Difference frequency generation by optical rectification of femtosecond laser pulse in GaAs crystal with a periodic domain structure

We study the influence of spatial boundedness of a femtosecond laser pulse (FLP) on the efficiency of generation of difference frequency radiation (DFR) in a GaAs crystal with a periodic domain structure. It is shown that at propagation of DFR a spectral-angular filtration occurs in the transverse distribution of the beam. An expression is obtained for the frequency-angular spectrum of DFR. For a pump pulse with the duration of 100 fs, the beam radius of 24μm, the energy of 30 nJ, and the wavelength of 1.98μm propagating in 1.716-mm long GaAs crystal with the domain structure period of 74.6μm the efficiency of generation of DFR at the wavelength of 14μm is calculated to be close to 2×10⁻⁶.     

Laser radiation tunable within the range of 4.35–5.45 <Emphasis Type="Italic">μ</Emphasis>m in a ZnTe crystal doped with Fe<Superscript>2+</Superscript> ions

We realized laser generation on a Fe²⁺:ZnTe crystal for first time. The crystal was pumped at room temperature by 40 ns pulses of an Er:YAG laser operating at a wavelength of 2.94 μm in the Q-switching mode. The output energy of the Fe²⁺:ZnTe laser was 0.18 mJ at a slope efficiency of 2.4% with respect to absorbed pumping energy. We achieved tuning of the Fe²⁺:ZnTe laser generation wavelength within the range of 4.35–5.45 μm using a prism-dispersion cavity.     

Widely tunable monochromatic THz sources based on phase-matched difference-frequency generation in nonlinear-optical crystals: A novel approach

We review our up-to-date result on the development of widely tunable monochromatic THz sources, implemented based on difference-frequency generation (DFG) in GaSe, ZnGeP₂, and GaP. Using a GaSe crystal, the output wavelength was tuned in the range from 66.5 μm to 5664 μm (from 150 cm^?1 to 1.77 cm^?1) with the highest peak power 389 W. This tuning range is the widest ever produced for a continuously tunable and coherent tabletop THz source. Moreover, the conversion efficiency 0.1% is also the highest ever achieved for a tabletop system. On the other hand, based on DFG in a ZnGeP₂ crystal, the output wavelength was tuned in the ranges 83.1–1642 μm and 80.2–1416 μm for two phase-matching configurations. The output power has reached 134 W so far. Finally, using a GaP crystal, the output wavelength was tuned in the range 71.1–2830 μm, whereas the highest peak power was 15.6 W. The advantage of using GaP over GaSe and ZnGeP₂ is that crystal rotation is no longer required for wavelength tuning. Instead, one just needs to tune the wavelength of one mixing beam within the bandwidth of as narrow as 15.3 nm.     

ZnTe晶体中光学整流产生的THz辐射及其电光探测研究

借助抽运-探测技术研究了ZnTe晶体中光学整流产生的太赫兹(THz)辐射，利用ZnTe晶体的线性电光效应探测THz辐射场分布，观察到了较窄(约为0.2 ps)的THz场分布及相应较宽(响应超过4 THz，半峰宽约为2.4 THz)的THz频谱，并运用琼斯矩阵对实验结果进行了理论拟合. 研究了飞秒激光脉冲波长(750—850 nm)、脉冲宽度(56—225 fs)和晶体旋转与THz辐射产生的关系. 同时改变探测光偏振方向进行偏振调制，并从理论上分析了偏振调制对THz辐射探测的影响. 关键词： THz辐射 光学整流 电光探测 ZnTe     

准相位匹配周期极化钼酸钆制备及倍频效应

根据准相位匹配原理，对钼酸钆晶体用于准相位匹配倍频过程的周期性畴结构进行了设计，当入射基频光为l.064pm时，所需的钼酸钆晶体畴结构周期为5．54μm。利用外电场极化，当外电场为2．5kV／mm时，钼酸钆晶体的畴结构反转时间tc=500～600μs。当外电场脉冲幅值为2．5kV／mm、脉冲延续时间t=0．6～0．8tc时，在钼酸钆晶体中制备得到了周期畴结构。当Nd：YAG纳秒激光器输出准连续功率为7～10mW的l.064μm激光通过具有周期畴结构的样品时，获得了0．532μm的倍频光输出。     

Generation of difference-frequency radiation in GaAs in the field of a few-cycle laser pulse in the regime of weakly expressed chromatic dispersion

We derive a system of coupled modified Korteweg-de Vries equations in the approximation of unidirectional waves which describe the evolution of electric fields of mutually-orthogonal linearly polarized laser pulses with duration of several optical oscillations in a nonlinear crystal with quadratic nonlinearity in the regime of weakly expressed chromatic dispersion. An isotropic GaAs crystal is considered as a nonlinear crystal, and the direction of propagation of interacting pulses is assumed to coincide with the normal to the 〈110〉 plane of the crystal. The derived system of equations was solved numerically by the finite difference method. We obtained the dependence of the relative shift of the central wavelength of pumping pulse spectrum on the distance travelled. It is shown that the decrease in the crystal thickness down to values commensurate with the coherence length of difference-frequency radiation leads to an increase in conversion efficiency. In particular, it is shown that the efficiency of difference-frequency generation at 4.1 μm and 10 μm for the 30 fs duration of pumping at 1.98 μm and the 100 MV/m amplitude of the electric field is ?51 dB and ?14 dB, respectively.     

Difference-Frequency Generation of THz Radiation via Parametric Three-Wave Interaction in CdTe and ZnTe Crystals

Difference-frequency generation of terahertz (THz) radiation in a collinear single-crystal scheme with distributed feedback implemented by means of parametric interaction of counterpropagating optical waves in a periodically inhomogeneous medium exhibiting quadratic nonlinearity is investigated. Using ZnTe and CdTe crystals optically pumped at λ = 0.77 and 1.06 μm, respectively, as an example, the possibility of obtaining parametric generation of THz radiation with an optical-to-THz conversion efficiency exceeding 10^–3 (with an extremely narrow line of oscillation of less than 4 GHz for ZnTe and less than 9 GHz for CdTe at 1 THz) is demonstrated in the undepleted-pump-intensity approximation. The obtained results can be used for construction of narrow-band lasers in the THz frequency range with an output power (in the quasicw regime of oscillation) of about 10⁵ W/cm².     

The effect of phase difference of subpicosecond IR laser pulses propagating in a GaAs/ZnTe periodic structure on the efficiency of generation of the sum and difference frequencies radiations

The results of theoretical research and numerical simulation of the nonlinear interaction process of mutually orthogonal and linearly polarized IR subpicosecond laser pulses with the one-dimensional periodic structure of the GaAs/ZnTe are presented. In particular, the interaction of such pulses with the equal amplitude electric field of 70.71 MV/m, with the duration of 333 fs at the central wavelength λ₀ = 10 μm, with the periodic structure of the GaAs and the ZnTe with the thickness of layers equal to λ₀/2n_GaAs = 1.527 μm and λ0/4n_ZnTe = 0.931 μm, respectively, and with the number of periods equal to 100 is considered. It is shown that the efficiency of generation of sum and difference frequencies is proportional to the phase difference of the interacting IR pump pulses.     

Determination of the Subpicosecond Laser Pulse Chirp in the Middle IR Range Based on the Fourth Harmonic Noncollinear Generation

A new method is proposed to determine the subpicosecond laser pulse chirp in the middle IR range at the central wavelength of 10 μm, based on the generation of the second-harmonic pulses both by the bandwidth-limited and frequency-modulated subpicosecond pulses and the subsequent noncollinear generation of the fourth-harmonic radiation by the corresponding second-harmonic pulses. The time dependences are given of the instantaneous frequency of the frequency-modulated second-harmonic pulse at the central wavelength of 5 μm, generated in the field of the frequency-modulated subpicosecond IR pulse, propagating in the negative uniaxial AgGaS₂ crystal along the direction of 61°36′ relative to the optical axis. These results can be used in designing a nonlinear optical phase correlator to determine the phase and time profile of the subpicosecond laser pulse in the middle IR range.     

Nonlinear rotation of the polarization of the intense femtosecond laser radiation in BaF<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The dependence of the polarization plane rotation angle in the BaF₂ crystal on the intensity of the femtosecond laser radiation with 0.62 μm wavelength in the ω = ω + ω ? ω process on cubical nonlinearity χ⁽³⁾ is investigated. An anomalous increase in the efficiency of the cross-polarized radiation generation at I > 2 × 10¹² W cm² is observed for the first time. The 10% efficiency of the orthogonal component generation at the ～3 × 10¹² W cm² intensity is obtained.     

V形高双折射光子晶体光纤特性研究

本文基于全矢量有限元法,设计了一种V形结构高双折射光子晶体光纤,数值分析结果表明:当光纤的包层孔间距Λ为1.0 μm,包层大空气孔D和小空气孔d分别为0.95 μm,0.7 μm时,在波长为1.55 μm处,该光纤的双折射度B达到1.225×10^-2,比传统光纤高约两个数量级. 另外,分别在可见光和近红外波段出现了两个零色散波长,使钛宝石飞秒激光器工作波段(700—980 nm) 处于光纤的反常色散区,为新颖的光子晶体 关键词： 光子晶体光纤 高双折射 有限元法 V形结构     

Nonequilibrium acoustic phonons in ZnTe at liquid-helium temperatures: Effect of impurities and structural defects on the phonon mean free path

ZnTe crystallites isolated from a druse of coarse-grained polycrystalline ZnTe, prepared by chemical vapor synthesis at a temperature of ～650°C, were studied using x-ray diffractometry, luminescence, and the heat pulse technique. The crystallites are stacked in {110}-oriented macroscopic layers with a common twin system. The {111} twin planes separated at a distance of 50–100 μm are perpendicular to the (110) growth layers. Acoustic phonon propagation was studied using the heat pulse technique. A comparison of the responses to the arrival of differently polarized phonons in a given sample with the responses obtained on high-purity coarse-grained ZnTe with randomly distributed twin systems with a separation of 5–10 μm and on twin-free single-crystal ZnTe suggests that twins radically affect the scattering of acoustic phonons. The mean free paths of LA, FTA, and STA phonons were determined by comparing the experimental responses with Monte Carlo calculations.     

Tunable laser via F 2 + and F 2 − colour centers in the spectral region 0.88–1.25 μm

Frequency-tunable generation by means of F ₂ ⁺ and F ₂ ^? colour centers in a LiF crystal is reported. Colour centers were created by illuminating LiF crystals with electrons of 3 meV energy at the electron current density of 1 μA/cm². The pumping source was a ruby laser with a peak power of 20 MW, a pulse duration of 20 ns, and a repetition rate of 1 Hz. The frequency tuning is obtained in the range of 0.88–1.25 μm. Discussed are the ways of pumping of colour centers and the possibility of lasing in the spectral region of 0.85 to 2 μm in the type of colour centers under investigation.     

采用保偏光子晶体光纤在1.6μm区域产生超连续谱

报道了利用保偏光子晶体光纤在1.6 μm区域产生超连续谱.通过将光参量放大器产生的中心波长为1.5938 μm、重复频率为250 kHz、脉冲宽度为250 fs的光脉冲耦合进纤芯直径为2.0 μm、长度为0.2 m的保偏光子晶体光纤,获得了1.6 μm区域的光谱展宽,展宽的光谱带宽为45.8 nm (1.5892~1.6350 μm).     

Second harmonic generation accompanying linear mode conversion in a laser-produced plasma

Second harmonic (SH) generation in a laser produced plasma (NdYAG laser with wavelength 1.06 μm, pulse duration 30 ps, intensity 10¹³Wcm^-2) was investigated experimentally as a function of polarization and angle of incidence of the laser beam. The results are in agreement with theoretical predictions for SH generation in the presence of linear mode conversion in the plasma.     

Optimization of highly nonlinear dispersion-flattened photonic crystal fiber for supercontinuum generation

A simple type of photonic crystal fiber (PCF) for supercontinuum generation is proposed for the first time. The proposed PCF is composed of a solid silica core and a cladding with square lattice uniform elliptical air holes, which offers not only a large nonlinear coefficient but also a high birefringence and low leakage losses. The PCF with nonlinear coefficient as large as 46 W 1 · km-1 at the wavelength of 1.55 μm and a total dispersion as low as ±2.5 ps · nm-1 · km-1 over an ultra-broad waveband range of the S-C-L band (wavelength from 1.46 μm to 1.625 μm) is optimized by adjusting its structure parameter, such as the lattice constant Λ , the air-filling fraction f , and the air-hole ellipticity η. The novel PCF with ultra-flattened dispersion, highly nonlinear coefficient, and nearly zero negative dispersion slope will offer a possibility of efficient super-continuum generation in telecommunication windows using a few ps pulses.     

Electrical,optical and spectral characteristics of type-II ZnSe/ZnTe/GaAs superlattice and MSM-photodetector on their base

We report on growth, fabrication and characterization of the metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) photodiode based on type-II ZnSe/ZnTe heterostructure. Heterostructure was grown on semi-insulating GaAs substrates by MOVPE. For the first time we present the results of experimental investigations of the MSM photodetector on the base of type-II ZnSe/ZnTe superlattice. The MSM-photodetector demonstrates very low dark current, high current sensitivity and external quantum efficiency. The maximum photoresponse of the MSM-detector at the wavelength 620 nm corresponds to current sensitivity 0.22 A/W and external quantum efficiency 44%. Photoresponse of the MSM-detector shows two peaks of response located at 620 nm and 870 nm. ZnSe/ZnTe type-II superlattice structure reduces the MSM-diode dark current significantly. For the MSM-diode with finger width and gap of 3 µm and 100?×?100 µm² photosensitive area we have obtained dark current density 10^?8 A/cm² at room temperature.     

控制场对宽带超连续谱产生的影响

研究了控制场对宽带超连续谱产生的影响,计算表明控制脉冲的波长在1.6±0.2 μm范围内调节时,谐波谱的超连续部分形状几乎没有变化,截止区位置和超连续谱宽度变化都小于5%.随着控制场相对于基频场强度的增加,谐波谱上超连续部分的宽度会增加.采用强度为6×10¹⁴ W/cm²,波长为800 nm,脉冲宽度为12 fs的多光周期基频脉冲叠加脉冲宽度为30 fs,波长为1.6 μm,相对相位为-0.1π,相对强度为20%的控制场作为驱动脉冲,选出了短量子轨道并产生105 关键词： 宽带 超连续谱 阿秒脉冲 短量子轨道     

Growth of high quality non-linear optical crystal zinc germanium phosphide for Mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator

ZnGeP₂ single crystals were grown from Vertical Bridgman method. High-quality near-stoichiometric ZnGeP₂ single crystals were obtained in the diameter of 30 mm and length of 120 mm. The results showed that after thermal annealing of the crystals the optical absorption coefficient was below 0.03 cm^?1 at 2.05 μm, and ～0.02 cm^?1 at 3–8 μm. The low absorption loss ZnGeP₂ samples with dimension of 6 × 6 × 18 mm³ were cut from the annealed ingots for 3–5 μm optical parametric oscillation (OPO) experiments. For OPO experiment, we obtained up to 8.7 W output in the 3–5 μm wavelength range (with signal of 3.80 μm and idler of 4.45 μm, respectively) pumped by a 16.3 W 2.05 μm Tm,Ho:GdVO₄ laser at pulse repetition rate of 10 kHz, which corresponded to a conversion efficiency of 53.4% and slope efficiency of 64.8%, respectively.     

Modeling the terahertz radiation generation process,obtained by filtration of spectral supercontinuum,formed during propagation of femtosecond laser pulse in GaAs crystal

We present the results of theoretical studies of the process of generation of terahertz radiation arising via interaction of few-cycle laser pulses propagating in an isotropic nonlinear medium. Numerical time-integration, by the finite-difference method, of the system of nonlinear Maxwell equations has been performed. We consider the interaction of mutually-orthogonal linearly polarized pulses, both having the central wavelength of 1.98 μm, durations of 30 fs, and the energies of 30 nJ, propagating along the normal to the 〈110〉 plane in a 1 mm-thickness GaAs crystal. In the nonlinear part of the medium polarization the without-inertia nonlinear second-order susceptibility is taken into account. The process of formation of a terahertz pulse arising via spectral filtration of supercontinuum formed in the spectra of pump pulses at the output of nonlinear crystal is studied. The dependences of both the current frequency of the pump pulses on time for different lengths of nonlinear crystal and of pump pulse durations on the crystal length are obtained. Also the dependences of the current frequency of the terahertz pulse on time at different crystal lengths, as well as of the efficiency of generation of terahertz radiation on the length of nonlinear crystal and on the energy of pump pulses are obtained.