High spin level structure of 63 143 Eu80

The level scheme of ¹⁴³ Eu has been extended to I=75/2 in an experiment with the NORDBALL Compton-suppressed Ge detector array and the ¹¹⁰ Pd(³⁷ Cl, 4n) reaction. Most of the scheme shows irregular structure of multiparticle excitations. A strongly populated straight cascade of more than 10 stretched E2 transitions suggests the onset of collectivity.     

Quadrupole moment measurement of the highly deformed πg 9/2⊗νh 11/2 band in 130Pr

The quadrupole moment for the πg _9/2⊗νh _11/2 band in the ^130>Pr nucleus has been measured using the Doppler-shift attenuation method. A centroid shift analysis was carried out and a value of Q₀=6.1±0.4 eb, corresponding to an axial prolate deformation of β₂=0.35(3), has been determined. This is the first direct experimental confirmation of the deformation-driving character of the πg _9/2 orbital in an odd-odd nucleus in the A≃135 superdeformed region. Received: 23 April 1998     

First observation of excited states in 184Pb: spectroscopy beyond the neutron mid-shell

Excited states have been identified for the first time in ¹⁸⁴Pb, the first even-even Pb isotope beyond the 82 < N < 126 mid-shell, using the recoil-decay tagging (RDT) technique. A collective band built on the first-excited 2⁺ state has been observed. This resembles those seen in ^186,188Pb and the Hg isotones, and can thus be associated with a prolate-deformed shape. Variable moment of inertia (VMI) fits of the prolate 0⁺ level energies in ^184,186,188Pb indicate that the minimum appears at N= 103, the same neutron number at which the corresponding minimum in Hg isotopes is observed. Received: 19 May 1998 / Revised version: 1 July 1998     

Photonic Crystal Fibers

By offering greatly enhanced control of light compared to conventional step-index structures, photonic crystal fibres are radically improving the performance of linear and nonlinear fibre devices, including gas-Raman cells, super-continuum generators, soliton systems and cladding-pumped lasers.     

Engineering the dispersion of tapered fibers for supercontinuum generation with a 1064 nm pump laser

We experimentally demonstrate dispersion tailoring of tapered fibers by immersing them in fluids. We obtain a 1200 nm wide supercontinuum in a train of two tapered fibers pumped by a low-cost diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser with a pulse width of 0.6 ns and an output power of 40 mW, where one tapered fiber is immersed in heavy water. To our knowledge, this is the widest spectrum ever generated with a system of such simplicity.     

Splice-free interfacing of photonic crystal fibers

We report a new method for making low-loss interfaces between conventional single-mode fibers and photonic crystal fibers (PCFs). Adapted from the fabrication of PCF preforms from stacked tubes and rods, this method avoids the need for splicing and is versatile enough to interface to virtually any type of index-guiding silica PCF. We illustrate the method by forming interfaces to two problematic types of PCF, highly nonlinear and multicore. In particular, we believe this to be the first method capable of individually coupling light into and out of all the cores of a fiber with multiple closely spaced cores, without input or output cross talk.     

Highly birefringent photonic crystal fibers

We report a strongly anisotropic photonic crystal fiber. Twofold rotational symmetry was introduced into a single-mode fiber structure by creation of a regular array of airholes of two sizes disposed about a pure-silica core. Based on spectral measurements of the polarization mode beating, we estimate that the fiber has a beat length of approximately 0.4 mm at a wavelength of 1540 nm, in good agreement with the results of modeling.     

Supercontinuum generation in tapered fibers

Supercontinuum light with a spectrum more than two octaves broad (370-1545 nm at the 20-dB level) was generated in a standard telecommunications fiber by femtosecond pulses from an unamplified Ti:sapphire laser. The fiber had been tapered to a diameter of :2mum over a 90-mm length. The pulse energy was 3.9 nJ (average power, 300 mW). This source of high-intensity single-mode white light should find widespread applications in frequency metrology and spectroscopy, especially since no unconventional fibers are needed.     

White-light frequency comb generation with a diode-pumped Cr:LiSAF laser

We have created a broad spectrum spanning more than an optical octave by launching femtosecond pulses from a battery operated Cr:LiSAF laser into a photonic crystal fiber. Despite the massive broadening in the fiber, the comb structure of the spectrum is preserved, and this frequency comb is perfectly suited for applications in optical frequency metrology.