Nonlinear laser amplifier with a suppressed level of quantum noise on the basis of a Bose condensate for 23Na atoms

Based on advanced quantum theory for the Λ-scheme nonlinear interaction of optical fields in atomic Bose-Einstein condensate, the regimes of giant negative nonlinearity and absorption coefficients have been obtained for a probe light pulse. The nonlinear laser amplifier setup (under the Λ-scheme realization) for generation of the quadrature-squeezed light is presented The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Nonlinear properties of composites based on dielectric layers containing copper and silver nanoparticles

Nonlinear optical characteristics of copper and silver nanoparticles in glass host matrices are studied by the Z-scan method at the wavelength of a Nd:YAG laser (λ=1064 nm) in a field of picosecond pulses. It is found that the third-order nonlinear susceptibility is more pronounced in glasses with copper nanoparticles than in glasses with silver nanoparticles. On the basis of experimental data obtained for samples with copper nanoparticles synthesized by ion implantation, it is shown for the first time that the nonlinear absorption of laser radiation with a wavelength lying out of the plasmon resonance region can be caused by a two-photon effect in metal particles. The character of the optical limiting process in the samples with copper nanoparticles when two-photon absorption is involved is discussed.     

Polarization effects in nanoaggregates of silver caused by local and nonlocal nonlinear-optical responses

A theoretical and experimental study is made into the combined manifestation of local and nonlocal optical responses in a cubic nonlinear isotropic medium such as an aggregated colloidal silver solution. The phenomenological treatment of polarization effects is performed for the general case with due regard for the frequency dispersion of both local and nonlocal nonlinearities and for the noncollinear propagation of pump and probe light waves. The inverse Faraday effect, the optical Kerr effect, and the self-rotation of the polarization ellipse in a fractal-disordered nonlinear medium are observed for the first time. The tensor components of the local and nonlocal cubic nonlinearities of colloidal silver solutions are measured for different degrees of aggregation. It is demonstrated that, as the size of silver aggregate increases, the nonlocal nonlinear response increases much more strongly than the local one. An inference is made that the mechanical motion of metal nanoparticles because of their dynamic interaction with the light wave field can contribute to the nonlinear polarization effects.     

Nonlinear control of the propagation of optical pulses in doped optical fibers

Results of study of nonlinear processes occurring during the propagation of light pulses in optical fibers doped with atoms of rare-earth elements under conditions of atomic coherence and interference are presented. For a three-level Λ scheme of interaction, the linear (χ⁽¹⁾) and nonlinear (χ⁽³⁾) susceptibilities of such a medium are calculated. It is shown that the coefficients of Kerr nonlinearity and nonlinear absorption can reach extremely large values and can be negative. The competition between linear and nonlinear processes in the Λ scheme allows one to obtain compensation regimes when the coefficients of dispersion or absorption of the optical fiber material vanish. The efficient control of the optical properties of such a system over wide limits proves to be possible owing to variations in the parameters of light pulses at the input of the medium. The necessary conditions for realizing regimes with “slow” light, as well as for self-compression of a probing pulse on ultimately small spatial scales in a doped optical fiber, were obtained.     

Generation of nonclassical states of light in the Bose-Einstein condensate under electromagnetically induced transparency

A quantum theory of the interaction of the atomic Bose condensate with external optical fields has been developed for a two-beam Λ-scheme close to resonance. Regimes have been obtained where the coefficients of Kerr nonlinearity and nonlinear absorption reach giant values and even become negative, which gives rise to the effect of nonlinear electromagnetically induced transparency. The possibility of the efficient generation of quadrature-squeezed light under the condition of the nonlinear compensation of optical losses has been shown.     

Defects related emission and nanosecond optical power limiting in CuS quantum dots

We report optical and nonlinear optical properties of CuS quantum dots and nanoparticles prepared through a nontoxic, green, one-pot synthesis method. The presence of surface states and defects in the quantum dots are evident from the luminescent behavior and enhanced nonlinear optical properties measured using the open aperture Z-scan, employing 5 ns laser pulses at 532 nm. The quantum dots exhibit large effective third order nonlinear optical coefficients with a relatively lower optical limiting threshold of 2.3 J cm⁻², and the optical nonlinearity arises largely from absorption saturation and excited state absorption. Results suggest that these materials are potential candidates for designing efficient optical limiters with applications in laser safety devices.     

Investigation of light reflection at Brewster angles from a nonlinear optical film on a magnetoelectric substrate

We investigate the light reflection from a nonlinear optical dielectric film on a bigyrotropic magneto-electric substrate magnetized parallel to the interface. The reflection matrix has been obtained and reflection coefficients are investigated with respect to the incidence angle for both polarizations of the incident light. We analyzed the optical nonlinearity and the magnetoelectric coupling contributions to the reflection of the electromagnetic waves and the appearance of so-called pseudo-Brewster angles.     

Size-dependent nonlinear optical properties and thermal lens in silver nanoparticles

We have investigated the nonlinear response of the silver nanoparticle samples in a low-power regime of electromagnetic field based on nonlocal thermo-optic models. In this work, the experimental investigation of the thermo-optic nonlinear response of Ag colloids containing different size of silver nanoparticles is reported. The colloidal nanoparticle samples were synthesized by nanosecond pulsed laser ablation of Ag bulk in acetone. The sample containing Ag was characterized by linear absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Using the z-scan technique, the behavior of thermal nonlinear refractive index of colloid was studied at different concentrations of silver nanoparticles. Observation of asymmetrical configurations of the z-scan data indicates that nonlinear refraction occurring in the Ag samples is related to the thermo-optical process. The optical limiting here is due to nonlinear refraction of the samples arising from thermal lens formation under low-power CW excitation. When the laser power is low, the self-defocusing effect is mainly dominated by surface plasmon resonance effect. Results show that with increasing concentration of nanoparticles in acetone, the nonlinear refractive index increases while the threshold power of optical limiting decreases.     

Synthesis and optical properties of silver nanoparticles in ORMOCER

Experimental results on synthesis of metal nanoparticles in ORMOCER by ion implantation are presented. Silver ions were implanted into organic/inorganic matrix at an accelerating energy of 30?keV and doses in the range of 0.25?10¹⁷ to 0.75?10¹⁷?ion/cm². The silver ions form metal nanoparticles, which demonstrate surface plasmon absorption at the wavelength of 425?C580?nm. The nonlinear absorption of new composite materials is measured by Z-scan technique using 150?fs laser pulses at 780?nm wavelength. ORMOCER matrix shows two-photon nonlinear absorption, whereas ORMOCER with silver nanoparticles demonstrates saturated absorption. Some optical applications of these composite materials are discussed.     

Investigation of halloysite nanotubes with deposited silver nanoparticles by methods of optical spectroscopy

Halloysite nanotube composites covered by silver nanoparticles with the average diameters of 5 nm and 9 nm have been studied by methods of optical spectroscopy of reflectance/transmittance and Raman spectroscopy. It has been established that silver significantly increases the light absorption by nanocomposites in the range of 300 to 700 nm with a maximum near 400 nm, especially for the samples with the nanoparticle size of 9 nm, which is explained by plasmonic effects. The optical absorption increases also in the long-wavelength spectral range, which seems to be due to the localized electronic states in an alumosilicate halloysite matrix after deposition of nanoparticles. Raman spectra of nanocomposites reveal intense scattering peaks at the local phonons, whose intensities are maxima for the samples with the silver nanoparticle sizes of 9 nm, which can be caused by plasmonic enhancement of the light scattering efficiency. The results show the ability to use halloysite nanotube nanocomposites in photonics and biomedicine.     

Nonlinear optical properties of gold nanoparticles dispersed in different optically transparent matrices

The nonlinear optical properties of gold nanoparticles dispersed in optically transparent matrices Al₂O₃, ZnO, and SiO₂ are investigated using the classical and off-axis techniques of the Z-scan method at a wavelength of 532 nm (radiation from a nanosecond Nd: YAG laser). The experimental data on the nonlinear refraction in composite materials are obtained. The nonlinear refractive indices and the light absorption coefficients are determined, and the real and imaginary parts of the third-order nonlinear susceptibility for the structures under investigation are calculated. It is demonstrated that, for the composite materials under consideration, the nonlinear properties of the medium under the chosen conditions of laser irradiation are predominantly determined by the Kerr effect and the contribution of this effect exceeds the contribution of the thermal lens.     

Optical absorption and refractive index of a donor impurity in a three-dimensional quantum pseudodot

The optical absorption and refractive index of a donor impurity confined by a three-dimensional quantum pseudodot are studied using the matrix diagonalization method within the effective-mass approximation. The great advantage of our methodology is that it enables us to tune confinement strength and regime by varying two parameters in the model potential. Based on the computed energies and wave functions, the linear, third-order nonlinear and total optical absorption coefficients as well as the refractive index changes have been examined. The results are presented as a function of the incident photon energy for the different values of the chemical potential of the electron gas and the zero point of the pseudoharmonic potential. We find that the larger optical nonlinearity will be obtained by varying the zero point of the pseudoharmonic potential compared to the chemical potential of electron gas.     

Enhanced nonlinear optical response of linear carbon chain colloid mixed with silver nanoparticles

Nanostructured silver and linear carbon chain (LCC) particle water colloids were prepared by a pulsed laser ablation procedure. Sample's optical transmission response was investigated in the 190–900 nm range, the third-order nonlinear optical properties were studied using the z-scan method and a nanosecond laser. The silver nanoparticles induce a structural change in the LCC colloids: the mixed Ag and LCC optical absorption looses the signature of the short carbon chain maintaining the features attributable to the longer ones. The stability of LCC colloids and their nonlinear response are remarkably improved by the Ag nanoparticles addition to the carbon water colloids. The Ag nanoparticles induce a limiting threshold reduction, an increased nonlinear absorption coefficient β and a marked asymmetrical peak/valley profile of the (Ag:LCC)_mix when compared to the LCC. All these nonlinear contributions determine the increase of the third order susceptibility, while maintaining a significantly high linear transmission value (75%) at 532 nm and high photostability. The magnitude of the nonlinear optical response of these nanohybrids makes them promising candidates for potential optoelectronic applications.     

Saturable absorption and reverse saturable absorption on silver particles with different shapes

Micro/nanostructured silver particles with different shapes (flower, wire, and rod) have been prepared and characterized. All the open aperture z-scan curves of silver microrods and silver nanoflowers present a typical reverse saturable absorption. With the increase of incident intensity, the nonlinear absorption coefficients and the third-order optical susceptibilities ImX⁽³⁾ of nanoflowers increase, but those of silver microrods decrease. Moreover, the silver nanowires show the conversion from saturable absorption to reverse saturable absorption. There was no definite correlation between incident intensity and nonlinear absorption coefficient (β) under the conditions studied herein. And nonlinear optical properties of micro/nanostructured silver particles are dependent on the particle shape in suspensions at 800 nm.     

被动光学限幅器的机制与研究进展

被动光学限幅器是利用介质的非线性光学性质实现对光的强度进行控制的器件，它在科研，军事和民用方面都具有广泛的应用，文章讨论了被动光学限幅器的反饱和吸收，双光子吸收，自由载流子吸收，非线性折射，光致散射和光折变机制，每种机制在光限幅器应用中的有效性及局限性，介绍了国内外研究状况及自己的工作；指出了今后被动光学限幅器研究的发展方向。     

PbS纳米颗粒复合的溶胶凝胶薄膜的飞秒非线性光学特性

通过光Kerr效应研究了PbS半导体纳米颗粒的三阶光学非线性响应。在较低的激发强度下,单激子态的饱和吸收和双激子效应的激发态吸收对非线性的贡献同时存在;而在高激发强度下,双激子效应是主要的。计算了高激发强度下(4mJ/cm²)PbS半导体纳米颗粒的三阶非线性光学极化率为5.1×10^-10esu。     

Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Properties of a Series of Polythiophenes

The third-order nonlinear optical properties of a series of polythiophenes are investigated with the Z-scan method under picosecond pulse laser irradiation at 532nm. The copolymers exhibit a good nonlinear response： large nonlinear refraction coefficients without nonlinear absorption. The signs of nonlinear refraction coefficients are positive, which are opposite to the negative signs of the polythiophene reported before. The mechanism accounting for the process of nonlinear refraction under pulse laser excitation is analyzed from the viewpoint of the electrondonor/acceptor units of polythiophenes. Moreover, changes of nonlinearity according to the lengths of main chains in polythiophene molecules are discussed.     

Synthesis,characterization and third-order nonlinear optical properties of polydiacetylene nanostructures,silver nanoparticles and polydiacetylene–silver nanocomposites

We have synthesized, characterized and studied the third-order nonlinear optical properties of two different nanostructures of polydiacetylene (PDA), PDA nanocrystals and PDA nanovesicles, along with silver nanoparticles-decorated PDA nanovesicles. The second molecular hyperpolarizability γ(?ω; ω, ?ω, ω) of the samples has been investigated by antiresonant ring interferometric nonlinear spectroscopic (ARINS) technique using femtosecond mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser in the spectral range of 720–820 nm. The observed spectral dispersion of γ has been explained in the framework of three-essential states model and a correlation between the electronic structure and optical nonlinearity of the samples has been established. The energy of two-photon state, transition dipole moments and linewidth of the transitions have been estimated. We have observed that the nonlinear optical properties of PDA nanocrystals and nanovesicles are different because of the influence of chain coupling effects facilitated by the chain packing geometry of the monomers. On the other hand, our investigation reveals that the spectral dispersion characteristic of γ for silver nanoparticles-coated PDA nanovesicles is qualitatively similar to that observed for the uncoated PDA nanovesicles but bears no resemblance to that observed in silver nanoparticles. The presence of silver nanoparticles increases the γ values of the coated nanovesicles slightly as compared to that of the uncoated nanovesicles, suggesting a definite but weak coupling between the free electrons of the metal nanoparticles and π electrons of the polymer in the composite system. Our comparative studies show that the arrangement of polymer chains in polydiacetylene nanocrystals is more favourable for higher nonlinearity.     

Large Third-Order Optical Nonlinearity of Cadmium Sulphide Nanoparticles Embedded in Polymer Thin Films

A simple method for synthesis of well dispersed cadmium sulphide nanoparticles embedded in a polyethylene glycol matrix （PEG 400） in thin film form is presented. The large blue shift of the band gap energy of the CdS nanoparticles compared to the bulk semiconductors is observed via UV-vis absorption spectra. Photoluminescence spectra of CdS nanocomposite films show that the emission peaks shift towards the longer wavelength with the increase of annealing temperature. Transmission electron microscopic images as well as Raman scattering studies confirm the CdS nanometer size particle formation within the polymer matrix. The particle size is about 8 nm. Selected area electron diffraction （SAED） shows the cubic zinc blende polycrystalline rings. Third-order optical nonlinearity of the CdS nanopartieles embedded in polymer thin films is studied with the Z-scan technique under 1064 nm excitation. The results show that the CdS nanocomposite film exhibits negative nonlinear refraction index and positive absorption coefficient. The film shows large optical nonlinearity, and the magnitude of the third-order nonlinear susceptibility of the film is calculated to be 1.73 × 10^-9 esu. The corresponding mechanism is discussed.     

Lead sulfide colloidal nanocrystals with strong optical nonlinearity

Colloidal PbS nanocrystals have been synthesized by a developed procedure. UV–Vis absorption and Z-scan technique was also applied to study the nonlinear optical properties of prepared lead sulfide nanocrystals at 532 nm wavelength. The nonlinear refractive (n₂) and absorption (β) were determined which are confirming the strong nonlinearity at 532 nm of colloidal PbS nanocrystals. The obtained results have not been reported before. In this study, only a weak thermal optical nonlinearity was observed and the dominating nonlinear response is resulted by the electronic origin. The nonlinear optical properties of prepared sample supported wide applications in nanophotonics.