Limiting efficiencies of nonlinear-optical processes in microstructure fibers

The ways of achieving limiting waveguide enhancement of nonlinear-optical processes in microstructure and photonic-crystal fibers are studied. The waveguide enhancement of nonlinear-optical processes is shown to be physically limited because of the competition of diffraction and refractive-index-step radiation confinement. In the case of the limiting refractive-index step values for fused silica fibers, the maximum waveguide enhancement of nonlinear-optical processes is achieved with submicron fiber core diameters. The maximum waveguide enhancement of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering in a hollow microstructure fiber relative to the regime of tight focusing is shown to scale as λ ²/α^a4 with radiation wavelength λ, the inner fiber radius a, and the magnitude of radiation losses α.     

Four-wave mixing of picosecond pulses in hollow fibers: expanding the possibilities of gas-phase analysis

Third-harmonic, difference-frequency, and sum-frequency generation processes in hollow fibers are experimentally studied with 30-ps pulses having an energy of several millijoules. The experimental dependence of the difference-frequency signal on the pressure of the gas filling the fiber agrees well with the results of calculations when the contribution of higher order waveguide modes is taken into consideration, thus indicating the importance of nonlinear-optical processes involving higher order waveguide modes of a hollow fiber. Hollow fibers are also shown to expand the possibilities of nonlinear-optical analysis of gases by allowing the generation of third-harmonic and sum-frequency signals, which vanish in the regime of tight focusing in a medium with normal dispersion. Received: 26 September 2000 / Revised version: 15 January 2001 / Published online: 30 March 2001     

Waveguide modes of electromagnetic radiation in hollow-core microstructure and photonic-crystal fibers

The properties of waveguide modes in hollow-core microstructure fibers with two-dimensionally periodic and aperiodic claddings are studied. Hollow fibers with a two-dimensionally periodic cladding support air-guided modes of electromagnetic radiation due to the high reflectivity of the cladding within photonic band gaps. Transmission spectra measured for such modes display isolated maxima, visualizing photonic band gaps of the cladding. The spectrum of modes guided by the fibers of this type can be tuned by changing cladding parameters. The possibility of designing hollow photonic-crystal fibers providing maximum transmission for radiation with a desirable wavelength is demonstrated. Fibers designed to transmit 532-, 633-, and 800-nm radiation have been fabricated and tested. The effect of cladding aperiodicity on the properties of modes guided in the hollow core of a microstructure fiber is examined. Hollow fibers with disordered photonic-crystal claddings are shown to guide localized modes of electromagnetic radiation. Hollow-core photonic-crystal fibers created and investigated in this paper offer new solutions for the transmission of ultrashort pulses of high-power laser radiation, improving the efficiency of nonlinear-optical processes, and fiber-optic delivery of high-fluence laser pulses in technological laser systems.     

Controlled light localization and nonlinear-optical interactions of ultrashort laser pulses in micro-and nanostructured fibers with a tunable photonic band gap

Physical principles behind the control of light localization and nonlinear-optical interactions in micro-and nanostructured fibers are demonstrated. Transmission measurements on the cladding of nanostructured fibers having a form of a two-dimensional periodic structure with a pitch less than 500 nm have revealed the existence of a photonic band gap tunable within the range from 930 to 1030 nm. The influence of the structure of the holey-fiber cladding on the effective area of the waveguide mode and the spectral broadening of Ti:sapphire and Cr:forsterite femtosecond laser pulses is experimentally studied. It is shown that the increase in the air-filling fraction of a holey-fiber cladding results in a considerable enhancement of spectral broadening of short laser pulses due to the increase in the light localization degree in the fiber core.     

锥形光纤模场直径极小值特征研究

模场直径是光纤波导基模的特征参量。单模光纤中的功率密度与模场直径成反比。随着光纤激光器单模输出功率的不断攀升,纤芯中的功率密度不断增加,过高的功率密度会使光纤波导产生光学损伤和热损伤。基于锥形光纤模场分布近似模型,研究发现不同参数的拉锥光纤模场直径最小值位置对应的归一化频点具有规律性。采用有限差分波束传播法（FD-BPM）对不同波长、不同数值孔径下纤芯直径和模场直径的对应关系进行模拟,结果表明:模场直径最小值位置在归一化频率1.8附近,与光纤参数和波长的选取没有直接关系。这个特征参数可为高功率激光在光纤中功率密度最大值位置的快速确定提供依据,也为光纤光学理论增加了新的内涵。     

Supercontinuum generation in a multiple-submicron-core microstructure fiber: toward limiting waveguide enhancement of nonlinear-optical processes

A new design of supercontinuum-generating microstructure fibers is demonstrated, with supercontinuum emission produced in six submicron-diameter cores surrounding a larger central core with a diameter of 2 to 5 m. Such a multiple-core microstructure-fiber design not only allows the total energy of supercontinuum emission to be increased, but also offers a practical way of fabricating microstructure-integrated bundles of small-core high-index-step fibers with very large lengths. Submicron-core fused-silica microstructure fibers are shown to provide maximum ratios of the fiber-core-confined laser power to the fiber-core diameter, allowing limiting waveguide enhancement factors to be approached for a broad class of nonlinear-optical processes contributing to supercontinuum generation. PACS 42.65.Wi; 42.81.Qb     

Uniform Core Field in Symmetrical Planar Waveguides and Circular Fibers with Nonlinear Claddings

It is known that no uniform electric field profile exists in a planar linear waveguide. The uniform core field can be shown to exist in symmetrical planar waveguides and circular fibers with nonlinear claddings. Theoretical analysis and numerical calculations are carried out to show that when the modal index equals to the core refractive-index, the core field becomes uniform at an appropriate optical power. Analysis for a step-index circular fiber with nonlinear cladding have also shown that the core field becomes uniform under similar conditions. The occurrence of a uniform field in a waveguide core may believe to have promising applications in waveguide, optoelectronic and photonic devices.     

Uniform Core Field in Symmetrical Planar Waveguides and Circular Fibers with Nonlinear Claddings

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Spectronanoscopy of photonic wires and supercontinuum generation by parametrically coupled Raman sidebands

Within a narrow spectral region around the wavelength of zero-group-velocity dispersion of a nonlinear-optical waveguide, phase-matched four-wave mixing couples the Stokes Raman sideband of a pump field to its anti-Stokes counterpart. This wave coupling suggests a sensitive probe for linear and nonlinear-optical parameters of the waveguide, enabling the detection of nanoscopic size variations of microchannel waveguides in photonic-crystal fibers, and facilitates the generation of broadband supercontinuum radiation.     

集成光学条波导阵列与单模光纤阵列的联接

本文报告了一种新的集成光学条波导阵列与镶嵌在硅V槽中的单模光纤阵列耦合联接方法的设计考虑,导出了确定光纤正确位置及V型槽的几何尺寸的若干计算公式.并讨论了光纤与波导几何尺寸与耦合效率的关系.指出了这是实现单模光纤阵列与条波导阵列的固定联接的有效方法,它简化了波导与光纤的对准程序,即由五维调整简化为平面的一维调整.可实现多个波导和多个光纤的同时对准与固定.最大限度地利用了有效重叠面积,从而提高了光纤与条波导的耦合效率.一组典型的数据是单模光纤(芯径10μm)对单模波导(10μm×5μm)的耦合效率可达55%,而同样尺寸的波导对光纤的最大耦会效率可达86%.     

Four-wave mixing of picosecond pulses in hollow fibers: Phase matching and the influence of high-order waveguide modes

The processes of third-harmonic and difference-frequency generation through the four-wave mixing of picosecond pulses in gas-filled hollow fibers are experimentally studied. Due to the improvement of phase-matching conditions with an appropriate choice of the gas pressure and optimal parameters of the hollow fiber, we were able to use hollow fibers with a large length (up to 30 cm) for difference-frequency generation, which resulted in a considerable increase in the power of the difference-frequency signal at the output of the fiber. Our experimental data reveal a considerable influence of high-order waveguide modes on four-wave mixing processes in a hollow fiber. It is shown that the waveguide regime of nonlinear optical interactions implemented in hollow fibers removes the limitations on the efficiency of third-harmonic and sum-frequency generation, which are characteristic of the tight-focusing regime in media with normal dispersion and which are due to the geometric phase shift arising in tightly focused light beams.     

Limiting efficiencies of second-harmonic generation and cascaded χ processes in quadratically nonlinear photonic nanowires

Quadratically nonlinear waveguides with subwavelength core dimensions are shown to provide limiting efficiencies of second-harmonic generation and three-wave mixing, as well as cascaded χ⁽²⁾ nonlinear-optical interactions. Small-core waveguides made of high-χ⁽²⁾ materials, such as gallium arsenide and indium phosphide, are shown to allow anomalous dispersion to be achieved within the range of wavelengths from 1.3 to 2.0 μm, with the wavelength of zero group-velocity dispersion controlled by the size of the waveguide core.     

Reduced quantum noise in waveguide coherent Raman scattering spectroscopy

Waveguide regimes of nonlinear-optical interactions allow a reduction of quantum noise in spectra of coherent Raman scattering (CRS). We will find the optimal waveguide length providing the maximum quantum limit for the signal-to-noise ratio in waveguide CRS and assess this ratio for laser intensities right below the optical breakdown threshold. This analysis shows that the quantum-limit signal-to-noise ratio of coherent femtosecond CRS spectroscopy of the gas phase can be increased in the waveguide regime by more than four orders of magnitude relative to the regime of tight focusing.     

Electromagnetic field confined and tailored with a few air holes in a photonic-crystal fiber

Conventional and scanning near-field optical microscopy techniques are cross referenced to femtosecond nonlinear-optical measurements and finite-element numerical simulations to visualize and analyze a strong confinement of electromagnetic radiation in guided modes of a photonic-crystal fiber with only a few air holes surrounding the fiber core. A nonlinear coefficient of about 120 W⁻¹ km⁻¹ is achieved at the wavelength of 670 nm for a fused-silica fiber with a full hexagonal cycle of closely packed air holes around the fiber core. The removal of a single element from this array of air holes is shown to frustrate field confinement in guided modes, leading to mode leakage.     

应用于低折射率样品检测的SERS活性液芯光纤

用纳米组装方法在空心光纤内壁修饰SERS活性基底构成内壁具有表面增强拉曼光谱活性层的液芯光纤。激发光由光纤壁横截面入射,并在光纤壁中传播。由于光纤壁的折射率大于检测样品溶液的折射率,使得激发光在光纤壁中发生全反射,并在消逝场下穿透修饰层,激发样品拉曼散射。本方法融合了表面增强拉曼光谱技术与液芯光纤技术的优势,可成为应用于低折射样品溶液体系检测的又一手段。     

高折射率芯Bragg光纤的色散特性研究

应用超格子模型分析了高折射率芯Bragg光纤的色散特性，讨论了Bragg光纤的色散的比例性质以及光纤的芯径、包层周期、填充率与波导色散的关系，并利用这些关系举例实现了Bragg光纤在1.55μm附近的宽带色散平坦. 关键词： Bragg光纤 模式 色散 波导色散     

Optical properties of high-delta air silica microstructure optical fibers

We analyze the waveguide properties of microstructure optical fibers consisting of a silica core surrounded by a single ring of large air holes. Although the fibers can support numerous transverse spatial modes, coupling between these modes even in the presence of large perturbations is prevented for small core dimensions, owing to a large wave-vector mismatch between the lowest-order modes. The result is an optical fiber that can appear single mode with propagation properties that can be achieved only in multimode waveguides.     

Mid-IR soliton compression in silicon optical fibers and fiber tapers

Numerical simulations are used to investigate soliton compression in silicon core optical fibers at 2.3 μm in the mid-infrared waveguide regime. Compression in both standard silicon fibers and fiber tapers is compared to establish the relative compression ratios for a range of input pulse conditions. The results show that tapered fibers can be used to obtain higher levels of compression for moderate soliton orders and thus lower input powers.     

Waveguide modes of hollow photonic-crystal fibers

Waveguide modes of microstructure fibers with a hollow core and a two-dimensionally periodic cladding are studied experimentally and theoretically. The spectrum of modes guided in the hollow core of these fibers displays isolated maxima, indicating that waveguiding is supported due to the high reflectivity of the fiber cladding within photonic band gaps. The main properties of the spectrum of modes guided in a hollow core of a photonic-crystal fiber and radiation intensity distribution in these modes are qualitatively explained in terms of the model of a periodic coaxial waveguide.