Multifunctional spectrum-periodic polymer MZI electro-optic switch/filter using serial-cascaded phase-generating couplers: theory, design and analysis

A multifunctional polymer asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer electro-optic switch/filter comprising two serial-cascaded phase-generating couplers and a pair of microstrip electrodes is proposed. Due to the optimization on PGC structure with the given nonlinear least square approximation method, the phase compensation condition and extinction ratio (ER) compensation condition are both realized for achieving periodic frequency response. The ON- and OFF-states voltages are 0 and 8.06 V, respectively. The device has two input ports (A1 and B1) and two output ports (A2 and B2), port A2 contains 10 channels numbered from #?7 to #2, and port B2 contains 9 channels numbered from #?7 to #1. As an optical filter (ON-state), the wavelength space of each channel is within 19.2–21?nm (standard value 20?nm) with the maximum period variation less than 1?nm. The insertion loss for channels #?7 to #2 of port A2 is within 2.69–19.3 dB, and that for channels #?7 to #1 of port B2 is within 2.09–20.2 dB. As an EO switch, the ER of each channel between ON-state and OFF-state for port A2 is more than 15.7 dB, and that for port B2 is more than 12.6 dB. Besides, as required in CWDM networks, the device also exhibits favorable thermal stability under the case of large temperature variation.     

Quantum interference between a single-photon Fock state and a coherent state

We derive analytical expressions for the single mode quantum field state at the individual output ports of a beam splitter when a single-photon Fock state and a coherent state are incident on the input ports. The output states turn out to be a statistical mixture between a displaced Fock state and a coherent state. Consequently we are able to find an analytical expression for the corresponding Wigner function. Because of the generality of our calculations the obtained results are valid for all passive and lossless optical four port devices. We show further how the results can be adapted to the case of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer. In addition we consider the case for which the single-photon Fock state is replaced with a general input state: a coherent input state displaces each general quantum state at the output port of a beam splitter with the displacement parameter being the amplitude of the coherent state.     

Design and analysis of all-optical 4–2 binary encoder based on photonic crystal

In this paper we theoretically propose combining optical waveguides with nonlinear photonic crystal based ring resonators for realizing an all optical 4–2 encoder. Nonlinear resonant rings are constructed from GaAs as the material used for dielectric rods. By application of optical beam to input ports of the structure the on/off states are realized and the resulting truth table confirms functionality of proposed device. The switching threshold and time delay of the device are about 1 kW/µm² and 1 ps, respectively. The normalized power at the output ports for all the ports in ON states is the same and equal to 60%.     

Mach–Zehnder interferometer with squeezed and EPR entangled optical fields

We study a scheme for Mach-Zehnder(MZ) interferometer as a quantum linear device by injecting two-mode squeezed input states into two ports of interferometer.Two-mode squeezed states can be changed into two types of inputs for MZ interferometer:two squeezed states and Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen(EPR) entangled states.The interference patterns of the MZ interferometer vary periodically as the relative phase of the two arms of the interferometer is scanned,and are measured by the balanced homodyne detection system.Our experiments show that there are different interference patterns and periodicity of the output quantum states for two cases which depend on the relative phase of input optical fields.Since MZ interferometer can be used to realize some quantum operations,this work will have the important applications in quantum information and metrology.     

Threshold analysis of fiber-coupler-combined fiber lasers

Threshold conditions of coherently combined fiber lasers, joint by fiber couplers (FCs), have been studied. After considering the phase change of a light wave crossing the fiber inside the FC, it has been shown that, at the two input ports of the coupler connecting with the amplifying fibers, the phase difference between the two incoming fields should be equal to −π/2 if the threshold gain of the compound system is to be minimized. Starting from these input ports, following the circulations of waves, threshold conditions can be established. Expressions for the output and leakage powers, and optimum coupler splitting ratio nullifying the leakage when constituent fiber lasers giving different free-running powers have been derived. And, the threshold gain reductions of individual lasers after being coherently combined have been predicted.     

An ultra-fast all-optical RS flip-flop based on nonlinear photonic crystal structures

In this paper, an all-optical RS flip-flop was proposed using nonlinear Kerr effect in photonic crystals. The proposed structure is composed of a core section and two optical switches. The core section consists of two cross-connected resonant cavities whose resonant mode are at wavelengths 1586 and 1620 nm. The cavities were designed such that the resonance of one cavity prevents the signal coupling through the other one. For designing the switch sections, a bias port was used to keep data when there is no input for the flip-flop. Therefore, when both input ports are inactive, the previous state of the flip-flop will be kept. Total footprint and maximum frequency of the proposed structure are obtained 361 μm² and 320 GHz, respectively.     

All optical 2-bit analog to digital converter using photonic crystal based cavities

A novel design for realizing all optical analog to digital converter will be proposed in this paper. The proposed structure consists of two main parts; a nonlinear 3-channel demultiplexer, followed by an optical coder. The nonlinear demultiplexer will be used to quantize the input analog signal according to its optical intensity and the coder will convert the quantized levels into 2-bit binary codes. The nonlinear demultiplexer will be realized using three nonlinear resonant cavities. At appropriate values of input signal optical intensity one of the cavities can drop the optical beam to its corresponding output port. The proposed structure is capable of supporting maximum sampling rate up to 52 GS/s and total footprint of the structure is about 924 µm².     

Ultra-compact directional couplers and Mach-Zehnder interferometers employing surface plasmon polaritons

Optical directional couplers and Mach-Zehnder interferometers employing surface plasmon polaritons are proposed and their characteristics are analyzed numerically using a finite-difference time-domain method. It is shown that these devices can have transverse size smaller than the incident wavelength and can then be regarded as true subwavelength photonic elements. The ultra-compact characteristic of these devices can be utilized as a basis of next generation of integrated photonic circuits. Furthermore, calculations also show that these devices behave differently from their traditional all-dielectric counterparts. For the proposed optical directional coupler, the phase difference between the two output ports will no longer be 90° even when the two ports have the same power outputs.     

A novel scheme for optical pulse multiplication using fiber coupler loop-connecting configuration

Connecting an input port and an output port of a single-mode fiber coupler to form a fiber-loop, and making the time delay of the fiber-loop odd multiple of the half-period of the input optical pulse stream, we can obtain a pulse stream with multiplying repetition rate at the other output port of the coupler. Utilizing three loop-connecting fiber couplers cascaded, a pulse stream with eight times the repetition rate is achieved. Supported by the 863 High Technology Program of China (No. 863-317-9602-03-2) and by the Thesis Foundation of Northern Jiaotong University.     

Efficient generation of large number-path entanglement using only linear optics and feed-forward

We show how an idealized measurement procedure can condense photons from two modes into one and how, by feeding forward the results of the measurement, it is possible to generate efficiently superposition states commonly called N00N states. For the basic procedure sources of number states leak onto a beam splitter, and the output ports are monitored by photodetectors. We find that detecting a fixed fraction of the input at one output port suffices to direct the remainder to the same port, with high probability, however large the initial state. When instead photons are detected at both ports, macroscopic quantum superposition states are produced. We describe a linear-optical circuit for making the components of such a state orthogonal, and another to convert the output to a N00N state. Our approach scales exponentially better than existing proposals. Important applications include quantum imaging and metrology.     

Vector solitary optical beam control with mixed type I–type II second-harmonic generation

The four vector equations, appropriate to a mixed type I–type II second-harmonic generation, in a thin planar waveguide, made from a second-order non-linear material, are solved, both approximately and exactly. The solutions are then used to generate possible applications. In this investigation, both the fundamental and the second-harmonic waves have two transverse field components. It is shown that, by controlling the ratio of the components of the fundamental wave, one component of the second-harmonic wave can be rigorously controlled, and even switched off. The ratio of the harmonic field components depends strongly upon the polarization angle of the fundamental wave, with the extinction angle depending strongly upon the phase mismatch parameter. In a second application, an aperture is placed at the output and it is shown that if approximate stationary states are used as an input to a quadratically non-linear medium, then varying the angle of incidence of two input beams produces an excellent output control. A numerical demonstration is given in which a switch from 80% of the input energy arriving at the output port to less than 3% is readily achievable.     

Design and analysis of an acoustic demultiplexer exploiting negative density,negative bulk modulus and extra-ordinary transmission of membrane-based acoustic metamaterial

A typical membrane-based acoustic metamaterial has been reconfigured into an array of semi-flexi-walled membrane-based Helmholtz resonators to design a novel 4 port device which demultiplexes an incoming broadband acoustic signal into frequency ranges where negative modulus, density and extra-ordinary transmission behaviour exist. It has two ports exhibiting identical transfer functions and for input given in any of these ports, the device operates as a 3 port demultiplexer. The device is asymmetric in its functionality both in its degree of demultiplexing and bandwidths of the demultiplexed spectrum. Theoretical analysis of this acoustic demux is carried out by modelling it as a combination of two independent physical systems and is further validated by full-wave analysis.     

Three-port beam splitters-combiners for interferometer applications

We derive generic phase and amplitude coupling relations for beam splitters-combiners that couple a single port with three output ports or input ports, respectively. We apply the coupling relations to a reflection grating that serves as a coupler to a single-ended Fabry-Perot ring cavity. In the impedance-matched case such an interferometer can act as an all-reflective ring mode cleaner. It is further shown that in the highly undercoupled case almost complete separation of carrier power and phase signal from a cavity strain can be achieved.     

多模干涉耦合器一般成像位置分析

自映像效应是多模波导的一个重要特性,利用多模波导自映像效应制成的多模干涉耦合器被广泛地应用于集成光学回路中。然而根据以往的文献要得出多模干涉耦合器的成像位置要经过一系列复杂的计算。根据多模干涉耦合器的自映像原理,对多模干涉耦合器的成像位置进行分析。成像位置与输入场位置和位置数密切相关,给出了成像位置的解析表达式,得出奇数、偶数的位置数的成像位置分别对应相同,并且奇、偶数的位置数所对应的成像位置之和为多模波导宽度的成像规律。用导模传输分析法验证了表达式和成像规律的正确性。根据成像位置的表达式和成像规律可以直接得出任意输入场位置和位置数所对应的成像位置。为一维和二维限制的多模干涉耦合器的设计提供了理论基础。     

Spinor-electron wave guided modes in coupled quantum wells structures by solving the Dirac equation

A quantum analysis based on the Dirac equation of the propagation of spinor-electron waves in coupled quantum wells, or equivalently coupled electron waveguides, is presented. The complete optical wave equations for Spin-Up (SU) and Spin-Down (SD) spinor-electron waves in these electron guides couplers are derived from the Dirac equation. The relativistic amplitudes and dispersion equations of the spinor-electron wave-guided modes in a planar quantum coupler formed by two coupled quantum wells, or equivalently by two coupled slab electron waveguides, are exactly derived. The main outcomes related to the spinor modal structure, such as the breaking of the non-relativistic degenerate spin states, the appearance of phase shifts associated with the spin polarization and so on, are shown.     

Design and implementation of polarization filter for quantum states discriminator in optical quantum communication

In optical quantum communication, quantum state measurement is necessary. This paper proposes a new technique for realization of polarization filter based on planar lightwave circuit (PLC). This filter is used for quantum state discriminator in quantum communication and also as a Bell-state analyzer in quantum repeater. Electro-optics interferometer has been used in design and implementation of polarization filter. We use lithium niobate as a wafer material and Ti:LiNbO₃ for waveguide. Two directional couplers have been used in this device. The length and spacing of these directional couplers have been designed so that each polarization is routed in specific output. The proposed device has one input and two outputs. If polarization of the input photon is vertical, then this photon will appear in output 1, otherwise if the input photon has horizontal polarization, it appears in output 2. For vertical polarization input, the power overlaps integral (POI) shows that isolation between two outputs is 14.96 dB. As to horizontal polarization input, the isolation between two outputs is 13.8 dB. The designed polarization filter has length of 33 mm and width of 60 μm. This device is very suitable for use in integrated optics.     

马赫曾德尔干涉仪型波长交错器研究

提出薄膜器件与光纤器件构成组合器件的概念，详细研究了薄膜Gires-Tournois干涉仪型光学全通滤波器与光纤马赫-曾德尔干涉仪组合成的波长交错器的传输特性。并讨论了反射系数、损耗、色散、耦合比等参量对器件性能的影响。最后，提出一个双向马赫-曾德尔干涉仪组合器件的方案及其在双向波分复用系统中的应用。     

偏振脱敏高隔离度高分子波导分波器设计

提出了一种新的高分子波导分波器结构,用以改善波长串扰以及偏振变动、波长带宽等引起的劣化影响.主要技术特征是采用两支参量不同的波导来构成非对称定向耦合器.报告了用非对称定向耦合器构成的马赫-泽德尔干涉型波导分波器的结构特点、基本工作原理和光学特性,详细讨论了器件的设计原理和器件性能优化的处理方法.采用三维波束传播法做了仿真验证,结果表明,该器件在1 550±5 nm和1 310±5 nm的波长带域上、对两个正交偏振态均实现了串扰小于－40 dB的高隔离度分波特性.     

Universally balanced photonic interferometers

A new general class of optical interferometers is proposed, and the physical principle of their operation is explained. They split the spectrum entering one input port among the interferometer arms in an arbitrarily chosen wavelength- and/or time-dependent manner but guarantee broadband constructive interference into a single output port by symmetry. The design relies only on time reversibility of Maxwell's equations and a phase condition that holds for lossless, reflectionless four-ports. As an application, a new Vernier scheme is proposed to multiply the tuning and free spectral range of microphotonic add-drop filters. It provides effective suppression of both the amplitude and the phase response of unwanted resonant passbands.     

On the design of semiconductor optical amplifier-assisted Sagnac interferometer with full data dual output switching capability

The ability of a semiconductor optical amplifier assisted Sagnac interferometer to support error-free as well as pattern-independent operation at both of its output ports simultaneously when all of the incoming data can potentially be switched to them is investigated and demonstrated. For this purpose a numerical model is used to simulate the operation of the considered module so as to identify under which working conditions this full data dual output switching mode is possible. The thorough analysis and interpretation of the results obtained from the evaluation of the impact that each critical parameter has on the defined performance metrics allows to infer that meeting at the limit the criterion for the Q-factor at both outputs is determined by the transmission port for all of them but the carrier lifetime, for which the reflection port prevails. However this is not enough to guarantee that the pseudo-eye diagrams acquire their desired form because, although the amplitude modulation is adequate for both cases, the extinction ratio is low. Instead, the achievement of both logically correct and high quality switching demands further refinement of the specified minimum requirements and the selection of the key parameters in such way that the Q-factor at the reflection port is optimized. The design rules derived from this procedure can be useful for enabling the implementation of complex all-optical circuits and subsystems that exploit the specific SOA-based interferometric structure as the core building element.