Gain in phase sensitive parametric image amplification

We report an experiment of type 2 parametric image amplification in a phase sensitive configuration. In the spatial frequency domain, the parametric gain corresponds to amplification or deamplification, depending on the relative phase of the input image with respect to the pump wave and on the spatial frequencies of the input image.     

基于光参量变频与放大的高灵敏红外成像技术

针对可用于微弱红外图像探测的光学参量变频与增强技术,进行了仿真与实验探索.针对高增益光参量放大器(OPA)过程中的参量荧光背景噪声,提出了基于外接圆模型的空间滤波技术,通过仿真优化设计,利用空域、频域滤波与像传递系统相结合的方法,将参量荧光背景的抑制比例超过70%,其增强后的成像质量较之前有明显改善,峰值信噪比提升22%.基于10 Hz,355 nm的大能量皮秒紫外抽运激光,实现了红外波段到可见光波段的参量频率上转换,得到了超过1.3×108(82 d B)的光学图像增益.实验结果表明,采用高增益OPA作为光学预放大级之后,常规非制冷电荷耦合器件可实现微弱红外成像的有效探测,灵敏度可达每像素7.4个光子.该方案有望用于单光子级高灵敏红外成像场合.     

Effective signal-to-noise ratio improvement by parametric image amplification

We show experimentally that parametric optical preamplification greatly improves the signal-to-noise ratio of an image if the detector has a poor quantum efficiency and/or a great level of readout noise. Results are fully consistent with the theory of quantum-noise-limited amplification.     

Numerical simulation of spatial fluctuations in parametric image amplification

We study the properties of the spatial fluctuations in the far-field parametric fluorescence output of a type 1 degenerate traveling-wave parametric amplifier. Results of a semi-classical simulation are compared with experiments in a LBO crystal. This simulation is then used to predict amplified images of a continuous background, in a phase-sensitive as well as in a phase-insensitive configuration. Received 12 March 2001     

Phase conjugation,imaging in biological media and characterization of quantum noise by parametric image amplification

We review recent results about parametric image amplification obtained in our group and in others. First, forward phase conjugation has been used to restore images through aberrant media and to image objects embedded through thick biological tissues. Second, quantum noise in image amplification has been actively studied by several groups, leading to theoretical demonstration of image entanglement and squeezing, as well as experiments on noiseless image amplification and characterization of the correlations in the spatial fluctuations of amplified images.     

Boosting quantum efficiency using multi-stage parametric amplification

We develop a numerical simulation to demonstrate increased quantum efficiency that can be achieved by using a second stage, phase matched crystal to convert signal energy to the idler wavelength. A pair of ZnGeP₂ crystals with walkoff and pump absorption were simulated leading to a tripling of the idler output energy. The output beam characteristics are close to a Gaussian beam with an M² around 1.1.     

Assessment of image resolution improvement by phase-sensitive optical parametric amplification

Classical information theory can be used to quantify the resolution performance of optical imaging systems. When an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) operated as a phase-sensitive amplifier (PSA) in the transverse spatial domain is used for point source imaging, the angular resolution improvement can approach the de Broglie resolution (i.e. Heisenberg limit). In this paper, classical information theory is employed to quantify the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement for both an ideal and a realistic multimode PSA applied to the problem of sub-Rayleigh imaging. When only considering the noise originating from the detector, the SNR improvement is found to scale quadratically as a function of the PSA gain, in the limit of noise power comparable to signal power. Differences in performance of an ideal PSA and a realistic PSA are discussed.     

Numerical simulation of ultra-broadband phase-sensitive optical parametric amplification of image

The ultra-broadband phase-sensitive optical parametric amplification and de-amplification of image in a BBO nonlinear crystal with type I phase-matching are theoretically investigated. Amplified images with a gain of 10⁸ and a bandwidth as broad as 420 nm are realized using a 25 GW/cm ⁻² peak pump-power density with 1.125 ps chirped-pulse duration. The spatial resolution after optical parametric amplification is estimated to be q ₀ =200 rad/mm (i.e., 31.8 lines/mm), which corresponds to the size of the minimum resolvable feature of the amplified image ~5 μm.     

Video rate depth-resolved two-dimensional imaging through turbid media by femtosecond parametric amplification

We report two-dimensional imaging through a liquid scattering medium by noncollinear femtosecond parametric amplification in a reflection configuration. The experiment presented permits direct observation at video rate of two-dimensional images with 24-mum depth resolution and 90-mum transverse resolution for an area with a 2.5-mm diameter on the object. These resolutions are achievable through a turbid phantom with a depth near 12 scattering mean free paths in double pass.     

Amplification of fluorescence using collinear picosecond optical parametric amplification at degeneracy

We demonstrate the output characteristic of broadband parametric amplification of incoherent light pulses in a 355-nm pumped degenerate picosecond optical parametric amplification with either saturated or unsaturated amplification.The optical parametric amplifier is seeded by the fluorescence generated in a solution of pyridine-1 dye in ethanol.With the saturated amplification,we can obtain high energy incoherent light pulses,whose full width at half maximum bandwidth varies from 16 nm to 53 nm for the different phase matching angles near degeneracy.Moreover,the unsaturated bandwidth of the amplified pulses fits well to the calculated result at degeneracy.Selecting s-polarized fluorescence with a Glan-Taylor prism,the maximum bandwidth of the amplified fluorescence is found to be 59 nm for a purely s-polarized seed.The maximum output energy is 0.67 mJ for the optical parametric amplifier.By using an optical filter and compressor,the generated high energy incoherent light has great potential as the incoherent pump,signal or idler wave of a parametric down-conversion process,so that a wave with a high degree of coherence can be generated from an incoherent pump light.     

High-conversion-efficiency optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification system using spatiotemporally shaped pump pulses

High-conversion-efficiency, high-stability optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification is demonstrated with a spatiotemporally shaped pump laser system. Broadband 5-mJ pulses are produced at a 5-Hz repetition rate with a pump-to-signal conversion efficiency of 29% and energy stability better than 2% rms. To our knowledge this is the highest conversion efficiency and stability achieved in an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification system.     

Quantum statistics of parametric amplification

Quantum statistical properties of the parametric amplification and generation are investigated. The losses are included and the pump field is treated classically. It is shown that the normal counting generating function decomposes into the product of two functions which are the generating functions for the superposition of coherent and chaotic field and that the outputting field exhibits the anticorrelation effect when the phase of incident fields fulfil a certain condition.The authors thank Mrs A.Mikulecká from Laboratory of Computer Science of Palacký University for performing computations.     

Cavity-enhanced optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification

A novel method for the generation of high-energy ultrashort optical pulses is described and studied theoretically and numerically. Through the combination of parametric amplification and enhancement cavities, this method opens a route to generate few-cycle pulses at unprecedented average power levels through the use of a low-energy, high average-power pump source and energy storage in the enhancement cavity. Dispersion in the enhancement cavity ceases to be a concern with the use of long pump pulses. Limitations set by the Kerr nonlinearity of the amplifier crystal are analyzed, and ways to overcome them using self-defocusing nonlinearities are discussed.     

Bandwidth and stability enhancement of optical parametric amplification using chirped ferroelectric superlattice

We report a theoretical analysis and numerical simulation of bandwidth and stability enhancement in optical parametric amplification (OPA) when using chirped periodically poled KTiOPO₄. Calculation results show that the bandwidth and stability are enhanced significantly by the use of a chirped grating. Temperature-gradient and fanned gratings are introduced and chirp factors of them are deduced and calculated. The use of a fanned grating flattens the Quasi-phase-matching response and improves the efficiency. Finally, we propose a method to reduce the instability induced by an unstable pump.     

Investigation of near-collinear degenerated quasi-phase matching optical parametric amplification using PPKTP crystal

The gain properties of near-collinear degenerated phase-matched optical parametric amplification (OPA) using PPKTP crystal are investigated theoretically. The results indicate that the type-0 phase matching of PPKTP has larger accepted angle and better gain spectrum by tuning crystal temperature or rotating crystal angle.     

Large temporal window contrast measurement using optical parametric amplification and low-sensitivity detectors

To address few-shot pulse contrast measurement, we present a correlator coupling the high gain of an optical parametric amplification scheme with large pulse tilt. This combination enables a low sensitivity charge coupled device (CCD) to observe features in the pulse intensity within a 50 ps single-shot window with inter-window dynamic range >10⁷ and <0.5 mJ input energy. We also consider use of optical densities to boost the CCD dynamic range within a single temporal window.     

Quantum statistics of multimode parametric amplification

The effect of a multimode interaction on the squeezing attainable in parametric amplification is investigated. In the non degenerate case the maximum squeezing attainable is reduced from the single mode case, whereas in the degenerate case the squeezing is essentially unaffected by the multimode nature of the interaction.     

Optical parametric amplification from quantum noise

A treatment of optical parametric amplification (OPA) starting from quantum noise is presented. In order to describe the experimental situation the quantum theoretical approach is related to the propagation phenomenon taking into account the multimode character of the parametric radiation. An expression for the initial intensity occurring in the classical formula is derived.     

Self-induced parametric amplification of high-order harmonics

A theoretical analysis of self-induced parametric amplification of high-order harmonics is given. This mechanism permits the elimination of limitations on the harmonic-generation efficiency that are imposed by absorption.