Generation of flat-top waveform in the time domain based on stimulated Brillouin scattering

A method of generating a flat-top waveform in the time domain based on stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is proposed. The transmitted pulses are simulated with pump wavelength at 1064 nm and 532 nm, respectively, and validated in the experiment performed with the Nd:YAG seed-injected laser. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical simulation. With 532 nm pump wavelength, the top of the transmitted pulse is almost a platform, while there is a peak in the front and a platform in the back with 1064 nm pump wavelength. The mechanism behind the generation of flat-top waveform with 532 nm pump wavelength is analyzed in details. PACS 42.65-k; 42.65.Es; 42.65.Hw     

Transmission property for a one-dimensional photonic crystal containing a subwavelength layer and a nonlinear layer

Using the transfer matrix method, we investigate the transmission property of a one-dimensional photonic crystal doped with a linear subwavelength layer and a Kerr-type nonlinear layer. We find that a thin film of subwavelength layer can significantly modify the characteristic of optical bistability. We also find that the sequence of the thin film and the nonlinear layer has a major impact on the hysteretic behavior. With the investigations to the linear defect mode and the electric field distribution in the nonlinear material, we explain these phenomena. PACS 42.65.Pc; 42.25.Bs; 42.70.Qs; 42.65.-k; 78.66.-w     

Practical issues in ultra-short-pulse measurements with ‘GRENOUILLE’

We examine the characteristics and limitations of GRENOUILLE, a simple and compact implementation of the second-harmonic-generation (SHG) frequency-resolved-optical-gating (FROG) technique. We show that it can be made to operate effectively over a relatively wide range of pulse lengths and wavelengths. We also describe procedures for its design and calibration, and we discuss the use of arbitrary nonlinear SHG crystals. PACS 42.65.-k; 42.65.ReAn erratum to this article can be found at     

Controlled supercontinuum generation for optimal pulse compression: a time-warp analysis of nonlinear propagation of ultra-broad-band pulses

We describe the virtues of the pump–probe approach for controlled supercontinuum generation in nonlinear media, using the example of pulse compression by cross-phase modulation in dielectrics. Optimization of a strong (pump) pulse and a weak (probe) pulse at the input into the medium opens the route to effective control of the supercontinuum phases at the output. We present an approximate semi-analytical approach which describes nonlinear transformation of the input pulse into the output pulse. It shows how the input and the output chirps are connected via a time-warp transformation which is almost independent of the shape of the probe pulse. We then show how this transformation can be used to optimize the supercontinuum generation to produce nearly single-cycle pulses tunable from mid-infrared to ultraviolet. PACS 42.65.Re; 42.65.Ky     

Temperature and wavelength dependent refractive index equations for MgO-doped congruent and stoichiometric LiNbO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

We present wavelength- and temperature-dependent refractive index equations for 5% MgO-doped congruent PPLN and for 1% MgO-doped stoichiometric PPLN crystals valid for a wide spectral and temperature range. The dispersion equations were derived from quasi-phase-matched nonlinear interactions with these two crystal compositions in the near and mid-infrared. The results show a good agreement with previously published frequency conversion experiments. PACS 42.65.Ky; 42.65.Yj; 42.70.Mp     

Z-scan measurements of the nonlinear refractive indices of novel Yb-doped laser crystal hosts

We report on the z-scan characterization of the nonlinear refractive indices of three borate crystals (GdCOB, YCOB, and BOYS), which are new promising Yb-doped laser hosts. The results indicate the possibility of substantial Kerr-lensing and self-phase modulation effects in femtosecond oscillators and amplifiers. High values of the nonlinear refractive indices suggest possible KLM operation of such lasers. PACS 42.65.An; 42.65.Hw; 42.55.Rz; 42.65.Re     

Localized structures in an optical feedback interferometer: properties and interactions

The occurrence of localized structures in a nonlinear optical experiment is a robust phenomenon, persisting in a wide region of the parameter space. We demonstrate how different control parameters determine several properties of localized structures; among these of particular relevance are the contrast and the amplitude and frequency of the oscillations appearing on the tails of the structures. Tuning these oscillations modifies the interactions between pairs of localized structures, thus resulting in a substantial modification of their bound-state spectrum. PACS 42.65.Tg; 05.45.Yv; 42.65.Sf     

Ultra-fast reconfigurable spatial switching between a quadratic solitary wave and a weak signal

Experimental and numerical investigations of an ultra-fast reconfigurable spatial switch based on the nonlinear interaction between a weak wave (the signal) and a solitary wave (the control) at 1548 nm are reported. The non-collinear interaction in a quadratic nonlinear film waveguide gives birth to a third switched optical beam (the idler). This beam could be steered according to the transverse spatial position of the control beam. PACS 42.65.Ky; 42.65.Re; 42.65.Wi     

Nonlinear optical characteristics of nanoparticles in suspensions and solid matrices

The study of the nonlinear optical parameters of suspensions and glass matrices doped with various nanoparticles (Ag, Cu, Co, Au, Pt, GaAs, CdS, As₂S₃) are presented. Various techniques for the preparation of nanoparticles in suspensions and solid matrices, in particular laser ablation, chemical methods, and ion implantation are discussed. We present our measurements of the nonlinear refractive indices, nonlinear absorption coefficients, saturation intensities, and nonlinear susceptibilities of nanoparticles-containing media using laser pulses generating in various spectral and temporal ranges. PACS 42.65.An; 42.65.Hw; 42.65.Jx; 61.46.Df; 78.67.Bf     

Optical limiting of ultrashort pulses by carbon black suspension

This work reports on the performance of a carbon black suspension (CBS) working as an optical limiter at the sub-nanosecond regime. Although this material is known to be inefficient at this time scale, we show that its limiting action can be enhanced with a multipass configuration due to the accumulative effect that is provided when the laser beam is repeatedly focused inside the nonlinear medium. We also show that the focusing produced by the self-phase modulation of femtosecond pulses is deleterious to the accumulative process and the limiting is not as good as for picosecond pulses. PACS PACS 42.65.-k; 42.65.Sf; 78.40.Dw     

Observation of filamentation-induced continuous self-frequency down shift in air

We observed a new filamentation nonlinear process: continuous self-frequency down shift inside the filament zone during the propagation of a femtosecond laser pulse in air. The frequency shift depends strongly on the length of the self-guided column (filament). PACS 42.65.Dr; 42.65.Jx; 52.35.Mw     

Characterization of the nonlinear refractive index of the laser crystal Yb:KGd(WO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>

We present results of the characterization of the nonlinear refractive index of the laser crystal Yb:KGd(WO₄)₂ using a z-scan technique over the 800–1600 nm wavelength range. Based on our experimental and theoretical results we conclude that Yb:KGW crystal is a good candidate for efficient Kerr-lens mode locking. PACS 42.65.An; 42.65.Hw; 42.55.Rz; 42.65.Re     

Nonlinear beam shaper for femtosecond laser pulses, from Gaussian to flat-top profile

We present a straightforward method to transform a spatially Gaussian femtosecond laser beam into a flat-top shaped beam. The proposed technique takes advantage of a nonlinear phase induced in positive Kerr medium followed by a simple optical system. The variation of the refractive index with the laser intensity creates a phase plate which induces changes in the beam profile after propagation; flat-top and doughnut profiles are observed. The shaping conditions are computed numerically and confirmed experimentally. The method does not introduce energy losses. The device is very simple, self-regulated, flexible and does not need a manufactured phase plate or precise alignment. This method can be useful for light-matter interaction and laser machining.     

Study of ultra-fast optical pulse propagation in a nonlinear directional coupler

We showed that the application of a soliton in a nonlinear coupler does not show a better switching performance than a Gaussian pulse, unlike what the existing theory expected. Like the Gaussian pulse, a soliton could also suffer distortion, broadening, or narrowing in a nonlinear directional coupler. In addition, by using a new normalized format the linearly coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations were investigated. For the first time, we found that both the coupling behavior and the switching performance of pulses in a nonlinear coupler depend on the product of the coupling coefficient and the dispersion length. We also showed that for a given nonlinear coupler with a Gaussian-like or soliton-like pulse input, switching performance and whether a pulse breaks up or not mainly depend on the input pulse width, not the pulse shape. PACS 42.65.Tg; 42.65.Wi; 42.81.Qb     

Progress in chirped pulse optical parametric amplifiers

We discuss the main issues of optical parametric chirped pulse amplification and overview recent progress in the field. Although we distinguish between the two operating modes of modern chirped pulse parametric amplifiers, OPCPA and NOPA, we reveal that both represent the same technique and share a common concept. PACS 42.65.Yj; 42.65.Re     

Nonlinear optical characteristics of self-assembled films of ZnO

In the present work, we have investigated the nonlinear optical properties of self-assembled films formed from ZnO colloidal spheres by z-scan technique. The sign of the nonlinear component of refractive index of the material remains the same; however, a switching from reverse saturable absorption to saturable absorption has been observed as the material changes from colloid to self-assembled film. These different nonlinear characteristics can be mainly attributed to ZnO defect states and electronic effects when the colloidal solution is transformed into self-assembled monolayers. We investigated the intensity, wavelength and size dependence of saturable and reverse saturable absorption of ZnO self-assembled films and colloids. Values of the imaginary part of third-order susceptibility are calculated for particles of size in the range 20–300 nm at different intensity levels ranging from 40 to 325 MW/cm² within the wavelength range of 450–650 nm. PACS 81.16.Dn; 42.65.-k; 42.65.An; 42.70.-a; 42.70.Nq; 78.20.Ci     

Improvement of characterization accuracy of the nonlinear photonic crystals using finite elements-iterative method

We investigate nonlinear one- and two-dimensional photonic crystals by applying a finite element-iterative method. Numerical results show the essential influence of nonlinear elements embedded into a quarter-wave stack and the sharp photonic crystal waveguide bend on the spectral characteristics of these structures. We compare our results with those obtained in [21] from the discrete equation method for the case of a sharp waveguide bend. The comparison shows that neglecting the nonuniform field distribution inside the embedded nonlinear elements leads to overestimation of the waveguide bend transmissivity. PACS 42.65.-k; 42.70.Qs     

Anisotropic photonic lattices and discrete solitons in photorefractive media

We study experimentally two-dimensional periodic photonic lattices optically imprinted in photorefractive nonlinear media, and explore the effect of anisotropy on the induced refractive-index patterns. The orientation anisotropy is demonstrated by comparing square and diamond lattices, while the polarization anisotropy is shown to distinguish ordinarily and extraordinarily polarized light. In particular, the extraordinarily polarized lattice induces much stronger refractive-index modulation for the same conditions. Finally, we exploit the photorefractive anisotropy to generate a quasi-one-dimensional refractive-index pattern for the observation of two-dimensional solitons and corroborate these experiments by numerical simulations. PACS 42.65.Tg; 42.65.Wi     

Locking of the longitudinal modes of an SBS-laser oscillator by optical feedback

The use of a nonlinear mirror on the basis of the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) as part of a resonator in a laser oscillator leads to the generation of bandwidth due to the shift in frequency that is connected with the reflection at the SBS-mirror. Another effect of the nonlinear SBS-reflection is a passive Q-switch, which leads to a generation of pulses with durations of approximately 100 ns. An almost perfect locking of the longitudinal modes is observed if an additional external resonator is applied and certain resonance criteria are obeyed. This locking of the longitudinal modes surfaces as a splitting of the Q-switch pulses into trains of pulses with subnanosecond duration. PACS 42.60.Fc; 42.60.Gd; 42.65.Es     

Intra-cavity power effects in singly resonant cw OPOs

A continuous wave singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (cw SRO) has been developed that can be pumped at a level of up to 15 times its oscillation threshold by a single frequency fiber laser pump source. We report the observation of extremely high intra-cavity circulating powers of over 1 kW at the signal wavelength, and associated effects including heating of the nonlinear crystal, and beam quality degradation. Furthermore we show that these effects may be mitigated by implementing output coupling, while also extracting multi-Watt single frequency power output at both signal and idler wavelengths. PACS 42.65.Yj; 42.55.Wd; 42.62.Fi