A study of negative index grating growth in germanosilicate planar waveguides

Negative index grating growth in germanosilicate planar waveguides fabricated by hollow cathode(HC)-PECVD are characterised in detail. Differences in index modulation growth, both in terms of the grating strength and the rate of negative index change as a function of fluence, are observed. On the other hand, the average index change of the two polarisation states shows the same rate of growth revealing that grating growth is dependent on more than on index change triggered by simple isotropic uv-defect interactions.     

Hypersensitization of rare-earth-doped waveguides for distributed-feedback amplifier and laser applications

Deterioration of the gain coefficient as a result of UV processing of hydrogen-loaded Er(3+) - and Er(3+)/Yb (3+) -doped silicate optical waveguides can be reduced by initial hypersensitization of the waveguide prior to bulk irradiation. This allows improved performance in active-grating devices such as distributed-feedback fiber amplifiers and lasers.     

Demonstration of large-aperture tiled-grating compressors for high-energy, petawatt-class, chirped-pulse amplification systems

Two large-aperture tiled-grating (1.5 m) compressors, each consisting of four sets of tiled-grating assemblies, have been built for the OMEGA EP high-energy petawatt-class laser system. The techniques used for tiling individual tiled-grating assemblies and for optimizing the overall performance of a tiled-grating compressor are described. Both compressors achieved subpicosecond pulse duration without tiling-induced temporal degradation. A ray-tracing model predicted that the static wavefront of the grating tiles dominated focal-spot degradations when submicroradian tiling accuracy is achieved. The tiled-grating compressors delivered a tighter focal spot compared with subaperture grating compressors with single central tiles.     

The characteristic curve and site-selective laser excitation of local relaxation in glass

The so-called characteristic curve describing photosensitivity change is elaborated and shown to be a powerful tool for understanding and characterizing photosensitive growth both at a fundamental and practical level. It has been used successfully to diagnose when optimal hypersensitization has been achieved and the physical basis for this is explained. By way of example, previous results using 355 nm hypersensitization are re-examined. Evidence of single site-selective glass relaxation through direct laser excitation offers a new approach to accessing and studying induced relaxations.     

Fabrication of long-period fiber gratings by use of focused ion-beam irradiation

Long-period gratings have been made in nonphotosensitive optical fibers by irradiation of the core of a fiber with a focused beam of high-energy protons. The irradiated fibers exhibit relatively low loss, even before thermal annealing, and possess strongly wavelength-dependent transmission. The absence of a mask provides the opportunity to tailor the grating to a desired profile, and a variety of grating profiles were explored. The profile most resembling a sinusoid was found to produce the cleanest transmission spectra.     

Annealing properties of gratings written into UV-presensitized hydrogen-outdiffused optical fiber

Accelerated aging of gratings written in UV presensitized hydrogen outdiffused optical fibers show that these gratings are more stable than standard gratings written in hydrogen-loaded fibers. They are observed to grow initially by as much as 2%. The predicted decay after 25 years at 80 degrees C is ~0.1% . The results suggest that the index modulation decay is so slow that postfabrication annealing can be avoided.     

Carbon dioxide laser-assisted poling of silicate-based optical fibers

A novel poling method, carbon dioxide laser-assisted poling (CLAP), is demonstrated. Localized heating during CLAP is achieved through silicate absorption of the CO>(2) laser radiation. Electro-optic coefficients of 0.2 pm/V are achieved within a 55-s scan of a twin-hole fiber. It is shown that there is a range of CO>(2) laser powers for which the residual electro-optic coefficient is maximized.     

Engineering large anisotropy in amorphous glass

By exploiting the strain-related rollover thresholds that occur between UV-induced positive and negative index regimes in germanosilica glass it is possible to engineer large anisotropy into the structure. This is qualitatively analyzed for a planar waveguide and has been confirmed experimentally. However, the technique described here is not confined to waveguide devices and can in principle be applied to any glass structure that is capable of undergoing strain-sensitive transitions.     

Dynamic analysis and temperature measurements of concrete cantilever beam using fibre Bragg gratings

We analyzed the action of fire, causing degradation in a concrete cantilever beam using dynamic testing. The structure was fitted with two fibre Bragg gratings (FBG) sensors. One of them measured vibration and the other measured the temperature inside of the cantilever beam, while the beam was exposed to fire. A high-temperature probe based on a simple packaging system, which isolates the sensing FBG from any mechanical action, was developed. A low-cost fibre Bragg grating interrogation system, including easy assembly and maintenance, was used for the measurements. The temperature in the cantilever beam increased until 150 °C and a reduction in the strength of concrete was observed through modal analysis. Results reveal a considerable reduction in strength occurs even with exposures to moderate temperatures (less than 90 °C).     

Air-clad optical fibre filament for generating broadband radiation

A simple broadband optical source is demonstrated by using a high numerical aperture air-clad optical fibre to collect broadband emission of blackbody radiation from the fibre during exposure to high intensity electric arcs.