Three-dimensional spatial diffusion in optical molasses

We have studied the expansion of a small cloud of⁸⁵Rb atoms in three-dimensional optical molasses (lin lin and ⁺ – ^– configurations) and observed diffusive motion. We determined the spatial-diffusion coefficients for various laser intensities and detunings, and compared them (in the case of lin lin molasses) to values calculated from friction and momentum-diffusion coefficients of a one-dimensional (1D) theory of laser cooling. The predicted variations of the spatial-diffusion coefficient with laser intensity and detuning are in good qualitative agreement with the experimental data. We found that the minimal value observed experimentally, 6 × 10^–4 cm²/s, lies within a factor of 3 of the 1D theoretical minimum, , 26/M, whereM is the atomic mass.Dedicated to H. Walther on the occassion of his 60th birthday     

Supercontinuum generation in ultraviolet-irradiated fibers

We demonstrate that UV exposure of highly nonlinear, germanosilicate fibers causes a strong change in their chromatic dispersion and can significantly alter the infrared supercontinuum generation in these fibers. By varying the level of UV exposure to the fiber, we show that the dispersion zero and the short-wavelength edge of the supercontinuum can be changed by more than 100 nm. A nonlinear Schr?dinger equation model of the continuum generation in the nonlinear fiber shows that the short-wavelength behavior of the continuum is primarily controlled by changes in the fiber dispersion caused by the UV-induced change in the refractive index of the fiber core.     

Group-delay ripple correction in chirped fiber Bragg gratings

Group-delay ripple (GDR) introduced by systematic and random errors in chirped fiber Bragg grating fabrication is the most significant impediment to application of these devices in optical communication systems. We suggest and demonstrate a novel iterative procedure for GDR correction by subsequent UV exposure by use of a simple solution of the inverse problem for the coupled-wave equation. Our method is partly based but does not fully rely on the accuracy of this solution. In the experiment we achieved substantial reduction of the low-frequency group-delay ripple, from +/- 15 to +/- 2 ps, which resulted in dramatic improvement of the optical signal-to-noise-ratio system penalty, from 7 to less than 1 dB, for a chirped fiber Bragg grating used as a dispersion compensator in a 40-Gbit/s carrier-suppressed return-to-zero system.     

The obstacle problem for beams and plates

The numerical solution of the obstacle problem for beams and plates by means of variational inequalities and finite elements is examined. Algorithms for the solution of the discrete problem are discussed and particular attention is paid to different methods of approximating the constraint. The results of some numerical experiments for beams and plates are included.     

Grating resonances in air-silica microstructured optical fibers

We report what is believed to be the first demonstration of optical fiber gratings written in photonic crystal fibers. The fiber consists of a germanium-doped photosensitive core surrounded by a hexagonal periodic air-hole lattice in a silica matrix. The spectra of these gratings allow for a detailed characterization of the fiber. In particular, the gratings facilitate coupling to higher-order leaky modes. We show that the spatial distribution and the effective index of these modes are determined largely by the design of the lattice and that the grating spectra are unaffected by the refractive index surrounding the fiber. We describe these measurements and corresponding simulations and discuss their implications for the understanding of such air-hole structures.