Enhanced four-wave mixing in a hollow-core photonic-crystal fiber

Hollow-core photonic-crystal fibers are shown to substantially enhance four-wave mixing (FWM) of laser pulses in a gas filling the fiber core. Picosecond pulses of Nd:YAG fundamental radiation and its second harmonic are used to generate a signal at the frequency of the third harmonic by the FWM process 3omega = 2omega + 2omega - omega. The efficiency achieved for this process in a 9-cm-long, 13-microm-hollow-core-diameter photonic-crystal fiber, designed to simultaneously transmit a two-color pump and the FWM signal, is shown to be approximately 800 times higher than the maximum FWM efficiency attainable with the same laser pulses in the tight-focusing regime.     

Walk-off and phase-compensated resonantly enhanced frequency-doubling of picosecond pulses using type II nonlinear crystal

We propose enhanced frequency-doubling inside an external ring-cavity using type II nonlinear crystal. A KTP type II twin-crystal device is implemented for compensation of both walk-off and phase-shift between ordinary and extraordinary fundamental waves. Starting from an 850 mW diode-pumped actively mode-locked Nd:YAG laser at 1.064 μm with 100 MHz repetition rate and 25 ps pulse duration, we performed 54% harmonic conversion efficiency in the green. Received: 31 August 1998 / Revised version: 10 February 1999 / Published online: 19 May 1999     

The effect of photoisomerization on the nonlinearity of an azo dye-doped nematic mixture

We used the pump-probe method to study of nonlinear behavior of an azo dye-doped nematic mixture. We demonstrated that the light-induced nonlinearity can be reversed via both of the ordinary and extraordinary components of the pump beam. It is also showed that the light-induced torque can be changed as the angle between the wave vector of the extraordinary component of the pump beam and the director is varied; a high fraction of the isomers are in the trans case for small angles, and for above a critical angle the cis isomer concentration is overcome. In addition, it was shown that the nonlinearity of the sample could be changed by an ordinary component of pump beam. Consequently, an ordinary ray can control the nonlinear behavior of the sample.     

Propagation of electron cyclotron waves in the presence of anisotropic electron distributions

The effects of the anisotropy of the electron distribution on the propagation and the absorption of electron cyclotron waves propagating perpendicularly to the external magnetic field, are analyzed. Considerable variations of the absorption with the anisotropy are found for the ordinary mode at the fundamental cyclotron frequency and the extraordinary mode at the second harmonic.     

Dynamical response of the sinusoidally perturbed electrodissolution/passivation of iron in sulfuric acid solutions: Entrainment,spike generation,and quasiperiodicity

The iron/sulfuric acid (Fe/2 M H(2)SO(4)) system exhibits periodic current oscillations of relaxation type within the potential transition region formed between the active and passive states of the iron electrode when it is polarized in the 2 M sulfuric acid solution. In the present work the dynamical response of the Fe/2 M H(2)SO(4) electrochemical oscillator is investigated when the applied potential at the iron electrode is sinusoidally perturbed. The behavior of the periodically perturbed Fe/2 M H(2)SO(4) oscillator differs significantly from the response of other forced oscillators, as the potential amplitude E(p) and the frequency ratio omega(p)/omega(0) vary. The omega(p) and omega(0) are the angular frequencies of the perturbed applied potential and the unperturbed oscillator, respectively. A special feature of its response is the appearance of a number of spikes, generated within the passive section of a periodic oscillatory cycle for omega(p)/omega(0)<2.9, for periods of the autonomous oscillator T(0) greater, similar 3 s. The number of the generated spikes depends on the amplitude and frequency of the perturbed applied potential as well as on the period of the autonomous oscillator. Spikes are not generated for omega(p)/omega(0)=1 and the system is harmonically entrained by the forcing frequency. However, when the system is subharmonically entrained for omega(p)/omega(0) close to 2, spike generation does occur. By increasing the perturbation frequency for omega(p)/omega(0) greater, similar 2.9 and T(0) greater, similar 3 s, or by decreasing the autonomous period for T(0)<3 s and all the omega(p)/omega(0)<2.9 ratios, the spike generation pattern, is replaced by a quasiperiodic pattern. The dynamical response of the perturbed Fe/2 M H(2)SO(4) electrochemical oscillator is characterized by using time-delay reconstructions of the attractors, Poincare maps, and Fourier power spectra.     

Parametric amplification of a coherent light wave in photorefractive BaTiO(3) by a single pump beam

We demonstrate a new method of light amplification based on forward four-wave mixing in photorefractive BaTiO(3). A single pump beam of combined (ordinary and extraordinary) polarization can be used for an efficient cw amplification of a signal wave with slightly shifted temporal frequency. A signal wave with an initial power of less than 1 nW is amplified ~100 times in a 3.2-mm-thick sample.     

Analogien zwischen außerordentlichen und ordentlichen Wellen nach nichtorthogonaler Koordinatentransformation und die parabolischen Näherungsgleichungen

Within the limits of Linear Optics we treat analogies between ordinary and extraordinary waves in uniaxial media which become conspicuous through a nonorthogonal transformation of coordinates. To any ordinary wave solution in unbounded uniaxial media we can construct a corresponding extraordinary wave solution by interchanging electrical and magnetical field components. Boundary conditions for instance for ideal conducting plane surfaces approximately preserve their original form, if the optical axis or the middle wave vector are normal to the surface. The parabolic approximative equations for slowly varying amplitudes are derived, the polarisation of these waves being considered as a slowly varying quantity. Further these approximative equations are expanded to include frequency dispersion. Through the specified transformation we can simplify problems with extraordinary waves.     

Dynamics of quantum noise in a tunnel junction under ac excitation

We report the first measurement of the dynamical response of shot noise (measured at frequency omega) of a tunnel junction to an ac excitation at frequency omega0. The experiment is performed in the quantum regime, variant Planck's over 2piomega approximately variant Planck's over 2piomega0>kBT at very low temperature T=35 mK and high frequency omega0/2pi=6.2 GHz. We observe that the noise responds in phase with the excitation, but not adiabatically. The results are in very good agreement with a prediction based on a new current-current correlator.     

Enhanced sensitivity to the time variation of the fine-structure constant and m{p}/m{e} in diatomic molecules

Sensitivity to temporal variation of the fundamental constants may be strongly enhanced in transitions between narrow close levels of different nature. This enhancement may be realized in a large number of molecules due to cancellation between the ground state fine-structure omega{f} and vibrational interval omega{v} [omega=omega{f}-nomega{v} approximately 0, delta omega/omega=K(2delta alpha/alpha+0.5 delta mu/mu), K>1, mu=m{p}/m{e}]. The intervals between the levels are conveniently located in microwave frequency range and the level widths are very small. Required accuracy of the shift measurements is about 0.01-1 Hz. As examples, we consider molecules Cl(+)(2), CuS, IrC, SiBr, and HfF(+).     

Ray tracing study of the electron cyclotron current drive in DIII-Dusing 60 GHz

The efficiency of the electron-cyclotron current drive using 60-GHz sources in the DIII-D tokamak is numerically investigated for the following cases: The inside-launched fundamental extraordinary mode, the outside-launched fundamental ordinary mode, and the outside-launched second-harmonic extraordinary mode. In the limit-weak ECH power and for plasma parameters relevant for experiments, illumination of the plasma with inside-launched fundamental extraordinary mode is found to have the highest efficiency     

Ordinary and extraordinary cyclotron waves in metals

Dispersion equations for the ordinary and extraordinary cyclotron waves propagating perpendicular to the magnetic field in metals in the critical region where the wavelength is comparable to the electron Larmor radius are derived as an infinite but rapidly converging power series expansion in δ( = Ω/Ω-M). Numerical studies for the cyclotron wave propagation near the first seven resonances are carried out. The non-local behaviour of those waves in the critical region 01 ⩽ kR ⩽ 3-0 is studied. For the ordinary waves the first few resonances show significant dispersion than those near higher resonances which are dispersion-free. Only one extraordinary wave propagates near the fundamental cyclotron frequency. For the higher resonances, two modes propagate near each of the resonant frequencies, of which one mode remains constant for all values ofkR whereas the second mode shows significant dispersion. But beyond the fifth resonance both the modes are dispersion free.     

Excitation of short-wave oscillations in the ionospheric plasma by the field of a high-power radio wave with extraordinary polarization due to induced scattering by ions

We analyze excitation of electron-cyclotron or upper hybrid oscillations of the ionospheric plasma at a frequency that is close to the pump frequency as a result of induced scattering of a high-power radio wave with extraordinary polarization by ions. The excited oscillations have a small wavelength of the order of the Larmor electron radius, which allows them to propagate near and below the reflection level of an extraordinary radio wave. We found the instability increment and threshold field, which results from collisional absorption of plasma waves. It is shown that the threshold field is minimal near the reflection level of an extraordinary radio wave when the radio wave frequency f₀ is between electron harmonics nf_Be with n≥2. In an ionospheric F layer it is of the order of 1 W/m. Such fields are easily obtained in ionospheric heating experiments allowing for radio-wave field swelling in the reflection region. In the vicinity of electron harmonics f_o≅nf_Be, the threshold field is increasing. For f_o<nf_Be with f_o≅nf_Be the instability does not develop because of the absence of plasma oscillations with a frequency that is close to the pump frequency (the latter also refers to the case f_o<2f_Be). The expressions obtained are generalized to the case in which the instability under consideration is excited by the field of an ordinary radio wave in the region of its quasilongitudinal propagation. We discuss the possibility of using the emergence of very short-wave plasma oscillations for explaining the experimentally observed phenomena. Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation, Russian Academy of Sciences, Troitsk, Moscow Region, Russia. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 40, No. 5, pp. 541–560, May, 1997.     

Wavelength femtosecond light pulse generated from filamentation-assisted fourth-order nonlinear process in potassium titanyl phosphate crystal

A femtosecond light pulse at 480 nm in wavelength was generated during filamentation of an intense 808 nm femtosecond laser pulse propagating along the x axis and polarized between the y and z axes of a KTP crystal. It was proven that the parametric amplification process by a fourth-order nonlinear polarization (chi(4)(omega(2),omega,omega,omega,-omega(1)) induces frequency generation at 480 nm, where the pump light comes from the incident laser and the seed light comes from the generated supercontinuum by filamentation. The wavelength of the generated signal could be turned from 460 to 520 nm by adjusting the propagation direction in the crystal.     

Stabilization of interchange modes in mirror plasmas by a nonlinear rf-plasma wave coupling process

Experimental and theoretical studies are made of the consequences of a nonlinear coupling process between pump rf waves and interchange modes in mirror plasmas. It is demonstrated that the interchange-stable operation window exists depending on the applied rf power and gamma=omega(0)/Omega(i), where omega(0) (Omega(i)) is the angular frequency of the applied rf wave (ion cyclotron frequency). Results are shown that the nonlinear wave coupling process gives rise to the operation window near the resonance (gamma approximately equal to 1), which is elucidated by theoretical analyses combined with full rf wave simulations.     

Anti-Stokes enhancement of multifrequency Raman generation in a hollow fiber

The intensities of the higher frequency anti-Stokes components of resonantly pumped Raman scattering are observed to be greatly enhanced as a result of minimizing dispersion when focusing into a hollow fiber, as compared to their intensities at higher pressures. As well, the significant spectral broadening of these Raman orders in the absence of any such broadening on the pump beams suggests the synthesis of a short temporal structure as a result of a the decreased dispersion.     

Chemical shift anisotropy amplification

A new NMR experiment which allows a measurement of the chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) tensor under magic angle spinning (MAS) is described. This correlates a fast MAS spectrum in the omega2 dimension with a sideband pattern in omega1 in which the intensities mimic those for a sample spinning at a fraction of the rate omega r/N, and these sidebands result from an amplification by a factor N of the modulation caused by the CSA. Standard methods can be used to extract the principal tensor components from the omega1 sideband patterns, and the nature of the experiment is such that the use of a large number of t1 increments can be avoided without compromising the resolution of different chemical sites. The new experiment is useful for accurately measuring narrow shift anisotropies.     

Laser-diode end-pumped intracavity frequency doubling semiconductor saturable absorber mirror passively mode-locked picosecond lasers

A diode pumped Nd:YVO₄ semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) passive mode-locked intracavity frequency doubled laser was studied. A type II phase matching KTiOPO₄(KTP) crystal and a type I phase matching LiB₃O₅ (LBO) frequency doubling crystal were respectively inserted in the cavity. With a pump power of 4.5 W, a 90 mW output of frequency doubled beam and 29.7 ps pulse duration were achieved with frequency doubled by KTP. With the same pump power a 140 mW output of frequency doubled beam and 3.67 ps pulse duration were achieved with LBO.     

A theoretical study of pump–probe experiment in single-layer,bilayer and multilayer graphene

The pump–probe experiment is typically used to study relaxation phenomena in nonlinear optical systems. Here we use it as a tool to study the phenomenon of anomalous Rabi oscillations in graphene that was predicted recently in single-layer graphene. Unlike conventional Rabi oscillations, anomalous Rabi oscillations are unique to graphene (and possibly to surface states of topological insulators (TIs)), attributable to the pseudospin (conventional spin for TI) degree of freedom and Dirac-fermion character of the graphene system. A pump pulse of a finite duration long enough to contain a large number of cycles induces a current density that oscillates with the frequency of the pump pulse. The amplitude associated with these fast oscillations is seen to exhibit much slower oscillations with a frequency given by \({ 2 \omega ^2_{\mathrm {R}} }/{ \omega } \) – the anomalous Rabi frequency, where ω _R is the conventional Rabi frequency and ω is the frequency of the external pump field. This effect is easily probed by a probe pulse subsequent to the pump, where it manifests itself as periodic oscillations of the probe susceptibility as a function of pump duration at each probe frequency. Alternatively, it is also seen as an oscillatory function of the pump–probe delay with other variables remaining fixed. This period corresponds to the anomalous Rabi frequency. An analysis of the previously reported experimental data confirms the presence of anomalous Rabi oscillations in graphene.     

Evidence of ultrashort electron bunches in laser-plasma interactions at relativistic intensities

The second harmonic of the laser light (2omega(0)) is observed on the rear side of thick solid targets irradiated by a laser beam at relativistic intensities. This emission is explained by the acceleration by the laser pulse in front of the target of short bunches of electrons separated by the period (or half the period) of the laser light. When reaching the rear side of the target, these electron bunches emit coherent transition radiation at 2omega(0). The observations indicate that, in our conditions, the minimum fraction of the laser energy transferred to these electron bunches is of the order of 1%.     

Generation of second-harmonic conical waves via nonlinear bragg diffraction

We report on the observation of second-harmonic conical waves generated in a novel geometry of the transverse excitation of an annular periodically poled nonlinear photonic structure by a fundamental Gaussian beam. We show that the conical beams are formed as a result of the higher-order nonlinear Bragg diffraction involving two parametric processes in which an ordinary fundamental wave is converted simultaneously into ordinary and extraordinary polarized second harmonics.