折射率的变化情况,并且通过对聚合物掺杂液晶的样品加上连续变化的电压来研究其对电场的响应过程.同时研究了聚合物的单体掺杂液晶后随光场和电场的变化情况.结果表明,光诱导下聚合物掺杂液晶的样品折射率改变值经45s达到饱和,弛豫时间为10min;单体掺杂时,饱和时间与弛豫时间分别为0.17s和0.9s.外加电场在1.0V、1.4V、2.6V和4.0V时光栅的衍射效率会突然下降,而单体在变化的外电场下衍射无明显变化.     

Enhancement of the diffraction efficiency of the hologram recorded in photorefractive media under the action of external electric field

Diffraction efficiency as a function of the applied electric field for the non-linear regime has been calculated by solving numerically the beam coupling equations. The refractive index variation used in the beam coupling equations was calculated directly from the material rate equations via the total space charge field. The diffraction efficiency of the holograms recorded in photorefractive media is not only a function of the applied external electric field but also a function of crystal thickness, diffusion field, reduced fringe contrast modulation ratio and absorption coefficient of the materials. The effects of these parameters on the efficiency of the holograms have been studied in details. In the absence of the external applied field, it is found that the diffraction efficiency of the holograms could be maximized for a thinner photorefractive crystal having lower absorption coefficient and higher value of diffusion field, which could exist at a much lower value of reduced fringe contrast modulation ratio of the index grating. More efficient holograms can be recorded in the presence of the externally applied electric field as compared to the case of no external field.     

Boundary effects in the diffraction of light by volume gratings: II. Phase transmission gratings

The two-wave approximation of the method of characteristics modes is used to analyze theoretically the diffraction of light by volume phase transmission gratings for arbitrary proportions between the average refractive index of the grating and the refractive indices of the ambient media. Simple expressions are derived for calculating the amplitudes of the diffracted waves in the case where the angle of incidence of the primary wave coincides with the Bragg angle. The roles of the front and back boundaries of the grating are discussed separately, and a new method for separating the contribution of the boundary diffraction, which is due to the periodic inhomogeneity of the grating boundaries, is proposed. The experimental possibility of selecting partial Bloch waves in the measurements of the diffraction efficiency of gratings that have high reflection coefficients of both boundaries is demonstrated.     

Structured illumination in total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy using a spatial light modulator

In wide-field fluorescence microscopy, illuminating the specimen with evanescent standing waves increases lateral resolution more than twofold. We report a versatile setup for standing-wave illumination in total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. An adjustable diffraction grating written on a phase-only spatial light modulator controls the illumination field. Selecting appropriate diffraction orders and displaying a sheared (tilted) diffraction grating allows one to tune the penetration depth in very fine steps. The setup achieves 91 nm lateral resolution for green emission.