Toward higher-order passive harmonic mode-locking of a soliton fiber laser

We report >13 MHz/mW pump power efficiency in increasing the repetition rate of passive harmonic mode-locking by engineering the soliton pulse energy in Er fiber lasers incorporating carbon nanotube saturable absorber. Stable pulses with a ～5 GHz repetition rate and 40 dB of super-mode suppression are demonstrated with only ～400 mW pump power in a single-clad fiber laser.     

Polymethine IR laser dyes for passive mode-locking of ruby lasers

Several polymethine IR laser dyes, in addition to the well known DDI and cryptocyanine, are found to be suitable for mode-locking of ruby lasers. While with DDI pulses as short as 12 psec are obtained these new mode-lockers generate pulses in the 40 to 100 psec range, presumably due to their longer recovery time of the ground-state absorption.     

Electronic frequency tuning of the acousto-optic mode-locking device of a laser

The effect of the electronic tuning of the acoustic resonances in an acousto-optic mode-locking device of a laser is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The problem of the excitation of a Fabry–Perot acoustic resonator by a plate-like piezoelectric transducer (PET) is solved in the approximation of plane acoustic waves taking into consideration the actual parameters of an RF generator and the elements for matching the PET to the generator. Resonances are tuned by changing the matching inductance that was connected in parallel to the transducer of the acousto-optic cell. The cell used in the experiment was manufactured from fused silica and included a lithium niobate PET. Changes in the matching inductance in the range of 0.025 to 0.2 μH provided the acoustic-resonance frequency tuning by 0.19 MHz, which exceeds the acoustic- resonance half-width.     

On measurements of the refractive index dispersion in Porous Silicon

Attention is drawn to the limited applicability of the well-known simplified expressions for determining the dispersion of the refractive index in thin films from the Fabry-Perot interference. It is emphasized that, instead of the true curve n(λ), which characterizes the change in the phase velocity of light, one may arrive at the λ dependence of the group velocity of a wave packet. A method is proposed to extend the technique for measuring n(λ) with the application of a Jamin interferometer combined with a spectrograph in the case when the zero-order fringe falls outside the field of the spectrograph.     

相敏式激光啁啾色散光谱技术在高吸收度情况下的应用

研究了相敏式激光啁啾色散光谱法在高吸收度情况下的应用.用窄频半导体激光器作为光源,利用一工作于载波抑制模式的铌酸锂电光强度调制器调制单频激光,在单频激光两侧产生两个边频分量,并通过两边频分量产生外差干涉信号.利用外差干涉的相位波动来测量甲烷气体位于1653.7 nm附近的折射率波动,通过气体折射率与吸收系数之间的Kramers-Kronig关系计算甲烷气体浓度.传统的波长调制光谱法受限于郎伯-比尔定律,在应用于高吸收度的情况时,存在灵敏度下降的问题,甚至出现随气体浓度上升输出信号反而下降的现象.实验结果显示,相同实验条件下,波长调制光谱法的线性测量范围为38.1—1500 ppm·m,线性测量的动态范围仅为16 d B;而相敏式激光啁啾色散光谱法在很大的吸收度范围内均具有线性输出,检出限低至47.3 ppm·m,线性测量范围上限为174825 ppm·m,具有超过35 d B的动态范围.     

Superluminal light attenuated by strong dispersion of complex refractive index

The propagation of narrow packets of electromagnetic waves(EMWs) in frequency dispersive medium with the consideration of the complex refractive index is studied. It is shown that counting in the dispersion of the complex refractive index within the context of the conventional expression of the group velocity of narrow wave packets of EMWs propagating in a dispersive medium results in the appearance of additional constraints on the group velocity, which dictates that the physically acceptable group velocity can only be realized in the case of a negligible imaginary part of the group index. In this paper, the conditions that allow one to realize the physically acceptable group velocity are formulated and analyzed numerically for the relevant model of the refractive index of a system of two-level atoms in the optical frequency range. It is shown that in the frequency band where superluminal light propagation is expected, there is a strong dispersion of the refractive index that is accompanied with strong absorption, resulting in a strongly attenuated superluminal light.     

Investigation of Cr:YAG passive mode-locking in a pulsed Nd:YAG laser

Passive mode-locking of a pulsed Nd:YAG laser using a Cr⁴⁺:YAG saturable absorber was realized for the first time in a nearly critical stable resonator containing an antiresonant ring structure. The output energy and pulse duration are 13.5 mJ and 180 ps, respectively. The recovery time and saturable intensity for excited-state absorption of Cr⁴⁺:YAG under the action of strong laser pulses were calculated from rate equations.     

Nonlinear refractive index of a rare-earth-doped fiber laser

An expression is derived for the intensity-dependent index of refraction of a rare-earth-doped fiber laser by use of a Kramers-Kronig relation and simple rate equations. The solution is applied to examine the properties of the nonlinear index of an ytterbium-doped silicate fiber laser at 975-nm pump and 1080-nm laser wavelengths.     

运动介质的色散关系及等效折射率

结合运动介质本构关系,运用并矢代数方法,求解运动介质中电磁场的色散关系．结果表明,波数k与波频ω之间仍然保持线性关系,其比例系数决定于波传播方向k与介质运动方向v之间的夹角θ、参考系之间的相对运动速度口以及静止介质折射率n’的大小．     

Precision measurement of the refractive index of air with frequency combs

We report an experimental method for high-precision refractive index measurement using a Michelson interferometer setup with a femtosecond optical frequency comb as the light source. We demonstrate this technique by measuring the refractive index of air, under different pressures, inside a 29 m multipass cell. Both spectral and temporal interferograms are recorded. The method has a sensitivity of 6.2 x 10(-9) and a standard error of 7.4 x 10(-8) at fixed parameters (pressure and temperature). The possible variation of the density factor from the Lorentz-Lorenz equation is also discussed.     

Passively Q-switched mode-locking Erbium-doped fiber laser with net-normal dispersion using nonlinear polarization rotation technique

We experimentally demonstrate a passively Q-switched mode-locking (QML) operation in an Erbium-doped fiber ring laser with net normal dispersion by using nonlinear polarization rotation technique. A 2 m long section of dispersion compensating fiber (DCF) with extra large positive dispersion was inserted into the cavity to ensure the fiber laser working in the region of net positive dispersion. By carefully adjusting the polarization controller, both uniform dissipative mode-locking pulses with fundamental repetition rate and QML pulse trains with tunable repetition rate from 71.58 to 98.83 kHz are achieved. It is found that the QML operation is caused by the interaction between the polarization state of the pulse and the intracavity polarizer.     

High-power passive mode-locking of a diode pumped Yb:GdVO4 laser

Passive mode-locking of a diode pumped Yb-doped GdVO₄ crystal laser was demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge. The laser was mode-locked at the wavelength of 1019.1 nm and had an average output power of 1.01 W. The mode-locked pulse duration was 3.1 ps. The laser was end-pumped by a high-power fiber pigtailed laser diode bar and the mode-locking was enabled by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM).     

On the theory of transient evolution of the passive mode-locking

An analog of Boltzmann H-theorem is proved for laser systems with a fast saturable absorber and gain tracing the intensity averaged over the cavity: from any initial conditions the system passes into the steady-state single pulse mode.     

Tailoring the nonlinear refractive index of fluoride-phosphate glasses for laser applications

In this paper we report on measurements of the nonlinear refractive index n₂ at 1047 nm of various fluoride-phosphate laser glasses relative to fused silica using degenerate four-wave mixing. We find good agreement with empirical estimates obtained from the d-line linear refractive index and the Abbe number for pure fluoride-phosphate glasses. Significant increase of n₂ is observed when adding sulfate and niobium oxide to the glass composition offering tailorable nonlinear properties for glasses employed in short pulse laser oscillators. Received: 27 December 1999 / Published online: 24 March 2000     

A triple function linear fiber laser with passive mode-locking and continuous-wave single-wavelength and multiwavelength lasing

We propose a fiber laser that can operate with passive mode-locking pulse output, continuous single-wavelength emission, and continuous multiwavelength emission. It consists of a nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) in a linear cavity. The NOLM is used to induce different kinds of intensity-dependent feedback, which determine the operation mode of the laser. We have experimentally demonstrated that the fiber laser can easily be switched between the operation modes. The results may find useful applications in optical communication and fiber sensing.     

周期结构薄膜在折射率色散下反射区特性研究

周期性结构是光学薄膜设计的基本物理模型,给出了反射区中心波长的一般性条件,研究了在膜层材料存在折射率色散情况下,等厚周期结构和非等厚周期结构的薄膜反射区中心波长与带宽特性.研究结果表明:在等厚和非等厚周期结构中,考虑膜层材料折射率色散与忽略色散情况相比,中心波长向长波方向移动,反射级次与相对波数的线性关系偏离;在薄膜光学厚度一定的非等厚周期结构中,高折射率层光学厚度大于低折射率层时,反射级次与相对波数的线性关系偏离度高;非等厚周期结构薄膜的带宽在低反射级次上小于等厚周期结构,同时膜层的色散对反射带宽影响不大.