Adaptive control of femtosecond pulse propagation in optical fibers

Nonlinear effects present fundamental obstacles to the propagation of femtosecond pulses of detectable energy in single-mode optical fibers, inducing severe distortion even after a very short (a few meters) propagation distance. We show here that adaptive pulse shaping can overcome these limitations by synthesizing pulses that are self-correcting for higher-order nonlinear effects when they are launched in the fiber. This approach would not only affect optical communications but also yield benefits in various disciplines requiring optimized fiber-based femtosecond pulse delivery, for example, nonlinear imaging techniques such as multiphoton microscopy, material processing, and medical diagnostics.     

Parametrically shaped femtosecond pulses in the nonlinear regime obtained by reverse propagation in an optical fiber

We present the experimental realization of a method to generate predetermined, arbitrary pulse shapes after transmission through an optical fiber in the nonlinear regime. The method is based on simulating the reverse propagation of the desired pulse shape in the fiber. First, linear and nonlinear parameters of a single-mode step-index fiber required for the simulation are determined. The calculated pulse shapes are then generated in a pulse shaper.     

光孤子在色散缓变光纤中传输时的等价增益

从准非线性Ｓｃｈｒ?ｄｉｎｇｅｒ（ＮＬＳ）方程出发，导出了色散缓变光纤中光孤子脉冲传输所满足的与常规光纤中含增益效应等价的ＮＬＳ方程，给出了该方程的微扰解析解和光孤子脉冲宽度演化表达式。对于阶跃型单模光纤，得到了光纤几何参数与增益系数之间的一般函数关系。最后采用数值模拟方法模拟了不同色散缓变光纤中光孤子脉冲传输特性，指出色散缓变光纤不仅能补偿光纤损耗对孤子脉冲的展宽效应，而且能压缩光孤子脉冲，因而预计它可能有较广泛的应用前景。 关键词：     

基于单模光纤的交叉相位调制型频率分辨光学开关超短脉冲测量

利用单模光纤中的光弹效应和交叉相位调制(XPM)效应,提出了一种频率分辨光学开关法测量超短脉冲的新方案.在本方案中,单模光纤的前一部分产生可变延迟,后一部分作为非线性介质产生非线性效应.该方案只需一根单模光纤,无须复杂的光路校准,结构简单,损耗低;光纤中的XPM效应易发生,无须相位匹配.对提出的方案进行了数值模拟,采用基于矩阵的主元素广义投影算法,恢复出待测脉冲的幅度和相位信息,并研究了光纤长度和待测超短脉冲的脉冲宽度对测量结果的影响.结果表明:测量准确度随着光纤长度的增加而提高,选取长度为2 km的光纤,就可以实现对超短脉冲的准确测量;本文方案适用于脉冲宽度不小于80 fs的超短光脉冲的测量.     

Ultrafast pulse sources based on multi-mode optical fibers

Ultrafast pulse sources based on multi-mode optical fibers are discussed. High-power passively mode-locked fiber lasers based on multi-mode rare-earth-doped optical fibers greatly exceed the power limitations of single-mode oscillators. Ultrafast multi-mode fiber amplifiers operating in conjunction with multi-mode oscillators provide even higher power levels, where nonlinear propagation effects enable pulse compression to below 100 fs. Multi-mode fiber oscillators can be combined with single-mode Raman-shifting fibers to produce widely wavelength-tunable sources of femtosecond pulses. Further amplification in Yb fibers allows for the generation of sub-100-fs pulses with W-level average powers.     

基于高阶色散管理和相位共轭技术的色散补偿

相位共轭技术能够同时且高效地补偿二阶色散及非线性效应，且该技术同信号比特率、调制方式无关，是最有前景的色散补偿技术之一。理论分析了在高阶色散作用下，超短高斯脉冲信号在中距相位共轭通信系统中的传输演化特性，数值模拟了在二阶、三阶和四阶色散作用下，飞秒高斯脉冲信号在基于中距相位共轭技术的光纤色散管理链中的动态传输过程。结果表明，相位共轭技术和高阶色散管理相结合，不仅可以补偿和复原包括奇数阶和偶数阶色散在内的全部色散和非线性所引入的信号失真和畸变，而且能够减弱时分复用系统中脉冲之间的相互作用，使得信号在传输一个周期后恢复波形，从而提高了相位共轭系统对失真信号的补偿性能。     

Design guidelines and characteristics for a kind of four-layer large flattened mode fibers

A theoretical method to analyze a kind of four-layer large flattened mode (LFM) fibers is presented. The properties of the fiber, including the fundamental and higher-order modal fields, effective area and bending loss are discussed by comparison. At the same time, the reasons for the different characteristics are considered. The obtained results indicate that the effective area of the four-layer LFM fiber is about 1.3 times larger than that of the conventional standard step-index fiber and the fiber can suppress the higher-order modes via bending effectively. The four-layer LFM fiber has less efficient bend-induced filtering ability than the conventional step-index fiber; however, it has more efficient filtering ability than the three-layer LFM fiber.     

单模光纤中基于交叉相位调制的压缩脉冲对产生

基于波长位于反常色散区强泵浦脉冲的交叉相位调制,通过对波长位于正常色散区的弱脉冲在单模光纤中的传输进行数值模拟,得出了一种压缩脉冲的新方法.计算结果表明,在零色散波长位于弱脉冲波长和泵浦脉冲波长中间附近的情况下,交叉相位调制(XPM)与群速度色散(GVD)的共同作用能使弱脉冲演化成比其初始宽度窄得多的脉冲对.同时我们还发现,泵浦脉冲的相对于信号脉冲初始峰值功率愈高,初始相对宽度越小,所得弱脉冲的压缩比和压缩后脉冲峰值功率愈高,压缩到最窄时所需光纤长度越短.最后对基于这一压缩的物理机制作了详尽的分析.     

Nonlinear propagation dynamics of an ultrashort pulse in a hollow waveguide

We present a theoretical investigation of the self-focusing dynamics of femtosecond pulses in a hollow waveguide. We show that transverse effects play an important role in these dynamics, even for pulses that are significantly below the critical power for self-focusing in free space, and that excitation of higher-order modes of the waveguide results in the spreading of the pulse in time. Inclusion of self-steepening and space-time focusing in our model is necessary for properly capturing the pulse dynamics.     

Conversion of waveguide modes in a periodic optical fiber

We investigate the distinctive features of the propagation and interaction of linearly polarized modes of an unperturbed step-index fiber, perturbed by a periodic distribution of the dielectric constant along the axis of the optical fiber. An analysis is made for unidirectional and opposite modes and two-mode excitation of the optical fiber. Ul’yanovsk Branch, Moscow State University. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, p. 40–46, March, 1998.     

Self-Q-switched Er-Brillouin fiber source with extra-cavity generation of a Raman supercontinuum in a dispersion-shifted fiber

Brillouin mirrors based on a single-mode optical fiber provide the simplest, completely passive, and most universal way to produce nanosecond pulses with extensive wavelength tunability. We propose an all-fiber solution, where a passively Q-switched Er-doped Briilouin fiber laser pumped by a low-power laser diode produces pulses with a peak/average power contrast of 500 W/25 mW and, in association with a conventional dispersion-shifted fiber employed as an extracavity nonlinear medium, causes the generation of a nanosecond supercontinuum extending from 900 to over 1800 nm. Expanding evolution of the spectrum kicked off by the multicascade Brillouin process is reported.     

基于光纤中超短脉冲非线性传输机理与特定光谱选择技术的多波长飞秒激光的产生

高集成、高可靠性宽调谐飞秒激光源在超快光谱学、量子光学及生物成像等研究与应用领域具有重要价值.如在生物多光子显微成像中,具有适中能量的宽调谐飞秒激光源不仅可满足多种生物组织荧光激发所需的峰值功率与激发波长,而且也可以显著提升非线性荧光产生效率、成像分辨率以及增大成像穿透深度.采用自主研发的高可靠性全保偏光纤飞秒激光器作为抽运源,基于低色散光纤中高峰值功率飞秒激光脉冲非线性传输引起的光谱加宽机制,本文开展了多波长全光纤飞秒激光产生技术研究.通过采用中心波长在980, 1000,1050, 1070与1100 nm的带通滤波片选择性地对单模光纤输出光谱中最左边与最右边光谱旁瓣进行滤波,在上述中心波长处分别可获得203, 195, 196, 187与194 fs的激光输出.本文提出的基于全光纤飞秒激光脉冲在单模光纤中非线性传输引起的光谱加宽机制与特定光谱选择技术的实验方案为高集成、高可靠性宽调谐飞秒激光源的实现提供了新的研究途径.     

Spectral broadening of 40-fs Ti:sapphire laser pulses in photonic-molecule modes of a cobweb-microstructure fiber

Photonic-molecule modes of a cobweb-microstructure fiber allow efficient nonlinear optical spectral broadening of nanojoule femtosecond light pulses. Spectral widths of approximately 200 nm are achieved at the output of a 6-cm sample of such a fiber for 40-fs Ti:sapphire laser pulses with an energy of a few nanojoules coupled into photonic-molecule modes. Higher values of the group index and a lower group-velocity dispersion, attainable with higher-order photonic-molecule modes, allow the efficiency of spectral broadening of femtosecond laser pulses to be increased relative to the efficiency of spectral broadening in the fundamental photonic-molecule mode. Received: 9 June 2002 / Revised version: 29 June 2002 / Published online: 22 November 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +7-095/939-3959, E-mail: zheltikov@top.phys.msu.su     

Sub-60-fs ytterbium-doped fiber laser with a fiber-based dispersion compensation

We present a mode-locked ytterbium fiber laser with a higher-order mode fiber compensating the group-velocity dispersion and partially the third-order dispersion of the single-mode fiber at a wavelength of 1 microm. The generated pulses had an energy of 0.5 nJ and could be dechirped externally to a pulse duration of less than 60 fs. The power spectrum shows a spectral full width at half-maximum of 57 nm.     

Actively mode-locked fiber ring laser by intermodal acousto-optic modulation

We report an actively mode-locked fiber ring laser. A simple and low-insertion-loss acousto-optic modulator driven by standing flexural waves, which couples core-to-cladding modes in a standard single-mode optical fiber, is used as an active mechanism for mode locking. Among the remarkable features of the modulator, we mention its high modulation depth (72%), broad bandwidth (187 GHz), easy tunability in the optical wavelength, and low insertion losses (0.7 dB). The narrowest optical pulses obtained were of 95 ps time width, 21 mW peak power, repetition rate of 4.758 MHz, and 110 mW of pump power.     

色散条件下各向同性光纤中拉曼增益对光脉冲自陡峭的影响

基于光脉冲所满足的慢变函数,详细推导了包含拉曼增益的高阶非线性薛定谔方程,在考虑色散的条件下,运用分步傅里叶方法对其数值分析,进而模拟仿真了拉曼增益对高斯脉冲在各向同性光纤中传播时自陡峭效应的影响,并与不考虑拉曼增益的自陡峭效应作比较,从而得出拉曼增益在不同条件下对高斯脉冲自陡峭效应的具体影响方式.结果表明,拉曼增益会影响高斯脉冲的展宽、脉冲峰值衰减以及在前后沿的振荡,其影响程度与具体的自陡峭参数、脉冲功率和色散系数的大小有关.     

基于无芯-少模-无芯光纤结构的温度传感特性研究北大核心CSCD

提出了一种基于无芯-少模-无芯光纤结构的温度传感器,对传感器进行了理论分析和实验研究。该传感器将无芯光纤(coreless fiber,CLF)与少模光纤(few-mode fiber,FMF)同轴熔接,构建无芯-少模-无芯的光纤结构,结构两端熔接单模(single mode fiber,SMF)光纤作为输入输出光纤,第1段无芯光纤与单模光纤的模式失配起到激发高阶模的作用,少模光纤中的LP01与LP11两种模式沿少模光纤纤芯传输,在第2段无芯光纤的作用下LP01与LP11两种模式重新耦合回单模光纤,LP01与LP11两种模式发生干涉,形成干涉光谱。当外界温度变化时,两种模式的光程差发生变化,干涉光谱的干涉波谷发生漂移,选取2个不同的干涉波谷作为特征波长,进行实验分析。实验结果表明:波长在1550 nm和1534 nm附近的干涉谷均发生红移,相应的温度灵敏度分别为68 pm/℃和44.5 pm/℃。该传感结构制作简单、灵敏度高,有很好的应用前景。     

Beam quality factor of mixed modes emerging from a multimode step-index fiber

The beam quality factors (or M² parameter) of coherent and incoherent superposition of the several lower-order LP modes emerging from a step-index fiber have been calculated by using the second-order moment method. The results indicate that, for an individual LP mode, the M² parameter takes its maximum value when the normalized frequency V of the step-index fiber approaches the cut-off frequency, and it gradually becomes constant as V increases. In the case of incoherent superposition, the larger the fraction intensity carried by the higher-order mode, the larger the beam quality factor M². Under certain circumstances, the value of the M² parameter of the mixed mode that comprises several LP-modes contents may become even smaller and closer to the ideal Gaussian beam than that of the fundamental mode in a step-index fiber. However, in the case of the coherent superposition, the value of the M² parameter of the mixed mode may be greater than that of the higher-order constituent mode. The results reported here could be helpful for the application of the high-power fiber laser systems.     

单模光纤激光极限功率的数值研究

对光纤激光极限功率的探索和其受限因素的分析, 有利于为大功率光纤激光器的发展提供理论依据和实验指导. 本文考虑热效应、光效应、非线性效应和抽运亮度等因素对光纤激光极限功率的影响, 分析了掺镱和掺铥光纤的极限功率和受限因素. 在此基础上, 结合激光在光纤中单模传输的条件, 计算了单模掺镱和掺铥光纤激光的极限功率. 计算结果表明, 在现有技术条件下, 使用常规的976 nm和793 nm激光二极管抽运, 单模掺镱和掺铥光纤激光的极限功率分别为4.2 kW和7.8 kW, 其中单模掺铥光纤激光的功率水平还远低于它的极限功率的原因是受抽运亮度的限制. 最后分析指出减小纤芯的数值孔径和改进少模光束的光束质量是提升单模光纤激光极限功率的重要途径.     

Few-mode step-index optical fibers with ultra-low bending losses

We propose a few-mode optical fiber for low-bending-loss applications. We demonstrate ultra-lowbending-loss operation in the fiber by tailoring the core radius and index contrast of step-index optical fibers. In addition, we investigate numerically splicing losses in single-mode optical fibers and demonstrate experimentally the ultra-low-bending-loss operation characteristics. The optical fiber elaborated provides a simple technique to realize the low-bending-loss operation.