Acoustooptic Bragg diffraction without overemodulation with a phased-array transducer

Acoustooptic Bragg diffraction without overemodulation (i.e., with the extended high-efficiency region on the diffraction efficiency dependence vs. sound amplitude) is studied theoretically and experimentally. It is found that this effect appears in the case of a symmetrically nonuniform acoustic field and is due to the equality of additional opposite phase shifts of light beams passing through symmetric regions of the acoustic field. The situation is considered when an acoustic field is excited by a three-section phased-array transducer. The conditions are determined, in which reverse optical power transfer from the diffracted beam to transmitted beam (overemodulation) in the case of a high (close to 100%) diffraction efficiency is considerably suppressed. In the case of a phased array, the effect weakly depends on the frequency of sound and the size of transducer sections, which makes it possible to observe it in a wide range of acoustooptic interaction parameters.     

Effect of the spatial structure of an acoustic field on Bragg’s acoustooptic diffraction under strong acoustic anisotropy conditions

Bragg’s acoustooptic diffraction in an acoustically anisotropic medium is considered taking into account the two-dimensional spatial diffraction structure of the acoustic beam. The conditions are determined under which reverse transfer of optical power from the diffracted to the transmitted beam in the regime of 100% efficiency of diffraction is considerably suppressed. It is shown that this effect is due to diffraction bending of wave fronts of the acoustic beam in the acoustooptic diffraction plane. The problem of optimization of the piezoelectric transducer size and the spatial position of the input light beam is solved using the criterion of the minimal required power of the acoustic field. The results of simulation in a wide range of the acoustooptic interaction parameters for a Gaussian light beam are reported. The correctness of the model is confirmed experimentally. Recommendations for designers of acoustooptic devices are formulated.     

Light modulation by acoustic signals for high diffraction efficiency

A theoretical discussion is presented on strong Bragg acoustooptic interaction AOI of light beams in the dynamic field of an acoustic signal. A system of integrodifferential equations is formulated to describe the evolution of the angular and frequency spectra of the beams in the AOI region for a high level of acoustooptic coupling. The third-order approximation in the perturbation method is used to obtain an analytic solution. Calculations are presented on the modulation of monochromatic beams by acoustic pulses having rectangular envelopes and propagating in a lithium niobate crystal, and the same for a signal having linear frequency modulation LFM in a paratellurite crystal, which demonstrate the broadening of the beam spectrum as the depth of the acoustooptic coupling increases, together with the occurrence of an asymmetry specific to strong AOI in the response of the light field to the symmetrical acoustic signal. Tomsk State University for Control Systems and Electronics, Tomsk. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 99–106, January, 1999.     

Orientation phenomena in nematic liquid crystals under a periodic compressional deformation

The orientation behavior of homogeneous planar layers of nematic liquid crystals with open and closed ends in the field of compressional deformations caused by an acoustic effect is studied. The mechanisms determining the connection of the optical response of a nematic liquid crystal (the variable component of an optical signal and its spectrum) with the acoustic parameters (the oscillation amplitude and frequency, and the amplitude of sound pressure) and the layer thickness are revealed. The factors responsible for the mechanism and modes of acoustooptic conversion are considered. It is demonstrated that, by varying the layer thickness, it is possible to implement different modes of signal conversion. The possibility of designing a new modification of a sound receiver based on a nematic liquid crystal and the specific features of this design are discussed. Its advantages over conventional sound pressure receivers based on nematic liquid crystals are indicated, in particular, the absence of limitation of the frequency of the received signal in the low-frequency range.     

声光效应实验研究

介绍声光效应的最新理论进展。采用光栅假设，对各向同性介质中的声光效应作了简要讨论，导出了第m级衍射光的衍射效率公式。研究和介绍一种新的声光效应实验装置。在实验中，应用线阵CCD光强分布测量仪等，通过改变超声波的频率和功率，分别实现了对激光束方向的控制和强度的调制；定量给出了声光偏转量的关系曲线和声光调制测量的关系曲线。实验表明，在布喇格衍射下，通过固定超声波功率，测量衍射光相对于零级衍射光的相对光强与超声波频率的关系曲线，不仅可以计算声速，还可以确定声光器件的带宽和中心频率。     

Correction to: Generation of amplitude- and phase-modulated signal beam with a phase-only spatial light modulator and its detection by the transport of intensity equation method for holographic data storage

This study evaluates a novel holographic data storage (HDS) that uses a phase-only spatial light modulator (SLM) for the multilevel complex amplitude modulation of a signal beam and the transport of intensity equation (TIE) method to detect the signal beam without interferometry, to increase the capacity of the HDS, simplifying its optical system, and improving the stability of the signal beam modulation and detection. Both the amplitude and phase of the signal beam were modulated by a computer-generated hologram displayed in a phase-only SLM, a 4-f optical system, and a pinhole placed in the Fourier plane. The complex amplitude-modulated signal beam generated by this scheme does not always perfectly match the target complex amplitude, and deviations from the amplitude and phase of the target complex amplitude may exist. It is unclear whether the TIE method, which is sensitive to the state of the beam intensity and the phase distributions to be detected (such as zero-intensity points and phase discontinuities), can accurately detect a signal beam whose complex amplitude is modulated by the modulation scheme with a phase-only SLM. Here, we demonstrate via numerical simulations and experiments that several methods of complex amplitude generation using a phase-only SLM can achieve multilevel modulation of the amplitude and phase of a signal beam and are suitable for detection by the TIE method in HDS.

     

Investigation into the acoustooptic properties of tellurium crystals by anisotropic diffraction of light

The optical, acoustic, and acoustooptic properties of tellurium crystals viewed as a candidate material for mid-and far-IR acoustooptic devices are considered. The phase velocities, polarization, and drift angles of the acoustic energy in different crystal planes are calculated. The acoustooptic figure of merit for tellurium under the anisotropic diffraction conditions is estimated, and light-sound interaction geometries promising for acoustooptic applications are discussed. Measuring data for the optical and acoustooptic parameters of tellurium crystals are given.     

Development of an optical fiber hydrophone with fiber Bragg grating

A new type of optical fiber hydrophone is constructed with a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) based on the intensity modulation of laser light in an FBG under the influence of sound pressure. The FBG hydrophone shows linearity, with dynamic range about 70 dB. It can measure amplitude and phase of an acoustic field in real time, and operates in a wide range of acoustic frequency, at least from 1 kHz to 3 MHz. No signal distortion is observed in the detected signal. Because of the simplicity in its operating principle and geometry, an FBG hydrophone is expected to be an acoustic sensor of high practicality compared to a conventional optical fiber hydrophone.     

Acousto-optic stabilization of the intensity of a laser beam

A system for stabilization of the intensity of a laser beam based on an acousto-optic modulator is theoretically and experimentally studied. An equation that describes dynamic processes in the system and various working regimes is derived. It is demonstrated that the stabilization coefficient depends on the transfer coefficient of the feedback circuit and the position of the working point on the amplitude characteristic of the acoustooptic interaction. An experimental prototype of the stabilization system is based on a paratellurite acousto-optic cell. The system stabilizes the intensity with a coefficient of 78 in a frequency band of 15–180 Hz.     

Optical reflectometric detection of a three-dimensional acoustic field

In laser ultrasonics, when focusing strongly the pump beam, a three-dimensional (3D) diffracted acoustic field can be generated. Considering weakly absorbing materials, the 3D interaction of this elastic perturbation with the optical detection beam must be taken into account. A semi-analytical model is proposed to describe such phenomena in reflectometric measurements. Once the acoustooptic interaction has been partially linearized, the resulting inhomogeneous differential system is solved using the matricant method. Good agreement is found comparing the calculated results with the experimental data in an aluminum film.     

Phase modulation of the signal beam in three-wave forward mixing in photorefractive bismuth silicon oxide

The interaction of three forward beams in a BSO crystal is investigated under conditions when the two pump beams are anti-symmetrically detuned and the signal beam is phase modulated. For sinusoidal phase modulation the signal gain is shown to be dependent on the instantaneous frequency detuning. Single and double maxima in gain are obtained depending on the voltage amplitude applied to the piezoelectric mirror. For triangular phase modulation a slight asymmetry is found in the gain versus detuning curve.     

Measurement of the frequency modulation transfer function of a laser using a Mach–Zehnder interferometer

A technique is presented for determining the frequency modulation transfer function of a laser. The method is based on a Mach–Zehnder interferometer, with a significant difference in the optical path lengths of the two arms. A frequency-modulated laser beam incident on the interferometer produces a phase-modulated photocurrent signal with an effective modulation index that is related to the amplitude of the optical frequency modulation. Techniques for determining both the amplitude and the phase of the optical frequency modulation from the photocurrent signal are described.     

Spatial dependence of the dynamic optical transfer function of a transparent medium perturbed by an acoustic signal

Based on a spatially dependent (SD) dynamic optical transfer function (DOTF) of a medium perturbed by an acoustic signal, a dynamic theory has been developed of the acousto-optical interaction (AOI) of light beams in the field of an arbitrary acoustic signal under conditions of the diffraction distortion of its amplitude profile (DDAP). A system of integro-differential equations is derived for angular and frequency DOTF spectra of coupled waves in the AOI region. An analytical DOTF model has been constructed for a weak acousto-optical coupling. The characteristics of transient processes (TPs) in the diffracted-beam field have been investigated for the spatially dependent DOTF. It is demonstrated that in most practical situations this dependence is manifested rather strongly; however, it does not always affect the TP. Thus, when the light and acoustic beam apertures exceed some characteristic values d^* and L^*, related to the acoustic frequency and speed and the AOI geometry, the effect of the SD DOTF on the transient process can be neglected. Otherwise, the DDAP leads to the asymmetry of the dynamic dependences of the field amplitude of the off-axis angular-spectrum components of the diffracted beam. The parameters d^* and L^* have been calculated for the AOI of several types in lithium niobate and paratellurite crystals. The TP characteristics are illustrated by plots calculated for the DDAP in the case of the AOI in paratellurite. Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Electronics, Tomsk. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 5, pp. 40–48, May, 1999.     

Optical Heterodyne Impulse-Response Measurement of Lithium Tantalate Phase Modulator Driven by Wideband Frequency Signal

In this paper, we describe a novel optical heterodyne interferometer for characterizing phase modulation systems including a lithium tantalate phase modulator. A wideband random signal is imposed on the modulator so that the resultant beat photocurrent is modulated in phase at random. The cross-power spectrum of the fluctuating phase with the wideband random signal driving the modulator is computed to give the transfer function and the impulse response of the phase modulation system. The frequency and time response of the phase modulation are measured up to 15 MHz in a practical experiment.     

Efficient multiple-beam Bragg acoustooptic diffraction with phase optimization of a multifrequency acoustic wave

The subject of investigation is the formation of a highly efficient multiple-beam diffraction field resulting from acoustooptic diffraction by a periodically modulated acoustic wave and acoustic signal composed of a set of independently generated equidistant frequency components. Conditions for minimization of optical losses associated with higher diffraction orders are analyzed. A highly efficient multiple-beam diffraction field is formed by optimizing the phases and amplitudes of signal independent components. A technique of acoustooptic measurements at a high laser radiation intensity is developed, and the basics of the theory are verified experimentally. An attempt to split the power of a laser beam propagating through an optical fiber into seven channels of equal intensities is realized with a net efficiency of 80%.     

Distinctive features of Raman-Nath scattering of light by sound in easy-plane antiferromagnets

This paper discusses the acoustic diffraction of light in the presence of an exchange-enhanced photoelastic interaction of aniferromagnetic origin resulting from acoustic modulation of the dielectric permittivity due to oscillations in the antiferromagnetism vector L. In the “easy-plane” type of antiferromagnet these oscillations arise from antiferromagnetoelastic interactions, and can be so large that the photoelastic interaction corresponding to them can be comparable in value to (or even exceed) the interaction in well-known nonmagnetic crystals actually used in acoustooptic devices. The advantage of antiferromagnets lies in the fact that both the diffraction angle and the amplitude of the diffracted light can depend on the magnitude and direction of a magnetic field in these materals. Here the Raman-Nath diffraction regime is discussed, which is probably more favorable from an experimental point of view for the antiferromagnets in question. It is shown that for these materials, the usual mechanism of photoelastic interaction associated with acoustic modulation of the index of refraction is accompanied by an additional mechanism arising from modulation of the polarization of the optical modes. Qualitative estimates are given for FeBO₃. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 1464–1475 (October 1997)     

0.73～1.7μm超宽带微纳光纤波导全光调制器

提出了单层石墨烯包裹双锥形微纳光纤复合波导结构,构建了730~1 700nm超宽带微纳光纤波导全光调制器。通过火焰拉锥法将一根标准的通信单模光纤拉成具有双锥形的微纳光纤,在保证通光率的前提下可以极大的提升微纳光纤处的倏逝波与物质的相互作用。利用石墨烯的"超级特征",即单原子层厚度、线性色散的能带结构、超强的载流子带间跃迁及极短的弛豫时间和超宽带光与物质相互作用等,将单层石墨烯作为可饱和吸收体,包裹在双锥形微纳光纤波导的锥体上,以增强该复合波导表面倏逝波与石墨烯的相互作用。静态和动态全光调制实验中采用传统808nm低功率LD作为泵浦光,对谱宽为480~1 700nm的超连续谱探测光实现了光光调制,其泵浦光功率低于50mW,调制深度大于5.7dB,调制速率达到~4kHz。该微纳光纤波导全光调制器,在保证调制深度的情况下,用更低的泵浦功率实现了超宽带的全光调制,以简单、有效、廉价的方式兼容了当前高速光纤通信网络,打开了一扇未来对微纳超快光信号处理的大门。     

Method of optical pulse characterization using sinusoidal optical phase modulations

A simple noniterative electric field retrieval method using a sinusoidally driven optical phase modulator is demonstrated. We derive an analytic relation between the two-frequency correlation function of the electric field of the optical signal under test and the derivatives of the optical spectrum of the phase-modulated signal with respect to the amplitude of the phase modulation. This relation is used to algebraically reconstruct the electric field of the signal under test. We validate the technique by demonstrating accurate and sensitive characterization of picosecond pulses used in telecommunication.     

Optical switch phenomenon in a self-defocusing medium

A spatial optical switch phenomenon caused by the induced focusing of a weak probe beam occurring in self-defoeusing nonlinear media is discussed theoretically. A weak beam is induced to focus when it copropagates with an intense pump beam under the conditions that the probe and pump beams peak at different positions and propagate in different directions. Due to the effect of cross-phase modulation, the weak beam can not only be focused but also be deflected. The phenomenon is discussed by numerically solving the coupled amplitude equations.     

基于石墨烯的宽带全光空间调制器

提出了单层石墨烯包裹微纳光纤的全光空间调制.石墨烯作为可饱和吸收体包裹在通过二氧化碳激光器加热制备的微纳光纤上,当信号光沿着微纳光纤传输时部分光将以倏逝场的形式沿着微纳光纤表面传递,并与石墨烯产生作用被吸收.同时将波长为808 nm的抽运光从空间垂直入射到石墨烯包裹的微纳光纤处,依据石墨烯的优先吸收特性,通过抽运光控制石墨烯对信号光的吸收,实现了宽带全光空间调制.在1095 nm波长处获得最大调制深度约为6 dB,调制带宽约为50 nm,调制速率约为1.5 kHz.空间全光调制器具有输出信号光“干净”的特点.与传统石墨烯微纳光纤全光调制器相比,输出端不需要对抽运光进行光学滤波而直接获得已调信号.该复合波导全光空间调制器以更为灵活、高效的方式打开了微纳超快信号处理的大门.