Formation of solitons and realization of the superluminality effect upon femtosecond pulse propagation in a medium containing gold nanoparticles

Based on computer simulation, we demonstrate the possibility of formation of solitons upon propagation of a femtosecond laser pulse in a medium containing gold nanoparticles in the presence of two-photon light absorption. The solitons are formed when the laser pulse induces a positive phase grating. The speed of solitons substantially exceeds the speed of laser radiation propagating in a linear medium.     

Simulation of femtosecond pulse propagation in air

We present numerical simulations of the propagation of intense spatio-temporal fields propagating in air. Characteristic parameters of the propagation like peak intensities, plasma densities and diameters of the plasma channels are obtained. The evolution of the spectral content of the pulses is investigated and, in agreement with recent experiments, white-light supercontinuum generation is observed. We show in which areas of the pulse the supercontinuum is generated and conclude that self-phase modulation is responsible for the spectral broadening. Furthermore we investigate azimuthal instabilities of intense rotationally symmetric pulsed beams propagating in air. Although the spatial-temporal evolution of the field is strongly influenced by the onset of plasma generation, the instabilities are basically caused by the Kerr effect. We conclude that calculations assuming rotational symmetry become unrealistic due to the fast growth of azimuthal instabilities in the focal region.     

Formation of a reflected wave under propagation of a pulse with high peak intensity through a Kerr medium

Propagation through a Kerr medium of short pulses depending only on the longitudinal coordinate is investigated. High values of the peak intensity are considered for which the nonlinear part of the relative permittivity is on the order of unity. When a short pulse propagates through such a medium, the leading edge of the pulse is extended, while the trailing edge runs into the slowly propagating central part of the pulse; shock waves are generated at the trailing edge, giving rise to high spatial frequencies and backward reflected radiation. The duration of the pulse increases due to the high-frequency jet that forms at the trailing edge, and the peak intensity decreases. The spectrum of the backward reflected radiation is investigated as a function of the peak intensity of the pulse and the characteristics of the time dispersion of the medium.     

On the possibility of suppression of self-focusing of a femtosecond laser pulse during its propagation in a cubic nonlinear medium

Based on a computer simulation, the self-focusing of an axially symmetric beam in a cubic nonlinear medium under the anomalous dispersion conditions is studied with the account for the time dispersion of nonlinear response, which manifests for femtosecond pulses. It is shown that, at a certain value of the parameter of linear modulation of the pulse (or of its chirp), the dispersion of nonlinear response can lead either to the suppression of formation of a nonlinear focus and to the possibility of formation of optical shock waves in time or even to a change in the regime of the beam self-action owing to the action of the local response, i.e., to the change from the self-focusing of the beam to the regime of its defocusing.     

Formation of chirped solitons when a femtosecond pulse passes through a layer with an inhomogeneous refractive index in a medium with cubic nonlinearity

A way of forming a new class of solitons—chirped (or aberrational) solitons—when a pulse passes through a layered nonlinear structure in a cubically nonlinear medium is demonstrated by means of computer simulation. It is shown that the pulse frequency modulation of the resulting solitons is nonlinear.     

An analysis of pulse propagation through a saturable absorber having excited-state absorption

The theoretical study of the propagation of a bell-shaped light pulse through a saturable absorber having excited-state absorption is presented. Assuming that the pulse-width is longer than the first excited-state lifetime of the absorber, a general expression for the steady-state transmission of the absorber is obtained. It is shown that when the excited-state absorption cross-section is larger than the ground-state absorption cross-section (reverse saturable absorber) the absorber acts as a power limiter. An explicit expression for the change of temporal pulse-width in a single transit through the absorber is obtained, which shows that the pulse-width increases due to the presence of excited-state absorption. An analytical expression is presented for the optimum pulse intensity at which the maximum pulse broadening occurs.     

Controlling the propagation velocity of a femtosecond laser pulse with negative index metamaterials

We theoretically study the propagation of a femtosecond laser pulse in negative-index metamaterials, and show that its propagation velocity can be easily controlled at a certain wavelength range simply by changing the initial chirp. This phenomenon may be used as an extremely simple way to control the propagation velocity of a femtosecond laser pulse.     

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.     

Small-area ultrashort pulse propagation through a three-level medium

Propagation of an ultrashort, small-area (circularly polarized) pulse through a gas medium of three-level atoms near one-photon resonance is studied. The expression for the propagating pulse shape is obtained within the rotating wave and dipole approximations. Results are compared, both analytically and numerically, with those for two-level model. Sinusoidal and Gaussian shapes of input pulses are compared, and a high sensitivity of modulation of the light pulse for envelope to its input shape is revealed.     

飞秒脉冲在硅波导中产生超连续谱的研究

利用非线性薛定谔方程对飞秒脉冲在硅波导中的传输以及超连续谱的产生进行了研究,计算和分析了色散参量及非线性损耗在超连续谱的产生过程中的影响.结果表明,孤子分裂是飞秒脉冲在硅波导中产生超连续谱的主要机理.飞秒脉冲中心波长与波导零色散点的相对位置对超连续谱的产生有极大影响.当中心波长位于近零色散点的反常色散区时,孤子分裂现象最明显,谱宽远大于在零色散波长及正常色散处入射时的情况,并且达到稳定展宽所需波导长度最短.其次,高阶色散的大小也会影响光谱展宽,三阶色散绝对值较小时,能够获得较大的展宽.另外,由于双光子吸收效应带来大量损耗,限制了谱宽,并且随着初始脉冲功率的逐渐增大,展宽出现饱和现象. 关键词： 超连续谱 孤子分裂 色散 硅波导     

Simulation of femtosecond pulse propagation in sub-micron diameter tapered fibers

Ultrashort pulse propagation and supercontinuum generation in tapered and microstructured optical fibers is usually simulated using the corrected nonlinear Schrödinger equation. One of the underlying approximations is the use of a wavelength-independent effective area or, equivalently, of a constant nonlinear coefficient . In very thin waveguide structures with strong light confinement, including silica wires and sub-micron tapered fibers and some microstructured fibers, the validity of such an approximation comes into question. In this paper we present an improved model in which all modal properties are fully taken into account as functions of the wavelength. We use comparative numerical simulation to identify certain regimes in which an improved model is needed for quantitatively correct results. PACS 02.70.Hm; 02.60.Cb; 42.65.Wi; 42.65.Re; 42.81.Pp     

Asymptotic pulse shapes in filamentary propagation of intense femtosecond pulses

Self-compression of intense ultrashort laser pulses inside a self-guided filament is discussed. The filament self-guiding mechanism requires a balance between diffraction, plasma self-defocusing and Kerr-type self-focusing, which gives rise to asymptotic intensity profiles on axis of the filament. The asymptotic solutions appear as the dominant pulse shaping mechanism in the leading part of the pulse, causing a pinch of the photon density close to zero delay, which substantiates as pulse compression. The simple analytical model is backed up by numerical simulations, confirming the prevalence of spatial coupling mechanisms and explaining the emerging inhomogeneous spatial structure. Numerical simulations confirm that only spatial effects alone may already give rise to filament formation. Consequently, self-compression is explained by a dynamic balance between two optical nonlinearities, giving rise to soliton-like pulse formation inside the filament.     

Description of pulse propagation in a dispersive medium by use of a pulse quality factor

We investigated how the duration of short laser pulses evolves in a dispersive material, using rms widths and a propagation law based on a pulse quality factor. Experiments were carried out with femtosecond pulses (10 to 25fs at the temporal waist) propagating in bulk fused silica. Excellent agreement was found between theory and experiment. This approach does not require complete characterization of laser pulses and eliminates the need for any assumption regarding the interpretation of autocorrelation traces. The method is of general validity, and it can be applied to pulses of arbitrary shape.     

超短脉冲激光在硝基苯胺分子材料中的非共振传播

通过严格求解麦克斯韦-布洛赫方程,研究了超短脉冲激光与硝基苯胺分子材料的非共振相互作用.研究结果表明,当脉冲激光在该分子介质中以电荷转移态的激发能的二分之一非共振传播时,脉冲激光频谱中明显地出现了二次谐波成分,显示了该分子具有较强的双光子吸收性质.     

Multiple foci and a long filament observed with focused femtosecond pulse propagation in fused silica

Multiple foci and a long filament are observed when we focus a femtosecond laser pulse into a fused-silica sample. The dependences of the intensity distribution of the plasma luminescence on the pulse energy and the numerical aperture (NA) of the focusing objective are investigated. Multiple foci are observed when NA of 相似文献   

飞秒光脉冲在光子晶体光纤中的非线性传输和超连续谱产生

采用分步傅里叶方法数值模拟了飞秒光脉冲在光子晶体光纤中非线性传输和超连续谱的产生. 计算和分析了高阶色散和非线性效应对超连续谱形状和带宽的影响. 结果表明在光子晶体光纤中产生了孤子自频移现象. 同时也发现脉冲内拉曼散射和自相位调制的联合作用导致了超连续谱中精细结构的出现. 另外，还发现高阶色散和初始光脉冲的峰值功率对超连续谱的带宽和平滑也有直接影响. 关键词： 光子晶体光纤 孤子自频移 超连续谱     

Diffraction effects accompanying focused ultrasonic pulse propagation in a medium with a thermal inhomogeneity

Propagation of a probing pulse through a thermal inhomogeneity produced in the medium as a result of heating by a focused ultrasonic beam is considered. The wave equation is used to numerically calculate the waveform of the pulse arriving at the receiver whose focus coincides with that of the radiator. Calculations are performed for a pulse focused at the center of the inhomogeneity and crossing it in the transverse direction. The results of numerical simulation are compared with experimental data. Conditions under which the diffraction effects should be taken into account in calculating the pulse delay at the receiver are formulated.     

Photoionization of NaK molecule with a double-well potential in femtosecond pump--probe pulse laser fields

The method of time-dependent quantum wave packet dynamics is used to calculate the femtosecond pump--probe photoelectron spectra and study the wave packet dynamic processes of the double-minimum potential state 6¹∑⁺ of NaK in intense laser fields. The evolutions of the wave packet and the photoelectron energy spectra with time and internuclear distance are described in detail. The wave packet dynamic information of the 6¹∑⁺ state can be extracted from the photoelectron energy spectra.