Chirped-pulse supercontinuum generation with a long-cavity Ti:sapphire oscillator

We demonstrate chirped-pulse supercontinuum generation in a conventional fibre with a relatively narrowband, long-cavity, chirped-pulse Ti:sapphire oscillator delivering 200 nJ pulses. The inherent chirp of the outcoupled pulses were overcompensated by a 4-prism compressor to overcome damage threshold problems at the fibre entrance. The resulting fibre output spectrum corresponds to a pulse length of 7 fs in the transform-limit. The experimentally observed highly efficient spectral broadening process of negatively chirped pulses in the fibre is supported by simulation data. PACS 42.65.Re     

Improved large-mode-area endlessly single-mode photonic crystal fibers

We numerically study the possibilities for improved large-mode-area endlessly single-mode photonic crystal fibers for use in high-power delivery applications. By carefully choosing the optimal hole diameter, we find that a triangular core formed by three missing neighboring air holes considerably improves the mode area and loss properties compared with the case with a core formed by one missing air hole. In a realized fiber we demonstrate an enhancement of the mode area by approximately 30% without a corresponding increase in the attenuation.     

Fully efficient adiabatic frequency conversion of broadband Ti:sapphire oscillator pulses

By adiabatic difference-frequency generation in an aperiodically poled nonlinear crystal-a nonlinear optical analog of rapid adiabatic passage in a two-level atomic system-we demonstrate the conversion of a 110?nm band from an octave-spanning Ti:sapphire oscillator to the infrared, spanning 1550 to 2450?nm, with near-100% internal conversion efficiency. The experiment proves the principle of complete Landau-Zener adiabatic transfer in nonlinear optical wave mixing. Our implementation is a practical approach to the seeding of high-energy ultrabroadband optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers.     

Reduced microdeformation attenuation in large-mode-area photonic crystal fibers for visible applications

We consider large-mode-area photonic crystal fibers for visible applications in which microdeformation-induced attenuation becomes a potential problem when the effective area A(eff) is sufficiently large compared to lambda2. We argue that a slight increase in fiber diameter D can be used in screening the high-frequency components of the microdeformation spectrum mechanically, and we confirm this experimentally for both 15- and 20-microm core fibers. For typical bending radii (R approximately 16 cm) the operating bandwidth increases by approximately 3-400 nm to the low-wavelength side.     

Distortion-free delivery of nanojoule femtosecond pulses from a Ti:sapphire laser through a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber

We demonstrate propagation of femtosecond pulses in the 800-nm range through a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber with preserved temporal and spectral profiles for pulse energies up to 4.6 nJ. Without the use of a prechirping unit, 170-fs pulses were transmitted essentially undistorted at 812 nm, near the zero-dispersion wavelength. Because of the air guidance of pulses, intensity-dependent nonlinear effects were minimal, with only 15% pulse broadening occurring at 350-mW average output power. This fiber thus is excellently suited for applications that require single-mode delivery of high-energy ultrashort pulses to the fiber output face such as, for example, miniaturized multiphoton microscopes.     

Spectral compression of femtosecond pulses in photonic crystal fibers

We demonstrate efficient spectral compression of femtosecond pulses near the zero-dispersion wavelength in nonlinear photonic crystal fibers (PCFs). The highest measured compression factor is 21, in which case the spectral brightness increases by a factor of 5. We numerically model the pulse propagation and find good agreement with the experiment. We argue that the fibers studied allow for spectral narrowing of more than 2 orders of magnitude. With dispersion-shifted PCFs, efficient spectral compression can take place across the visible and near-infrared part of the spectrum.     

MW级峰值功率掺钛蓝宝石激光振荡器

在常规重复频率77 MHz掺钛蓝宝石飞秒激光器的基础上,通过腔内引入Herriott型多通望远镜系统增加总腔长及对腔内色散的深入分析和实验控制,实现了低重复频率、高脉冲能量飞秒激光振荡的稳定运行.在连续功率8.2 W的532 nm激光抽运下,得到了重复频率11 MHz、单脉冲能量达72.73 nJ、对应峰值功率MW量级的结果.相对80 MHz重复频率下6.25 nJ的单脉冲能量及150 kW的峰值功率,其输出能力提高了约一个量级. 关键词： 飞秒激光 掺钛蓝宝石激光器 低重复频率 MW     

新型抗弯曲大模场面积光子晶体光纤

研制出一种新型抗弯曲大模场面积石英光子晶体光纤. 利用光子晶体光纤结构设计的灵活性, 通过规划缺陷的位置及空气孔的尺寸, 实现了大模场面积单模及低弯曲损耗特性.应用建立的实际光子晶体光纤特性分析模型, 研究了研制光纤的模式特性和弯曲特性, 在波长1064 nm处, 平直状态下光纤的模场面积可以达到2812 μm², 基模限制损耗为0.00024 dB/m, 高阶模限制损耗高于1.248 dB/m. 基模和高阶模之间的高传输损耗差, 保证了在获得大模场面积的同时实现单模传输. 弯曲半径和弯曲方向角所带来弯曲损耗变化的研究结果显示, 即使在弯曲半径小到5 cm时, 弯曲损耗也在10^-3 dB/m量级以下, 而且在弯曲半径为30 cm时光纤可承受的弯曲方向角范围扩展至-60°–60°. 研制的光纤具有良好的低弯曲损耗特性, 可有效解决非对称结构所带来的光纤弯曲特性对弯曲方向角敏感的问题. 该光纤在高功率光纤激光器、放大器及高功率传输等技术领域具有重要的应用价值. 关键词： 光子晶体光纤 大模场面积 低弯曲损耗 弯曲方向角     

新型三角芯抗弯曲大模场面积光子晶体光纤

提出了一种新型三角芯抗弯曲大模场面积光子晶体光纤.该结构采用单一尺寸的圆形空气孔, 降低了制作难度.在波长1.064 μm处, 在平直状态和弯曲半径为30 cm时, 模场面积分别为1386 μm²和1153 μm², 弯曲带来的模场面积减少量仅为16.85%. 当弯曲半径为30 cm时, 基模的损耗为0.087 dB/m, 二阶模的损耗大于1.5 dB/m, 大的损耗差有效保证了光纤单模运转.此外, 弯曲半径30 cm时, 弯曲方向角扩展至±180°, 光纤弯曲不再受弯曲方向的限制. 所设计的光纤结构具有大模场面积、小的模场面积减少量、 低的弯曲损耗以及低的弯曲方向敏感度等优势, 为小型化、集成化高功率激光传输及光纤激光器和放大器的研究奠定了基础. 关键词： 光子晶体光纤 大模场面积 抗弯曲 弯曲方向角     

High-power double-clad large-mode-area photonic crystal fiber laser

A high power double-clad ytterbium-doped large-mode-area photonic crystal fiber (LMA PCF) laser was demonstrated using a unique Fabry-Perot (F-P) configuration. The pump source is a fiber coupled diode array operating at 976 nm. A continuous wave (CW) output power of 50 W at ～ 1.04 μm with a slope efficiency of 76.3% is obtained. Single transverse mode operation is achieved without any thermal-optical problems. This laser has the potential for scaling to much higher output power.     

Wavelength tunable,high energy femtosecond laser pulses directly generated from large-mode-area photonic crystal fiber

Wavelength tunable high energy ultrashort laser pulses are generated from a large-mode-area photonic crystal fiber in anomalous dispersion (AD) regime. A simplified laser cavity design with one fine polished facet of the fiber as a cavity mirror is used. The intra-cavity dispersion compensation is achieved by a grating pair, the spatial dispersed light from which also have optical spectrum filtering effects combined with the limited aperture of the fiber core. The laser system is able to generate ultrashort pulses ranging from 494 fs (with 56 nJ pulse energy) to 1.24 ps (with 49 nJ pulse energy) at 55 MHz repetition rate. The filtering mechanism benefits the generation of high energy pulses with narrowing pulse duration in AD regime. An undulation in frequency and time domain is also observed with the increase of the pump power. Furthermore, this laser system is directly used as seed for supercontinuum generation.     

Self-starting Ti:sapphire holographic laser oscillator

We demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, operation of a holographic laser oscillator that uses laser-pumped Ti:sapphire (Ti(3+) : Al(2)O(3)) as the gain medium. The device is self-starting and self-adaptive by virtue of spontaneous gain-grating formation. We present experimental results of the system that include gain-switched pulses of 25-60-ns duration in a TEM(00) mode and as much as 11 mJ of output energy from a plane output coupler and 47 mJ from an intracavity polarizer port.     

Supercontinuum generated in all-normal dispersion photonic crystal fibers with picosecond pump pulses

The supercontinuum (SC) generation in all-normal dispersion (ANDi) photonic-crystal fiber (PCF) pumped by high power picosecond pulses are investigated in this paper. Our results show that an octave SC may be achieved by pumping the ANDi PCF with picosecond pump pulses. However, the PCF length required may have to be lengthened to several tens of centimeters, which is much longer than that with femtosecond pump pulses. The relatively long PCF gives rise to much higher Raman gain and stronger Raman frequency shift compared to those with femtosecond pump pulses, which in turn not only cause a distorted temporal waveform and an un-flattened spectrum, but also severely degrade the coherence of the generated SC.     

双包层大模场面积保偏掺镱光子晶体光纤研究

采用改进的化学气相沉积法和溶液掺杂法制备出掺镱石英光纤预制棒,以该预制棒为有源纤芯制备芯区直径约为30μm的双包层保偏掺镱光子晶体光纤.模拟计算得到该保偏光纤的模场面积约232μm2,双折射系数B为5×10-5.利用该光纤分别进行了脉冲激光和连续激光的放大测试实验,在国内首次实现了高效率的飞秒激光放大,2 m长的光子晶体光纤可得到1.64 W的激光输出,激光放大斜率效率为49.8%.同时5 m长的光纤还能够实现8.12 W的连续激光放大输出,斜率效率达到55.9%,具有较高的斜率效率.此外,该光纤消光比约10 dB,具有良好的保偏特性.     

长脉冲抽运光子晶体光纤四波混频和超连续谱的理论研究

本文数值研究了长脉冲抽运光子晶体光纤四波混频和超连续谱的产生.依据准连续波近似下的相位匹配条件和能量守恒定律,能够理论上确定在光子晶体光纤正常色散区抽运时,四波混频效应产生的信号光和空闲光波长;以及在光纤反常色散区抽运时,调制不稳现象产生的两个对称旁瓣波长.利用自适应分步傅里叶法,定量地模拟了利用波长为1064 nm的亚纳秒激光器抽运两种不同色散特性的光子晶体光纤四波混频效应和超连续谱的产生,模拟结果与实验结果符合非常好. 关键词： 光子晶体光纤 超连续谱 四波混频 自适应分步傅里叶法     

Dynamics of blueshifted floating pulses in gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibers

Frequency blueshifting was recently observed in light pulses propagating on gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibers where a plasma has been produced due to photoionization of the gas. One of the propagation models that is adequate to describe the actual experimental observations is here investigated. It is a nonlinear Schrödinger equation with an extra term, to which we applied a self-similar change of variables and found its accelerating solitons. As in other NLS-related models possessing accelerating solitons, there exist asymmetrical pulses that decay as they propagate in some parameter region that was here well defined.     

Octave-spanning spectrum generation in Ti:sapphire oscillator

A Ti:sapphire oscillator emitting an octave-spanning spectrum that ranges from 460 to 1000 nm is demonstrated. To our knowledge, it is the first time that a supercontinuum as a whole measured after the output coupler extending beyond 500 nm in the blue end is generated from a femtosecond Ti:sapphire oscillator. In the Ti:sapphire oscillator operating in self-Q-switched and self-mode locked mode, two chirped mirrors and a prism pair were used for dispersion compensation. These experimental results would open a new option for the construction of simple continuum sources.     

直接从钛宝石激光器获得超连续光谱

采用啁啾镜和棱镜对相结合补偿色散的方法在自调Q自锁模钛宝石激光器腔内直接产生了超 过一个倍频程的超连续光谱，光谱范围从460nm到1000nm；这是飞秒激光器输出光谱在短波 波段第一次突破500nm.这将使得脉冲的载波包络偏移频率的测量装置得到大大简化，同时也 提高了光频测量的稳定性. 关键词： 超连续光谱 啁啾镜 自调Q自锁模 钛宝石激光器     

All-fiber format compression of frequency chirped pulses in air-guiding photonic crystal fibers

Air-cored, photonic band-gap crystal fibers exhibiting low nonlinearity and anomalous chromatic dispersion in spectral ranges inaccessible to conventional fibers can be used in the realization of all-fiber-format pulse compressors with unprecedented peak powers and wavelength diversity. Linear compression of inherently chirped and prestretched pulses by factors ranging from 20 to 80 around 1.0 and 1.5 microm have allowed generation of pulses as short as 163 fs. The results show that totally integrated femtosecond fiber laser sources can be realized throughout the visible and near-infrared and point to the possibility of megawatt peak and tens of watt average in-fiber power levels.     

钛宝石飞秒激光振荡器的稳定性改善

对钛宝石飞秒激光器脉冲序列的强度和时间的稳定性进行了分析.实验比较了钛宝石飞秒激光器底板有无水冷的条件下,输出锁模脉冲序列的稳定性以及中心波长和光谱宽度的变化.结果表明对钛宝石飞秒激光器底板施加水冷可改善锁模脉冲的稳定性. 关键词： 钛宝石激光器 稳定性 飞秒脉冲