Optical characterization in wide spectral range by a coherent spectrophotometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirutkaitis, Valdas; Eckardt, Robert C.; Balachninaite, Ona; Grigonis, Rimantas; Melninkaitis, A.; Rakickas, T.

2003-11-01

We report on the development and use of coherent spectrophotometers specialized for the unusual requirements of characterizing nonlinear optical materials and multilayer dielectric coatings used in laser systems. A large dynamic range is required to measure the linear properties of transmission, reflection and absorption and nonlinear properties of laser-induced damage threshold and nonlinear frequency conversion. Optical parametric oscillators generate coherent radiation that is widely tunable with instantaneous powers that can range from milliwatts to megawatts and are well matched to this application. As particular example a laser spectrophotometer based on optical parametric oscillators and a diode-pumped, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and suitable for optical characterization in the spectral range 420-4500 nm is described. Measurements include reflectance and transmittance, absorption, scattering and laser-induced damage thresholds. Possibilities of a system based on a 130-fs Ti:sapphire laser and optical parametric generators are also discussed.

Generation and parametric amplification of broadband chirped pulses in the near-infrared

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcinkevičiūtė, A.; Michailovas, K.; Butkus, R.

2018-05-01

We demonstrate generation and optical parametric amplification of broadband chirped pulses in the range of 1.8- 2 . 5 μm. The setup is built around Ti:sapphire oscillator as a seed source and 1 kHz Nd:YAG laser system as a pump source. Visible broadband seed pulses are temporally stretched and amplified in a non-collinear optical parametric amplifier before being mixed with fundamental harmonic of the pump laser. Difference frequency generation between positively-chirped broadband pulses centered at 0 . 7 μm and non-chirped narrowband pulses at 1064 nm produces negatively-chirped wide spectral bandwidth pulses in the infrared. After subsequent parametric amplification, pulses with more than 0.5 mJ energy were obtained with spectral bandwidth supporting transform-limited pulse durations as short as 23 fs.

Power scaling of supercontinuum seeded megahertz-repetition rate optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers.

PubMed

Riedel, R; Stephanides, A; Prandolini, M J; Gronloh, B; Jungbluth, B; Mans, T; Tavella, F

2014-03-15

Optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers with high average power are possible with novel high-power Yb:YAG amplifiers with kW-level output powers. We demonstrate a compact wavelength-tunable sub-30-fs amplifier with 11.4 W average power with 20.7% pump-to-signal conversion efficiency. For parametric amplification, a beta-barium borate crystal is pumped by a 140 W, 1 ps Yb:YAG InnoSlab amplifier at 3.25 MHz repetition rate. The broadband seed is generated via supercontinuum generation in a YAG crystal.

Generation of 8.3 dB continuous variable quantum entanglement at a telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jinxia, Feng; Zhenju, Wan; Yuanji, Li; Kuanshou, Zhang

2018-01-01

Continuous variable quantum entanglement at a telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm is experimentally generated using a single nondegenerate optical parametric amplifier based on a type-II periodically poled KTiOPO4 crystal. The triply resonant of the nondegenerate optical parametric amplifier is adjusted by tuning the crystal temperature and tilting the orientation of the crystal in the optical cavity. Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-entangled beams with quantum correlations of 8.3 dB for both the amplitude and phase quadratures are experimentally generated. This system can be used for continuous variable fibre-based quantum communication.

Optical parametric amplification of arbitrarily polarized light in periodically poled LiNbO3.

PubMed

Shao, Guang-hao; Song, Xiao-shi; Xu, Fei; Lu, Yan-qing

2012-08-13

Optical parametric amplification (OPA) of arbitrarily polarized light is proposed in a multi-section periodically poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN). External electric field is applied on selected sections to induce the polarization rotation of involved lights, thus the quasi-phase matched optical parametric processes exhibit polarization insensitivity under suitable voltage. In addition to the amplified signal wave, an idler wave with the same polarization is generated simultaneously. As an example, a ~10 times OPA showing polarization independency is simulated. Applications of this technology are also discussed.

A fiber-laser-pumped four-wavelength continuous-wave mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Peng; Shang, Yaping; Li, Xiao; Xu, Xiaojun

2017-10-01

In this paper, a four-wavelength continuous-wave mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator was demonstrated for the first time. The pump source was a home-built linearly polarized Yb-doped fiber laser and the maximum output power was 72.5 W. The pump source had three central wavelengths locating at 1060 nm, 1065 nm and 1080 nm. Four idler emissions with different wavelengths were generated which were 3132 nm, 3171 nm, 3310 nm and 3349 nm under the maximum pump power. The maximum idler output reached 8.7 W, indicating a 15% pump-to-idler slope efficiency. The signal wave generated in the experiment had two wavelengths which were 1595 nm and 1603 nm under the maximum pump power. It was analyzed that four nonlinear progresses occurred in the experiment, two of them being optical parametric oscillation and the rest two being intracavity difference frequency generation.

Polarization switch of four-wave mixing in a lawtunable fiber optical parametric oscillator.

PubMed

Yang, Kangwen; Ye, Pengbo; Zheng, Shikai; Jiang, Jieshi; Huang, Kun; Hao, Qiang; Zeng, Heping

2018-02-05

We reported the simultaneous generation and selective manipulation of scalar and cross-phase modulation instabilities in a fiber optical parametric oscillator. Numerical and experimental results show independent control of parametric gain by changing the input pump polarization state. The resonant cavity enables power enhancement of 45 dB for the spontaneous sidebands, generating laser pulses tunable from 783 to 791 nm and 896 to 1005 nm due to the combination of four-wave mixing, cascaded Raman scattering and other nonlinear effects. This gain controlled, wavelength tunable, fiber-based laser source may find applications in the fields of nonlinear biomedical imaging and stimulated Raman spectroscopy.

Frequency comb generation by a continuous-wave-pumped optical parametric oscillator based on cascading quadratic nonlinearities.

PubMed

Ulvila, Ville; Phillips, C R; Halonen, Lauri; Vainio, Markku

2013-11-01

We report optical frequency comb generation by a continuous-wave pumped optical parametric oscillator (OPO) without any active modulation. The OPO is configured as singly resonant with an additional nonlinear crystal (periodically poled MgO:LiNbO3) placed inside the OPO for phase mismatched second harmonic generation (SHG) of the resonating signal beam. The phase mismatched SHG causes cascading χ(2) nonlinearities, which can substantially increase the effective χ(3) nonlinearity in MgO:LiNbO3, leading to spectral broadening of the OPO signal beam via self-phase modulation. The OPO generates a stable 4 THz wide (-30 dB) frequency comb centered at 1.56 μm.

Competing collinear and noncollinear interactions in chirped quasi-phase-matched optical parametric amplifiers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Charbonneau-Lefort, Mathieu; Afeyan, Bedros; Fejer, M. M.

Chirped quasi-phase-matched optical parametric amplifiers (chirped QPM OPAs) are investigated experimentally. The measured collinear gain is constant over a broad bandwidth, which makes these devices attractive candidates for use in femtosecond amplifier systems. The experiment also shows that chirped QPM OPAs support noncollinear gain-guided modes. These modes can dominate the desired collinear gain and generate intense parametric fluorescence. Finally, design guidelines to mitigate these parasitic processes are discussed.

Quasi-Phasematched Nonlinear Optics: Materials and Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-16

the soliton energy in pump, signal and idler waves as a function of the final wave- vector mismatch in the chirped QPM gratings. We see good agreement...devices including OP-GaAs devices for broadband optical parametric generation (OPG) at mid-infrared wavelengths, bulk PPLN devices for soliton ...Carrasco, and L. Torner,"Engineering of multi-color spatial solitons with chirped-period quasi-phase-matching gratings in optical parametric amplification

Wavelength-doubling optical parametric oscillator

DOEpatents

Armstrong, Darrell J [Albuquerque, NM; Smith, Arlee V [Albuquerque, NM

2007-07-24

A wavelength-doubling optical parametric oscillator (OPO) comprising a type II nonlinear optical medium for generating a pair of degenerate waves at twice a pump wavelength and a plurality of mirrors for rotating the polarization of one wave by 90 degrees to produce a wavelength-doubled beam with an increased output energy by coupling both of the degenerate waves out of the OPO cavity through the same output coupler following polarization rotation of one of the degenerate waves.

Efficient, High-Power Mid-Infrared Laser for National Securityand Scientific Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kiani, Leily S.

The LLNL fiber laser group developed a unique short-wave-infrared, high-pulse energy, highaverage- power fiber based laser. This unique laser source has been used in combination with a nonlinear frequency converter to generate wavelengths, useful for remote sensing and other applications in the mid-wave infrared (MWIR). Sources with high average power and high efficiency in this MWIR wavelength region are not yet available with the size, weight, and power requirements or energy efficiency necessary for future deployment. The LLNL developed Fiber Laser Pulsed Source (FiLPS) design was adapted to Erbium doped silica fibers for 1.55 μm pumping of Cadmium Silicon Phosphidemore » (CSP). We have demonstrated, for the first time optical parametric amplification of 2.4 μm light via difference frequency generation using CSP with an Erbium doped fiber source. In addition, for efficiency comparison purposes, we also demonstrated direct optical parametric generation (OPG) as well as optical parametric oscillation (OPO).« less

Simultaneous parametric generation and up-conversion of entangled optical images

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saygin, M. Yu., E-mail: mihasyu@gmail.com; Chirkin, A. S., E-mail: aschirkin@rambler.r

A quantum theory of parametric amplification and frequency conversion of an optical image in coupled nonlinear optical processes that include one parametric amplification process at high-frequency pumping and two up-conversion processes in the same pump field is developed. The field momentum operator that takes into account the diffraction and group velocities of the waves is used to derive the quantum equations related to the spatial dynamics of the images during the interaction. An optical scheme for the amplification and conversion of a close image is considered. The mean photon number density and signal-to-noise ratio are calculated in the fixed-pump-field approximationmore » for images at various frequencies. It has been established that the signal-to-noise ratio decreases with increasing interaction length in the amplified image and increases in the images at the generated frequencies, tending to asymptotic values for all interacting waves. The variance of the difference of the numbers of photons is calculated for various pairs of frequencies. The quantum entanglement of the optical images formed in a high-frequency pump field is shown to be converted to higher frequencies during the generation of sum frequencies. Thus, two pairs of entangled optical images are produced in the process considered.« less

Sensitivity enhancement in swept-source optical coherence tomography by parametric balanced detector and amplifier

PubMed Central

Kang, Jiqiang; Wei, Xiaoming; Li, Bowen; Wang, Xie; Yu, Luoqin; Tan, Sisi; Jinata, Chandra; Wong, Kenneth K. Y.

2016-01-01

We proposed a sensitivity enhancement method of the interference-based signal detection approach and applied it on a swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) system through all-fiber optical parametric amplifier (FOPA) and parametric balanced detector (BD). The parametric BD was realized by combining the signal and phase conjugated idler band that was newly-generated through FOPA, and specifically by superimposing these two bands at a photodetector. The sensitivity enhancement by FOPA and parametric BD in SS-OCT were demonstrated experimentally. The results show that SS-OCT with FOPA and SS-OCT with parametric BD can provide more than 9 dB and 12 dB sensitivity improvement, respectively, when compared with the conventional SS-OCT in a spectral bandwidth spanning over 76 nm. To further verify and elaborate their sensitivity enhancement, a bio-sample imaging experiment was conducted on loach eyes by conventional SS-OCT setup, SS-OCT with FOPA and parametric BD at different illumination power levels. All these results proved that using FOPA and parametric BD could improve the sensitivity significantly in SS-OCT systems. PMID:27446655

Nondegenerate parametric generation of 2.2-mJ, few-cycle 2.05-μm pulses using a mixed phase matching scheme

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Guibao; Wandel, Scott F.; Jovanovic, Igor, E-mail: ijovanovic@psu.edu

2014-02-15

We describe the production of 2.2-mJ, ∼6 optical-cycle-long mid-infrared laser pulses with a carrier wavelength of 2.05 μm in a two-stage β-BaB{sub 2}O{sub 4} nondegenerate optical parametric amplifier design with a mixed phase matching scheme, which is pumped by a standard Ti:sapphire chirped-pulse amplification system. It is demonstrated that relatively high pulse energies, short pulse durations, high stability, and excellent beam profiles can be obtained using this simple approach, even without the use of optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification.

Phonon-assisted nonlinear optical processes in ultrashort-pulse pumped optical parametric amplifiers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isaienko, Oleksandr; Robel, István

2016-03-01

Optically active phonon modes in ferroelectrics such as potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) and potassium titanyl arsenate (KTA) in the ~7-20 THz range play an important role in applications of these materials in Raman lasing and terahertz wave generation. Previous studies with picosecond pulse excitation demonstrated that the interaction of pump pulses with phonons can lead to efficient stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) accompanying optical parametric oscillation or amplification processes (OPO/OPA), and to efficient polariton-phonon scattering. In this work, we investigate the behavior of infrared OPAs employing KTP or KTA crystals when pumped with ~800-nm ultrashort pulses of duration comparable to the oscillation period of the optical phonons. We demonstrate that under conditions of coherent impulsive Raman excitation of the phonons, when the effective χ(2) nonlinearity cannot be considered instantaneous, the parametrically amplified waves (most notably, signal) undergo significant spectral modulations leading to an overall redshift of the OPA output. The pump intensity dependence of the redshifted OPA output, the temporal evolution of the parametric gain, as well as the pump spectral modulations suggest the presence of coupling between the nonlinear optical polarizations PNL of the impulsively excited phonons and those of parametrically amplified waves.

Generation of high-energy sub-20 fs pulses tunable in the 250-310 nm region by frequency doubling of a high-power noncollinear optical parametric amplifier.

PubMed

Beutler, Marcus; Ghotbi, Masood; Noack, Frank; Brida, Daniele; Manzoni, Cristian; Cerullo, Giulio

2009-03-15

We report on the generation of powerful sub-20 fs deep UV pulses with 10 microJ level energy and broadly tunable in the 250-310 nm range. These pulses are produced by frequency doubling a high-power noncollinear optical parametric amplifier and compressed by a pair of MgF2 prisms to an almost transform-limited duration. Our results provide a power scaling by an order of magnitude with respect to previous works.

Four modes of optical parametric operation for squeezed state generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersen, U. L.; Buchler, B. C.; Lam, P. K.; Wu, J. W.; Gao, J. R.; Bachor, H.-A.

2003-11-01

We report a versatile instrument, based on a monolithic optical parametric amplifier, which reliably generates four different types of squeezed light. We obtained vacuum squeezing, low power amplitude squeezing, phase squeezing and bright amplitude squeezing. We show a complete analysis of this light, including a full quantum state tomography. In addition we demonstrate the direct detection of the squeezed state statistics without the aid of a spectrum analyser. This technique makes the nonclassical properties directly visible and allows complete measurement of the statistical moments of the squeezed quadrature.

Gain statistics of a fiber optical parametric amplifier with a temporally incoherent pump.

PubMed

Xu, Y Q; Murdoch, S G

2010-03-15

We present an investigation of the statistics of the gain fluctuations of a fiber optical parametric amplifier pumped with a temporally incoherent pump. We derive a simple expression for the probability distribution of the gain of the amplified optical signal. The gain statistics are shown to be a strong function of the signal detuning and allow the possibility of generating optical gain distributions with controllable long-tails. Very good agreement is found between this theory and the experimentally measured gain distributions of an incoherently pumped amplifier.

Carrier-phase control among subharmonic pulses in a femtosecond optical parametric oscillator.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Y; Torizuka, K

2001-08-15

We have generated femtosecond subharmonic pulses by using an optical parametric oscillator. The optical frequencies of the idler and the signal are one third and two thirds, respectively, of the optical frequency of the pump pulse. The carrier phase of the signal pulse relative to that of the pump pulse was locked by electronic feedback. The carrier-envelope phase slip frequency of the signal pulse relative to that of the pump was locked to F/6 , where F is defined as the repetition frequency.

Improving carrier-envelope phase stability in optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers by control of timing jitter.

PubMed

Hädrich, S; Rothhardt, J; Krebs, M; Demmler, S; Limpert, J; Tünnermann, A

2012-12-01

It is shown that timing jitter in optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification induces spectral drifts that transfer to carrier-envelope phase (CEP) instabilities via dispersion. Reduction of this effect requires temporal synchronization, which is realized with feedback obtained from the angularly dispersed idler. Furthermore, a novel method to measure the CEP drifts by utilizing parasitic second harmonic generation within parametric amplifiers is presented. Stabilization of the timing allows the obtainment of a CEP stability of 86 mrad over 40 min at 150 kHz repetition rate.

Towards a versatile active wavelength converter for all-optical networks based on quasi-phase matched intra-cavity difference-frequency generation.

PubMed

Torregrosa, Adrián J; Maestre, Haroldo; Capmany, Juan

2013-11-18

The availability of reconfigurable all-optical wavelength converters for an efficient and flexible use of optical resources in WDM (wavelength division multiplexing) networks is still lacking at present. We propose and report preliminary results on a versatile active technique for multiple and tunable wavelength conversions in the 1500-1700 nm spectral region. The technique is based on combining broadband quasi-phase matched intra-cavity parametric single-pass difference-frequency generation close to degeneracy in a diode-pumped tunable laser. A periodically poled stoichiometric lithium tantalate crystal is used as the nonlinear medium, with a parametric pump wave generated in a continuous-wave self-injection locked Cr3+:LiCAF tunable laser operating at around 800 nm.

Experimental sub-Rayleigh resolution by an unseeded high-gain optical parametric amplifier for quantum lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sciarrino, Fabio; Vitelli, Chiara; de Martini, Francesco; Glasser, Ryan; Cable, Hugo; Dowling, Jonathan P.

2008-01-01

Quantum lithography proposes to adopt entangled quantum states in order to increase resolution in interferometry. In the present paper we experimentally demonstrate that the output of a high-gain optical parametric amplifier can be intense yet exhibits quantum features, namely, sub-Rayleigh fringes, as proposed by [Agarwal , Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 1389 (2001)]. We investigate multiphoton states generated by a high-gain optical parametric amplifier operating with a quantum vacuum input for gain values up to 2.5. The visibility has then been increased by means of three-photon absorption. The present paper opens interesting perspectives for the implementation of such an advanced interferometrical setup.

High repetition frequency PPMgOLN mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, J.; Liu, Q.; Yan, X.; Chen, H.; Gong, M.

2010-09-01

A mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator (OPO) with the idler wavelengths of 3591 nm, 3384 nm, and 3164 nm at the repetition of 76.8 kHz is reported, and a high repetition frequency acousto-optic Q-switched Nd:YVO4 laser is used as the pump source. The OPO is designed as an external non-colinear single-resonator optical parametric oscillator. When the power of the pump light is 25.1 W, the idler with the wavelength of 3164 nm and the power of 4.3 W is generated. The corresponding signal light is 1603 nm with the power of 3.1 W. The efficiency from 1064 nm to 3160 nm can reach as high as 17.1%, and the efficiency of the OPO is 29.5%.

Implementing quantum optics with parametrically driven superconducting circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aumentado, Jose

Parametric coupling has received much attention, in part because it forms the core of many low-noise amplifiers in superconducting quantum information experiments. However, parametric coupling in superconducting circuits is, as a general rule, simple to generate and forms the basis of a methodology for interacting microwave fields at different frequencies. In the quantum regime, this has important consequences, allowing relative novices to do experiments in superconducting circuits today that were previously heroic efforts in quantum optics and cavity-QED. In this talk, I'll give an overview of some of our work demonstrating parametric coupling within the context of circuit-QED as well as some of the possibilities this concept creates in our field.

Highly stable ultrabroadband mid-IR optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier optimized for superfluorescence suppression.

PubMed

Moses, J; Huang, S-W; Hong, K-H; Mücke, O D; Falcão-Filho, E L; Benedick, A; Ilday, F O; Dergachev, A; Bolger, J A; Eggleton, B J; Kärtner, F X

2009-06-01

We present a 9 GW peak power, three-cycle, 2.2 microm optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification source with 1.5% rms energy and 150 mrad carrier envelope phase fluctuations. These characteristics, in addition to excellent beam, wavefront, and pulse quality, make the source suitable for long-wavelength-driven high-harmonic generation. High stability is achieved by careful optimization of superfluorescence suppression, enabling energy scaling.

Phonon-assisted nonlinear optical processes in ultrashort-pulse pumped optical parametric amplifiers

DOE PAGES

Isaienko, Oleksandr; Robel, Istvan

2016-03-15

Optically active phonon modes in ferroelectrics such as potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) and potassium titanyl arsenate (KTA) in the ~7–20 THz range play an important role in applications of these materials in Raman lasing and terahertz wave generation. Previous studies with picosecond pulse excitation demonstrated that the interaction of pump pulses with phonons can lead to efficient stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) accompanying optical parametric oscillation or amplification processes (OPO/OPA), and to efficient polariton-phonon scattering. In this work, we investigate the behavior of infrared OPAs employing KTP or KTA crystals when pumped with ~800-nm ultrashort pulses of duration comparable to themore » oscillation period of the optical phonons. We demonstrate that under conditions of coherent impulsive Raman excitation of the phonons, when the effective χ (2) nonlinearity cannot be considered instantaneous, the parametrically amplified waves (most notably, signal) undergo significant spectral modulations leading to an overall redshift of the OPA output. Furthermore, the pump intensity dependence of the redshifted OPA output, the temporal evolution of the parametric gain, as well as the pump spectral modulations suggest the presence of coupling between the nonlinear optical polarizations P NL of the impulsively excited phonons and those of parametrically amplified waves.« less

Phase-matching properties of LiGaSe2 for SHG and SFG in the 1.026-10.5910 μm range.

PubMed

Miyata, Kentaro; Petrov, Valentin; Kato, Kiyoshi

2017-08-01

This paper reports on the new experimental results for second-harmonic generation and sum-frequency generation in LiGaSe 2 in the 1.026-10.5910 μm range, and the improved Sellmeier equations that provide a good reproduction of the present experimental results, as well as the published data points for a Ti:Al 2 O 3 laser (λ=0.8200  μm)-pumped optical parametric amplifier and a Nd:YAG laser-pumped optical parametric oscillator in the mid-IR.

Generation of polarization squeezed light with an optical parametric amplifier at 795 nm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Yashuai; Wen, Xin; Liu, Jinyu; He, Jun; Wang, Junmin

2018-06-01

We report the experimental demonstration of polarization squeezed beam at 795 nm by combining a quadrature amplitude squeezed beam with an in-phase bright coherent beam. The quadrature amplitude squeezed beam is generated by a degenerate optical parametric amplifier based on a PPKTP crystal. Stokes operators Sˆ2 squeezing of -3.8 dB and Sˆ3 anti-squeezing of +5.0 dB have been observed. This polarization squeezed beam resonant to rubidium D1 line has potential applications in quantum information networks and precision measurement beyond the shot noise limit.

General analysis of group velocity effects in collinear optical parametric amplifiers and generators.

PubMed

Arisholm, Gunnar

2007-05-14

Group velocity mismatch (GVM) is a major concern in the design of optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) and generators (OPGs) for pulses shorter than a few picoseconds. By simplifying the coupled propagation equations and exploiting their scaling properties, the number of free parameters for a collinear OPA is reduced to a level where the parameter space can be studied systematically by simulations. The resulting set of figures show the combinations of material parameters and pulse lengths for which high performance can be achieved, and they can serve as a basis for a design.

Subpicosecond Optical Digital Computation Using Conjugate Parametric Generators

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-03-31

Using Phase Conjugate Farametric Generators ..... 12. PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) Alfano, Robert- Eichmann . George; Dorsinville. Roger! Li. Yao 13a. TYPE OF...conjugation-based optical residue arithmetic processor," Y. Li, G. Eichmann , R. Dorsinville, and R. R. Alfano, Opt. Lett. 13, (1988). [2] "Parallel ultrafast...optical digital and symbolic computation via optical phase conjugation," Y. Li, G. Eichmann , R. Dorsinville, Appl. Opt. 27, 2025 (1988). [3

Multicast Parametric Synchronous Sampling

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

enhancement in a parametric mixer device. Fig. 4 shows the principle of generating uniform, high quality replicas extending over previously un-attainable...critical part of the MPASS architecture and is responsible for the direct and continuous acquisition of data across all of the multicast signal copies...ii) ability to copy THz signals with impunity to tens of replicas ; (iii) all-optical delays > 1.9 us; (iv) 10’s of THz-fast all-optical sampling of

Ultrafast Airy beam optical parametric oscillator

PubMed Central

Apurv Chaitanya, N.; Kumar, S. Chaitanya; Aadhi, A.; Samanta, G. K.; Ebrahim-Zadeh, M.

2016-01-01

We report on the first realization of an ultrafast Airy beam optical parametric oscillator (OPO). By introducing intracavity cubic phase modulation to the resonant Gaussian signal in a synchronously-pumped singly-resonant OPO cavity and its subsequent Fourier transformation, we have generated 2-dimensional Airy beam in the output signal across a 250 nm tuning range in the near-infrared. The generated Airy beam can be tuned continuously from 1477 to 1727 nm, providing an average power of as much as 306 mW at 1632 nm in pulses of ~23 ps duration with a spectral bandwidth of 1.7 nm. PMID:27476910

Direct generation of spatial quadripartite continuous variable entanglement in an optical parametric oscillator.

PubMed

Liu, Kui; Guo, Jun; Cai, Chunxiao; Zhang, Junxiang; Gao, Jiangrui

2016-11-15

Multipartite entanglement is used for quantum information applications, such as building multipartite quantum communications. Generally, generation of multipartite entanglement is based on a complex beam-splitter network. Here, based on the spatial freedom of light, we experimentally demonstrated spatial quadripartite continuous variable entanglement among first-order Hermite-Gaussian modes using a single type II optical parametric oscillator operating below threshold with an HG0245° pump beam. The entanglement can be scalable for larger numbers of spatial modes by changing the spatial profile of the pump beam. In addition, spatial multipartite entanglement will be useful for future spatial multichannel quantum information applications.

Phase mismatched optical parametric generation in semiconductor magnetoplasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubey, Swati; Ghosh, S.; Jain, Kamal

2017-05-01

Optical parametric generation involves the interaction of pump, signal, and idler waves satisfying law of conservation of energy. Phase mismatch parameter plays important role for the spatial distribution of the field along the medium. In this paper instead of exactly matching wave vector, a small mismatch is admitted with a degree of phase velocity mismatch between these waves. Hence the medium must possess certain finite coherence length. This wave mixing process is well explained by coupled mode theory and one dimensional hydrodynamic model. Based on this scheme, expressions for threshold pump field and transmitted intensity have been derived. It is observed that the threshold pump intensity and transmitted intensity can be manipulated by varying doping concentration and magnetic field under phase mismatched condition. A compound semiconductor crystal of n-InSb is assumed to be shined at 77 K by a 10.6μm CO2 laser with photon energy well below band gap energy of the crystal, so that only free charge carrier influence the optical properties of the medium for the I.R. parametric generation in a semiconductor plasma medium. Favorable parameters were explored to incite the said process keeping in mind the cost effectiveness and conversion efficiency of the process.

Subharmonics, Chaos, and Beyond

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adler, Laszlo; Yost, William T.; Cantrell, John H.

2011-01-01

While studying finite amplitude ultrasonic wave resonance in a one dimensional liquid-filled cavity, which is formed by a narrow band transducer and a plane reflector, subharmonics of the driver's frequency were observed in addition to the expected harmonic structure. Subsequently it was realized that the system was one of the many examples where parametric resonance takes place and in which the observed subharmonics are parametrically generated. Parametric resonance occurs in any physical system which has a periodically modulated natural frequency. The generation mechanism also requires a sufficiently high threshold value of the driving amplitude so that the system becomes increasingly nonlinear in response. The nonlinear features were recently investigated and are the objective of this presentation. An ultrasonic interferometer with optical precision was built. The transducers were compressional undamped quartz and Lithium Niobate crystals ranging from 1-10 Mhz, and driven by a high power amplifier. Both an optical diffraction system and a receive transducer attached to an aligned reflector with lapped flat and parallel surfaces were used to observe the generated frequency components in the cavity.

Optimization of mid-IR generation from a periodically poled MgO doped stoichiometric lithium tantalate optical parametric oscillator with intracavity difference frequency mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatano, Hideki; Slater, Richard; Takekawa, Shunji; Kusano, Masahiro; Watanabe, Makoto

2017-07-01

We demonstrate 43% slope efficiency for generation of ∼3200 nm light, a wavelength considered to be ideal for laser induced ultrasound generation in carbon fiber reinforced plastic. High slope efficiency was obtained by optimizing crystal lengths, cavity length and mirror reflectivity using a two crystal optical parametric oscillator+difference frequency mixing (OPO+DFM) nonlinear wavelength conversion scheme. Mid-IR output >12 mJ was obtained from a 1064 nm Nd:YAG pump laser with 12 ns pulse width (FWHM) and containing pulse energy of 43 mJ. A compact, single temperature crystal oven is described along with some suggestions for improving the slope efficiency.

Tunable terahertz waves from 4-dimethylamino-N‧-methyl-4‧-stibazolium tosylate pumped with dual-wavelength injection-seeded optical parametric generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tokizane, Yu; Nawata, Kouji; Han, Zhengli; Koyama, Mio; Notake, Takashi; Takida, Yuma; Minamide, Hiroaki

2017-02-01

We developed a widely tunable terahertz (THz)-wave source covering the sub-THz frequency by difference frequency generation using a 4-dimethylamino-N‧-methyl-4‧-stibazolium tosylate (DAST) crystal. Near-infrared waves generated by dual-wavelength injection-seeded β-BaB2O4 optical parametric generation (is-BBO-OPG) were used for pumping the DAST crystal, which had separated wavelengths in the spectrum with a difference frequency of sub-THz. Furthermore, the non-collinear phase-matching condition was designed to compensate the walk-off effect of the BBO crystal. Consequently, tunable THz-waves from 0.3 to 4 THz were generated by tuning the wavelength of one of the seeding beams. The generated sub-THz-waves were monochromatic (dν < 33 GHz) with a maximum energy of 80 pJ at 0.65 THz.

Experimental realization of a feedback optical parametric amplifier with four-wave mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Xiaozhou; Chen, Hui; Wei, Tianxiang; Zhang, Jun; Marino, Alberto M.; Treps, Nicolas; Glasser, Ryan T.; Jing, Jietai

2018-04-01

Optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) play a fundamental role in the generation of quantum correlation for quantum information processing and quantum metrology. In order to increase the communication fidelity of the quantum information protocol and the measurement precision of quantum metrology, it requires a high degree of quantum correlation. In this Rapid Communication we report a feedback optical parametric amplifier that employs a four-wave mixing (FWM) process as the underlying OPA and a beam splitter as the feedback controller. We first construct a theoretical model for this feedback-based FWM process and experimentally study the effect of the feedback control on the quantum properties of the system. Specifically, we find that the quantum correlation between the output fields can be enhanced by tuning the strength of the feedback.

Ultra-wideband and high-gain parametric amplification in telecom wavelengths with an optimally mode-matched PPLN waveguide.

PubMed

Sua, Yong Meng; Chen, Jia-Yang; Huang, Yu-Ping

2018-06-15

We report a wideband optical parametric amplification (OPA) over 14 THz covering telecom S, C, and L bands with observed maximum parametric gain of 38.3 dB. The OPA is realized through cascaded second-harmonic generation and difference-frequency generation (cSHG-DFG) in a 2 cm periodically poled LiNbO 3 (PPLN) waveguide. With tailored cross section geometry, the waveguide is optimally mode matched for efficient cascaded nonlinear wave mixing. We also identify and study the effect of competing nonlinear processes in this cSHG-DFG configuration.

Towards Terawatt Sub-Cycle Long-Wave Infrared Pulses via Chirped Optical Parametric Amplification and Indirect Pulse Shaping

PubMed Central

Yin, Yanchun; Chew, Andrew; Ren, Xiaoming; Li, Jie; Wang, Yang; Wu, Yi; Chang, Zenghu

2017-01-01

We present an approach for both efficient generation and amplification of 4–12 μm pulses by tailoring the phase matching of the nonlinear crystal Zinc Germanium Phosphide (ZGP) in a narrowband-pumped optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier (OPCPA) and a broadband-pumped dual-chirped optical parametric amplifier (DC-OPA), respectively. Preliminary experimental results are obtained for generating 1.8–4.2 μm super broadband spectra, which can be used to seed both the signal of the OPCPA and the pump of the DC-OPA. The theoretical pump-to-idler conversion efficiency reaches 27% in the DC-OPA pumped by a chirped broadband Cr2+:ZnSe/ZnS laser, enabling the generation of  Terawatt-level 4–12 μm pulses with an available large-aperture ZGP. Furthermore, the 4–12 μm idler pulses can be compressed to sub-cycle pulses by compensating the tailored positive chirp of the idler pulses using the bulk compressor NaCl, and by indirectly controlling the higher-order idler phase through tuning the signal (2.4–4.0 μm) phase with a commercially available acousto-optic programmable dispersive filter (AOPDF). A similar approach is also described for generating high-energy 4–12 μm sub-cycle pulses via OPCPA pumped by a 2 μm Ho:YLF laser. PMID:28367966

Quantum state engineering of light with continuous-wave optical parametric oscillators.

PubMed

Morin, Olivier; Liu, Jianli; Huang, Kun; Barbosa, Felippe; Fabre, Claude; Laurat, Julien

2014-05-30

Engineering non-classical states of the electromagnetic field is a central quest for quantum optics(1,2). Beyond their fundamental significance, such states are indeed the resources for implementing various protocols, ranging from enhanced metrology to quantum communication and computing. A variety of devices can be used to generate non-classical states, such as single emitters, light-matter interfaces or non-linear systems(3). We focus here on the use of a continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator(3,4). This system is based on a non-linear χ(2) crystal inserted inside an optical cavity and it is now well-known as a very efficient source of non-classical light, such as single-mode or two-mode squeezed vacuum depending on the crystal phase matching. Squeezed vacuum is a Gaussian state as its quadrature distributions follow a Gaussian statistics. However, it has been shown that number of protocols require non-Gaussian states(5). Generating directly such states is a difficult task and would require strong χ(3) non-linearities. Another procedure, probabilistic but heralded, consists in using a measurement-induced non-linearity via a conditional preparation technique operated on Gaussian states. Here, we detail this generation protocol for two non-Gaussian states, the single-photon state and a superposition of coherent states, using two differently phase-matched parametric oscillators as primary resources. This technique enables achievement of a high fidelity with the targeted state and generation of the state in a well-controlled spatiotemporal mode.

Spectrally pure RF photonic source based on a resonant optical hyper-parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, W.; Eliyahu, D.; Matsko, A. B.; Ilchenko, V. S.; Seidel, D.; Maleki, L.

2014-03-01

We demonstrate a free running 10 GHz microresonator-based RF photonic hyper-parametric oscillator characterized with phase noise better than -60 dBc/Hz at 10 Hz, -90 dBc/Hz at 100 Hz, and -150 dBc/Hz at 10 MHz. The device consumes less than 25 mW of optical power. A correlation between the frequency of the continuous wave laser pumping the nonlinear resonator and the generated RF frequency is confirmed. The performance of the device is compared with the performance of a standard optical fiber based coupled opto-electronic oscillator of OEwaves.

Frequency domain optical parametric amplification

PubMed Central

Schmidt, Bruno E.; Thiré, Nicolas; Boivin, Maxime; Laramée, Antoine; Poitras, François; Lebrun, Guy; Ozaki, Tsuneyuki; Ibrahim, Heide; Légaré, François

2014-01-01

Today’s ultrafast lasers operate at the physical limits of optical materials to reach extreme performances. Amplification of single-cycle laser pulses with their corresponding octave-spanning spectra still remains a formidable challenge since the universal dilemma of gain narrowing sets limits for both real level pumped amplifiers as well as parametric amplifiers. We demonstrate that employing parametric amplification in the frequency domain rather than in time domain opens up new design opportunities for ultrafast laser science, with the potential to generate single-cycle multi-terawatt pulses. Fundamental restrictions arising from phase mismatch and damage threshold of nonlinear laser crystals are not only circumvented but also exploited to produce a synergy between increased seed spectrum and increased pump energy. This concept was successfully demonstrated by generating carrier envelope phase stable, 1.43 mJ two-cycle pulses at 1.8 μm wavelength. PMID:24805968

Relaxation oscillation suppression in continuous-wave intracavity optical parametric oscillators.

PubMed

Stothard, David J M; Dunn, Malcolm H

2010-01-18

We report a solution to the long standing problem of the occurrence of spontaneous and long-lived bursts of relaxation oscillations which occur when a continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator is operated within the cavity of the parent pump-laser. By placing a second nonlinear crystal within the pump-wave cavity for the purpose of second-harmonic-generation of the pump-wave the additional nonlinear loss thereby arising due to up-conversion effectively suppresses the relaxation oscillations with very little reduction in down-converted power.

Efficient two-stage dual-beam noncollinear optical parametric amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Yu-Hsiang; Gao, Frank Y.; Poulin, Peter R.; Nelson, Keith A.

2018-06-01

We have constructed a noncollinear optical parametric amplifier with two signal beams amplified in the same nonlinear crystal. This dual-beam design is more energy-efficient than operating two amplifiers in parallel. The cross-talk between two beams has been characterized and discussed. We have also added a second amplification stage to enhance the output of one of the arms, which is then frequency-doubled for ultraviolet generation. This single device provides two tunable sources for ultrafast spectroscopy in the ultraviolet and visible region.

Mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator pumped by an amplified random fiber laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shang, Yaping; Shen, Meili; Wang, Peng; Li, Xiao; Xu, Xiaojun

2017-01-01

Recently, the concept of random fiber lasers has attracted a great deal of attention for its feature to generate incoherent light without a traditional laser resonator, which is free of mode competition and insure the stationary narrow-band continuous modeless spectrum. In this Letter, we reported the first, to the best of our knowledge, optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped by an amplified 1070 nm random fiber laser (RFL), in order to generate stationary mid-infrared (mid-IR) laser. The experiment realized a watt-level laser output in the mid-IR range and operated relatively stable. The use of the RFL seed source allowed us to take advantage of its respective stable time-domain characteristics. The beam profile, spectrum and time-domain properties of the signal light were measured to analyze the process of frequency down-conversion process under this new pumping condition. The results suggested that the near-infrared (near-IR) signal light `inherited' good beam performances from the pump light. Those would be benefit for further develop about optical parametric process based on different pumping circumstances.

500 MW peak power degenerated optical parametric amplifier delivering 52 fs pulses at 97 kHz repetition rate.

PubMed

Rothhardt, J; Hädrich, S; Röser, F; Limpert, J; Tünnermann, A

2008-06-09

We present a high peak power degenerated parametric amplifier operating at 1030 nm and 97 kHz repetition rate. Pulses of a state-of-the art fiber chirped-pulse amplification (FCPA) system with 840 fs pulse duration and 410 microJ pulse energy are used as pump and seed source for a two stage optical parametric amplifier. Additional spectral broadening of the seed signal in a photonic crystal fiber creates enough bandwidth for ultrashort pulse generation. Subsequent amplification of the broadband seed signal in two 1 mm BBO crystals results in 41 microJ output pulse energy. Compression in a SF 11 prism compressor yields 37 microJ pulses as short as 52 fs. Thus, pulse shortening of more than one order of magnitude is achieved. Further scaling in terms of average power and pulse energy seems possible and will be discussed, since both concepts involved, the fiber laser and the parametric amplifier have the reputation to be immune against thermo-optical effects.

Broadband and tunable optical parametric generator for remote detection of gas molecules in the short and mid-infrared.

PubMed

Lambert-Girard, Simon; Allard, Martin; Piché, Michel; Babin, François

2015-04-01

The development of a novel broadband and tunable optical parametric generator (OPG) is presented. The OPG properties are studied numerically and experimentally in order to optimize the generator's use in a broadband spectroscopic LIDAR operating in the short and mid-infrared. This paper discusses trade-offs to be made on the properties of the pump, crystal, and seeding signal in order to optimize the pulse spectral density and divergence while enabling energy scaling. A seed with a large spectral bandwidth is shown to enhance the pulse-to-pulse stability and optimize the pulse spectral density. A numerical model shows excellent agreement with output power measurements; the model predicts that a pump having a large number of longitudinal modes improves conversion efficiency and pulse stability.

High-energy infrared femtosecond pulses generated by dual-chirped optical parametric amplification.

PubMed

Fu, Yuxi; Takahashi, Eiji J; Midorikawa, Katsumi

2015-11-01

We demonstrate high-energy infrared femtosecond pulse generation by a dual-chirped optical parametric amplification (DC-OPA) scheme [Opt. Express19, 7190 (2011)]. By employing a 100 mJ pump laser, a signal pulse energy exceeding 20 mJ at a wavelength of 1.4 μm was achieved before dispersion compensation. A total output energy of 33 mJ was recorded. Under a further energy scaling condition, the signal pulse was compressed to an almost transform-limited duration of 27 fs using a fused silica prism compressor. Since the DC-OPA scheme is efficient and energy scalable, design parameters for obtaining 100 mJ level infrared pulses are presented, which are suitable as driver lasers for the energy scaling of high-order harmonic generation with sub-keV photon energy.

Narrow-bandwidth tunable picosecond pulses in the visible produced by noncollinear optical parametric amplification with a chirped blue pump.

PubMed

Co, Dick T; Lockard, Jenny V; McCamant, David W; Wasielewski, Michael R

2010-04-01

Narrow-bandwidth (approximately 27 cm(-1)) tunable picosecond pulses from 480 nm-780 nm were generated from the output of a 1 kHz femtosecond titanium:sapphire laser system using a type I noncollinear optical parametric amplifier (NOPA) with chirped second-harmonic generation (SHG) pumping. Unlike a femtosecond NOPA, this system utilizes a broadband pump beam, the chirped 400 nm SHG of the Ti:sapphire fundamental, to amplify a monochromatic signal beam (spectrally-filtered output of a type II collinear OPA). Optimum geometric conditions for simultaneous phase- and group-velocity matching were calculated in the visible spectrum. This design is an efficient and simple method for generating tunable visible picosecond pulses that are synchronized to the femtosecond pulses.

Narrowband, tunable, 2 µm optical parametric master-oscillator power amplifier with large-aperture periodically poled Rb:KTP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coetzee, R. S.; Zheng, X.; Fregnani, L.; Laurell, F.; Pasiskevicius, V.

2018-06-01

A high-energy, ns, narrow-linewidth optical parametric oscillator and amplifier system based on large-aperture periodically poled Rb:KTP is presented. The 2 µm seed source is a singly resonant OPO locked with a transversely chirped volume Bragg grating, allowing a wavelength tuning of 21 nm and output linewidth of 0.56 nm. A maximum output energy of 52 mJ and conversion efficiency of 36% was obtained from the amplifier for a pump energy of 140 mJ. The high-energy and the robust and narrow dual-wavelength spectra obtained make this system an ideal pump source for difference frequency generation-based THz generation schemes.

Applied nonlinear optics in the journal 'Quantum Electronics'

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grechin, Sergei G; Dmitriev, Valentin G; Chirkin, Anatolii S

2011-12-31

A brief historical review of the experimental and theoretical works on nonlinear optical frequency conversion (generation of harmonics, up- and down-conversion, parametric oscillation), which have been published in the journal 'Quantum Electronics' for the last 40 years, is presented.

High average power, widely tunable femtosecond laser source from red to mid-infrared based on an Yb-fiber-laser-pumped optical parametric oscillator.

PubMed

Gu, Chenglin; Hu, Minglie; Zhang, Limeng; Fan, Jintao; Song, Youjian; Wang, Chingyue; Reid, Derryck T

2013-06-01

We report on the highly efficient generation of widely tunable femtosecond pulses based on intracavity second harmonic generation (SHG) and sum frequency generation (SFG) in a MgO-doped periodically poled LiNbO(3) optical parametric oscillator (OPO), which is pumped by a Yb-doped large-mode-area photonics crystal fiber femtosecond laser. Red and near infrared from intracavity SHG and SFG and infrared signals were directly obtained from the OPO. A 2 mm β-BaB(2)O(4) is applied for Type I (oo → e) intracavity SHG and SFG, and then femtosecond laser pulses over 610 nm ~ 668 nm from SFG and 716 nm ~ 970 nm from SHG are obtained with high efficiency. In addition, the oscillator simultaneously generates signal and idler femtosecond pulses over 1450 nm ~ 2200 nm and 2250 nm ~ 4000 nm, respectively.

650-nJ pulses from a cavity-dumped Yb:fiber-pumped ultrafast optical parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamour, Tobias P.; Reid, Derryck T.

2011-08-01

Sub-250-fs pulses with energies of up to 650 nJ and peak powers up to 2.07 MW were generated from a cavity-dumped optical parametric oscillator, synchronously-pumped at 15.3 MHz with sub-400-fs pulses from an Yb:fiber laser. The average beam quality factor of the dumped output was M2 ~1.2 and the total relative-intensity noise was 8 mdBc, making the system a promising candidate for ultrafast laser inscription of infrared materials.

Coherent frequency division with a degenerate synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator.

PubMed

Wan, Chenchen; Li, Peng; Ruehl, Axel; Hartl, Ingmar

2018-03-01

Synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) are important tools for frequency comb (FC) generation in the mid-IR spectral range, where few suitable laser gain materials exist. For degenerate OPOs, self-phase-locking to the pump FC has been demonstrated. Here, we present a phase noise study of the carrier envelope offset frequency, revealing a -6  dB reduction compared to the pump FC over a wide Fourier frequency range. These results demonstrate that a degenerate OPO can be an ideal coherent frequency divider without any excess noise.

Stimulated Raman scattering in an optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled MgO-doped stoichiometric LiTaO3.

PubMed

My, T-H; Robin, O; Mhibik, O; Drag, C; Bretenaker, F

2009-03-30

The evolution of the spectrum of a singly resonant optical parametric oscillator based on an MgO-doped periodically poled stoichiometric lithium tantalate crystal is observed when the pump power is varied. The onset of cascade Raman lasing due to stimulated Raman scattering in the nonlinear crystal is analyzed. Spurious frequency doubling and sum-frequency generation phenomena are observed and understood. A strong reduction of the intracavity Raman scattering is obtained by a careful adjustment of the cavity losses.

Ten-watt level picosecond parametric mid-IR source broadly tunable in wavelength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vyvlečka, Michal; Novák, Ondřej; Roškot, Lukáscaron; Smrž, Martin; Mužík, Jiří; Endo, Akira; Mocek, Tomáš

2018-02-01

Mid-IR wavelength range (between 2 and 8 μm) offers perspective applications, such as minimally-invasive neurosurgery, gas sensing, or plastic and polymer processing. Maturity of high average power near-IR lasers is beneficial for powerful mid-IR generation by optical parametric conversion. We utilize in-house developed Yb:YAG thin-disk laser of 100 W average power at 77 kHz repetition rate, wavelength of 1030 nm, and about 2 ps pulse width for pumping of a ten-watt level picosecond mid-IR source. Seed beam is obtained by optical parametric generation in a double-pass 10 mm long PPLN crystal pumped by a part of the fundamental near-IR beam. Tunability of the signal wavelength between 1.46 μm and 1.95 μm was achieved with power of several tens of miliwatts. Main part of the fundamental beam pumps an optical parametric amplification stage, which includes a walk-off compensating pair of 10 mm long KTP crystals. We already demonstrated the OPA output signal and idler beam tunability between 1.70-1.95 μm and 2.18-2.62 μm, respectively. The signal and idler beams were amplified up to 8.5 W and 5 W, respectively, at 42 W pump without evidence of strong saturation. Thus, increase in signal and idler output power is expected for pump power increase.

Compact, passively Q-switched, all-solid-state master oscillator-power amplifier-optical parametric oscillator (MOPA-OPO) system pumped by a fiber-coupled diode laser generating high-brightness, tunable, ultraviolet radiation.

PubMed

Peuser, Peter; Platz, Willi; Fix, Andreas; Ehret, Gerhard; Meister, Alexander; Haag, Matthias; Zolichowski, Paul

2009-07-01

We report on a compact, tunable ultraviolet laser system that consists of an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and a longitudinally diode-pumped Nd:YAG master oscillator-power amplifier (MOPA). The pump energy for the whole laser system is supplied via a single delivery fiber. Nanosecond pulses are produced by an oscillator that is passively Q-switched by a Cr(4+):YAG crystal. The OPO is pumped by the second harmonic of the Nd:YAG MOPA. Continuously tunable radiation is generated by an intracavity sum-frequency mixing process within the OPO in the range of 245-260 nm with high beam quality. Maximum pulse energies of 1.2 mJ were achieved, which correspond to an optical efficiency of 3.75%, relating to the pulse energy of the MOPA at 1064 nm.

A Multi-Wavelength IR Laser for Space Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Steven X.; Yu, Anthony W.; Sun, Xiaoli; Fahey, Molly E.; Numata, Kenji; Krainak, Michael A.

2017-01-01

We present a laser technology development with space flight heritage to generate laser wavelengths in the near- to mid-infrared (NIR to MIR) for space lidar applications. Integrating an optical parametric crystal to the LOLA (Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter) laser transmitter design affords selective laser wavelengths from NIR to MIR that are not easily obtainable from traditional diode pumped solid-state lasers. By replacing the output coupler of the LOLA laser with a properly designed parametric crystal, we successfully demonstrated a monolithic intra-cavity optical parametric oscillator (iOPO) laser based on all high technology readiness level (TRL) subsystems and components. Several desired wavelengths have been generated including 2.1 microns, 2.7 microns and 3.4 microns. This laser can also be used in trace-gas remote sensing, as many molecules possess their unique vibrational transitions in NIR to MIR wavelength region, as well as in time-of-flight mass spectrometer where desorption of samples using MIR laser wavelengths have been successfully demonstrated.

A multi-wavelength IR laser for space applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Steven X.; Yu, Anthony W.; Sun, Xiaoli; Fahey, Molly E.; Numata, Kenji; Krainak, Michael A.

2017-05-01

We present a laser technology development with space flight heritage to generate laser wavelengths in the near- to midinfrared (NIR to MIR) for space lidar applications. Integrating an optical parametric crystal to the LOLA (Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter) laser transmitter design affords selective laser wavelengths from NIR to MIR that are not easily obtainable from traditional diode pumped solid-state lasers. By replacing the output coupler of the LOLA laser with a properly designed parametric crystal, we successfully demonstrated a monolithic intra-cavity optical parametric oscillator (iOPO) laser based on all high technology readiness level (TRL) subsystems and components. Several desired wavelengths have been generated including 2.1 µm, 2.7 μm and 3.4 μm. This laser can also be used in trace-gas remote sensing, as many molecules possess their unique vibrational transitions in NIR to MIR wavelength region, as well as in time-of-flight mass spectrometer where desorption of samples using MIR laser wavelengths have been successfully demonstrated

Experimental implementation of optical clockwork without carrier-envelope phase control.

PubMed

Mücke, O D; Kuzucu, O; Wong, F N C; Ippen, E P; Kärtner, F X; Foreman, S M; Jones, D J; Ma, L S; Hall, J L; Ye, J

2004-12-01

We demonstrate optical clockwork without the need for carrier-envelope phase control by use of sum-frequency generation between a continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator at 3.39 microm and a femtosecond mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser with two strong spectral peaks at 834 and 670 nm, a spectral difference matched by the 3.39-microm radiation.

Second harmonic generation in resonant optical structures

DOEpatents

Eichenfield, Matt; Moore, Jeremy; Friedmann, Thomas A.; Olsson, Roy H.; Wiwi, Michael; Padilla, Camille; Douglas, James Kenneth; Hattar, Khalid Mikhiel

2018-01-09

An optical second-harmonic generator (or spontaneous parametric down-converter) includes a microresonator formed of a nonlinear optical medium. The microresonator supports at least two modes that can be phase matched at different frequencies so that light can be converted between them: A first resonant mode having substantially radial polarization and a second resonant mode having substantially vertical polarization. The first and second modes have the same radial order. The thickness of the nonlinear medium is less than one-half the pump wavelength within the medium.

Theoretical study of collinear optical frequency comb generation under multi-wave, transient stimulated Raman scattering in crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smetanin, S N

2014-11-30

Using mathematical modelling we have studied the conditions of low-threshold collinear optical frequency comb generation under transient (picosecond) stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and parametric four-wave coupling of SRS components in crystals. It is shown that Raman-parametric generation of an octave-spanning optical frequency comb occurs most effectively under intermediate, transient SRS at a pump pulse duration exceeding the dephasing time by five-to-twenty times. We have found the optimal values of not only the laser pump pulse duration, but also of the Raman crystal lengths corresponding to highly efficient generation of an optical frequency comb from the second anti-Stokes to the fourthmore » Stokes Raman components. For the KGd(WO{sub 4}){sub 2} (high dispersion) and Ba(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} (low dispersion) crystals pumped at a wavelength of 1.064 μm and a pulse duration five or more times greater than the dephasing time, the optimum length of the crystal was 0.3 and 0.6 cm, respectively, which is consistent with the condition of the most effective Stokes – anti-Stokes coupling ΔkL ≈ 15, where Δk is the wave detuning from phase matching of Stokes – anti-Stokes coupling, determined by the refractive index dispersion of the SRS medium. (nonlinear optical phenomena)« less

Method to improve optical parametric oscillator beam quality

DOEpatents

Smith, Arlee V.; Alford, William J.; Bowers, Mark S.

2003-11-11

A method to improving optical parametric oscillator (OPO) beam quality having an optical pump, which generates a pump beam at a pump frequency greater than a desired signal frequency, a nonlinear optical medium oriented so that a signal wave at the desired signal frequency and a corresponding idler wave are produced when the pump beam (wave) propagates through the nonlinear optical medium, resulting in beam walk off of the signal and idler waves, and an optical cavity which directs the signal wave to repeatedly pass through the nonlinear optical medium, said optical cavity comprising an equivalently even number of non-planar mirrors that produce image rotation on each pass through the nonlinear optical medium. Utilizing beam walk off where the signal wave and said idler wave have nonparallel Poynting vectors in the nonlinear medium and image rotation, a correlation zone of distance equal to approximately .rho.L.sub.crystal is created which, through multiple passes through the nonlinear medium, improves the beam quality of the OPO output.

Optical parametric osicllators with improved beam quality

DOEpatents

Smith, Arlee V.; Alford, William J.

2003-11-11

An optical parametric oscillator (OPO) having an optical pump, which generates a pump beam at a pump frequency greater than a desired signal frequency, a nonlinear optical medium oriented so that a signal wave at the desired signal frequency and a corresponding idler wave are produced when the pump beam (wave) propagates through the nonlinear optical medium, resulting in beam walk off of the signal and idler waves, and an optical cavity which directs the signal wave to repeatedly pass through the nonlinear optical medium, said optical cavity comprising an equivalently even number of non-planar mirrors that produce image rotation on each pass through the nonlinear optical medium. Utilizing beam walk off where the signal wave and said idler wave have nonparallel Poynting vectors in the nonlinear medium and image rotation, a correlation zone of distance equal to approximately .rho.L.sub.crystal is created which, through multiple passes through the nonlinear medium, improves the beam quality of the OPO output.

Solid-state lasers for coherent communication and remote sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byer, Robert L.

1990-01-01

Laser development, high efficiency, high power second harmonic generation, operation of optical parametric oscillators for wavelength diversity and tunability, and studies in coherent communications are reviewed.

Observation of Squeezed Light in the 2 μ m Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansell, Georgia L.; McRae, Terry G.; Altin, Paul A.; Yap, Min Jet; Ward, Robert L.; Slagmolen, Bram J. J.; Shaddock, Daniel A.; McClelland, David E.

2018-05-01

We present the generation and detection of squeezed light in the 2 μ m wavelength region. This experiment is a crucial step in realizing the quantum noise reduction techniques that will be required for future generations of gravitational-wave detectors. Squeezed vacuum is generated via degenerate optical parametric oscillation from a periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate crystal, in a dual resonant cavity. The experiment uses a frequency stabilized 1984 nm thulium fiber laser, and squeezing is detected using balanced homodyne detection with extended InGaAs photodiodes. We have measured 4.0 ±0.1 dB of squeezing and 10.5 ±0.5 dB of antisqueezing relative to the shot noise level in the audio frequency band, limited by photodiode quantum efficiency. The inferred squeezing level directly after the optical parametric oscillator, after accounting for known losses and phase noise, is 10.7 dB.

Theoretical study of collinear optical frequency comb generation under multi-wave, transient stimulated Raman scattering in crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smetanin, S. N.

2014-11-01

Using mathematical modelling we have studied the conditions of low-threshold collinear optical frequency comb generation under transient (picosecond) stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and parametric four-wave coupling of SRS components in crystals. It is shown that Raman-parametric generation of an octave-spanning optical frequency comb occurs most effectively under intermediate, transient SRS at a pump pulse duration exceeding the dephasing time by five-to-twenty times. We have found the optimal values of not only the laser pump pulse duration, but also of the Raman crystal lengths corresponding to highly efficient generation of an optical frequency comb from the second anti-Stokes to the fourth Stokes Raman components. For the KGd(WO4)2 (high dispersion) and Ba(NO3)2 (low dispersion) crystals pumped at a wavelength of 1.064 μm and a pulse duration five or more times greater than the dephasing time, the optimum length of the crystal was 0.3 and 0.6 cm, respectively, which is consistent with the condition of the most effective Stokes - anti-Stokes coupling ΔkL ≈ 15, where Δk is the wave detuning from phase matching of Stokes - anti-Stokes coupling, determined by the refractive index dispersion of the SRS medium.

All-optical Photonic Oscillator with High-Q Whispering Gallery Mode Resonators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Savchenkov, Anatoliy A.; Matsko, Andrey B.; Strekalov, Dmitry; Mohageg, Makan; Iltchenko, Vladimir S.; Maleki, Lute

2004-01-01

We demonstrated low threshold optical photonic hyper-parametric oscillator in a high-Q 10(exp 10) CaF2 whispering gallery mode resonator which generates stable 8.5 GHz signal. The oscillations result from the resonantly enhanced four wave mixing occurring due to Kerr nonlinearity of the material.

Two-stage optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier using sub-nanosecond pump pulse generated by stimulated Brillouin scattering compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogino, Jumpei; Miyamoto, Sho; Matsuyama, Takahiro; Sueda, Keiichi; Yoshida, Hidetsugu; Tsubakimoto, Koji; Miyanaga, Noriaki

2014-12-01

We demonstrate optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) based on two-beam pumping, using sub-nanosecond pulses generated by stimulated Brillouin scattering compression. Seed pulse energy, duration, and center wavelength were 5 nJ, 220 ps, and ˜1065 nm, respectively. The 532 nm pulse from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser was compressed to ˜400 ps in heavy fluorocarbon FC-40 liquid. Stacking of two time-delayed pump pulses reduced the amplifier gain fluctuation. Using a walk-off-compensated two-stage OPCPA at a pump energy of 34 mJ, a total gain of 1.6 × 105 was obtained, yielding an output energy of 0.8 mJ. The amplified chirped pulse was compressed to 97 fs.

Simultaneous measurement and modulation of multiple physiological parameters in the isolated heart using optical techniques

PubMed Central

Lee, Peter; Yan, Ping; Ewart, Paul; Kohl, Peter

2012-01-01

Whole-heart multi-parametric optical mapping has provided valuable insight into the interplay of electro-physiological parameters, and this technology will continue to thrive as dyes are improved and technical solutions for imaging become simpler and cheaper. Here, we show the advantage of using improved 2nd-generation voltage dyes, provide a simple solution to panoramic multi-parametric mapping, and illustrate the application of flash photolysis of caged compounds for studies in the whole heart. For proof of principle, we used the isolated rat whole-heart model. After characterising the blue and green isosbestic points of di-4-ANBDQBS and di-4-ANBDQPQ, respectively, two voltage and calcium mapping systems are described. With two newly custom-made multi-band optical filters, (1) di-4-ANBDQBS and fluo-4 and (2) di-4-ANBDQPQ and rhod-2 mapping are demonstrated. Furthermore, we demonstrate three-parameter mapping using di-4-ANBDQPQ, rhod-2 and NADH. Using off-the-shelf optics and the di-4-ANBDQPQ and rhod-2 combination, we demonstrate panoramic multi-parametric mapping, affording a 360° spatiotemporal record of activity. Finally, local optical perturbation of calcium dynamics in the whole heart is demonstrated using the caged compound, o-nitrophenyl ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (NP-EGTA), with an ultraviolet light-emitting diode (LED). Calcium maps (heart loaded with di-4-ANBDQPQ and rhod-2) demonstrate successful NP-EGTA loading and local flash photolysis. All imaging systems were built using only a single camera. In conclusion, using novel 2nd-generation voltage dyes, we developed scalable techniques for multi-parametric optical mapping of the whole heart from one point of view and panoramically. In addition to these parameter imaging approaches, we show that it is possible to use caged compounds and ultraviolet LEDs to locally perturb electrophysiological parameters in the whole heart. PMID:22886365

Combined Yb/Nd driver for optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers.

PubMed

Michailovas, Kirilas; Baltuska, Andrius; Pugzlys, Audrius; Smilgevicius, Valerijus; Michailovas, Andrejus; Zaukevicius, Audrius; Danilevicius, Rokas; Frankinas, Saulius; Rusteika, Nerijus

2016-09-19

We report on the developed front-end/pump system for optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers. The system is based on a dual output fiber oscillator/power amplifier which seeds and assures all-optical synchronization of femtosecond Yb and picosecond Nd laser amplifiers operating at a central wavelength of 1030 nm and 1064 nm, respectively. At the central wavelength of 1030 nm, the fiber oscillator generates partially stretched 4 ps pulses with the spectrum supporting a <120 fs pulse duration and pulse energy of 0.45 nJ. The energy of generated 1064 nm pulses is 0.15 nJ, which is sufficient for the efficient seeding of high-contrast Nd:YVO chirped pulse regenerative amplifier/post amplifier systems generating 9 mJ pulses compressible to 16 ps duration. The power amplification stages, based on Nd:YAG crystals, provide 62 mJ pulses compressible to 20 ps pulse duration at a repetition rate of 1 kHz. Further energy scaling currently is prevented by limited dimensions of the diffraction gratings, which, because of the fast progress in MLD grating manufacturing technologies is only a temporary obstacle.

Optomechanical design and construction of a vacuum-compatible optical parametric oscillator for generation of squeezed light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wade, A. R.; Mansell, G. L.; McRae, T. G.; Chua, S. S. Y.; Yap, M. J.; Ward, R. L.; Slagmolen, B. J. J.; Shaddock, D. A.; McClelland, D. E.

2016-06-01

With the recent detection of gravitational waves, non-classical light sources are likely to become an essential element of future detectors engaged in gravitational wave astronomy and cosmology. Operating a squeezed light source under high vacuum has the advantages of reducing optical losses and phase noise compared to techniques where the squeezed light is introduced from outside the vacuum. This will ultimately provide enhanced sensitivity for modern interferometric gravitational wave detectors that will soon become limited by quantum noise across much of the detection bandwidth. Here we describe the optomechanical design choices and construction techniques of a near monolithic glass optical parametric oscillator that has been operated under a vacuum of 10-6 mbar. The optical parametric oscillator described here has been shown to produce 8.6 dB of quadrature squeezed light in the audio frequency band down to 10 Hz. This performance has been maintained for periods of around an hour and the system has been under vacuum continuously for several months without a degradation of this performance.

Optomechanical design and construction of a vacuum-compatible optical parametric oscillator for generation of squeezed light.

PubMed

Wade, A R; Mansell, G L; McRae, T G; Chua, S S Y; Yap, M J; Ward, R L; Slagmolen, B J J; Shaddock, D A; McClelland, D E

2016-06-01

With the recent detection of gravitational waves, non-classical light sources are likely to become an essential element of future detectors engaged in gravitational wave astronomy and cosmology. Operating a squeezed light source under high vacuum has the advantages of reducing optical losses and phase noise compared to techniques where the squeezed light is introduced from outside the vacuum. This will ultimately provide enhanced sensitivity for modern interferometric gravitational wave detectors that will soon become limited by quantum noise across much of the detection bandwidth. Here we describe the optomechanical design choices and construction techniques of a near monolithic glass optical parametric oscillator that has been operated under a vacuum of 10(-6) mbar. The optical parametric oscillator described here has been shown to produce 8.6 dB of quadrature squeezed light in the audio frequency band down to 10 Hz. This performance has been maintained for periods of around an hour and the system has been under vacuum continuously for several months without a degradation of this performance.

High repetition rate tunable femtosecond pulses and broadband amplification from fiber laser pumped parametric amplifier.

PubMed

Andersen, T V; Schmidt, O; Bruchmann, C; Limpert, J; Aguergaray, C; Cormier, E; Tünnermann, A

2006-05-29

We report on the generation of high energy femtosecond pulses at 1 MHz repetition rate from a fiber laser pumped optical parametric amplifier (OPA). Nonlinear bandwidth enhancement in fibers provides the intrinsically synchronized signal for the parametric amplifier. We demonstrate large tunability extending from 700 nm to 1500 nm of femtosecond pulses with pulse energies as high as 1.2 muJ when the OPA is seeded by a supercontinuum generated in a photonic crystal fiber. Broadband amplification over more than 85 nm is achieved at a fixed wavelength. Subsequent compression in a prism sequence resulted in 46 fs pulses. With an average power of 0.5 W these pulses have a peak-power above 10 MW. In particular, the average power and pulse energy scalability of both involved concepts, the fiber laser and the parametric amplifier, will enable easy up-scaling to higher powers.

Towards a petawatt-class few-cycle infrared laser system via dual-chirped optical parametric amplification.

PubMed

Fu, Yuxi; Midorikawa, Katsumi; Takahashi, Eiji J

2018-05-16

Expansion of the wavelength range for an ultrafast laser is an important ingredient for extending its range of applications. Conventionally, optical parametric amplification (OPA) has been employed to expand the laser wavelength to the infrared (IR) region. However, the achievable pulse energy and peak power have been limited to the mJ and the GW level, respectively. A major difficulty in the further energy scaling of OPA results from a lack of suitable large nonlinear crystals. Here, we circumvent this difficulty by employing a dual-chirped optical parametric amplification (DC-OPA) scheme. We successfully generate a multi-TW IR femtosecond laser pulse with an energy of 100 mJ order, which is higher than that reported in previous works. We also obtain excellent energy scaling ability, ultrashort pulses, flexiable wavelength tunability, and high-energy stability, which prove that DC-OPA is a superior method for the energy scaling of IR pulses to the 10 J/PW level.

High energy efficient solid state laser sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byer, Robert L.

1988-01-01

Recent progress in the development of highly efficient coherent optical sources is reviewed. This work focusses on nonlinear frequency conversion of the highly coherent output of the Non-Planar Ring Laser Oscillators developed earlier in the program, and includes high efficiency second harmonic generation and the operation of optical parametric oscillators for wavelength diversity and tunability.

Micro-Structured Materials for Generation of Coherent Light and Optical Signal Processing

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-22

Bliss, and D. Weyburne,, "GaAs optical parametric oscillator with circularly polarized and depolarized pump", Optics Letters, No. 18, Vol. 32, pp...Because we measure the space-charge field by propagating the intense green laser beam along the crystal c- axis, the polarization of the light is...ordinary. Most applications utilize light with extraordinary polarization to make use of the largest component of the nonlinear or electro-optic tensor

Unstable Resonator Optical Parametric Oscillator Based on Quasi-Phase-Matched RbTiOAsO(4).

PubMed

Hansson, G; Karlsson, H; Laurell, F

2001-10-20

We demonstrate improved signal and idler-beam quality of a 3-mm-aperture quasi-phase-matched RbTiOAsO(4) optical parametric oscillator through use of a confocal unstable resonator as compared with a plane-parallel resonator. Both oscillators were singly resonant, and the periodically poled RbTiOAsO(4) crystal generated a signal at 1.56 mum and an idler at 3.33 mum when pumped at 1.064 mum. We compared the beam quality produced by the 1.2-magnification confocal unstable resonator with the beam quality produced by the plane-parallel resonator by measuring the signal and the idler beam M(2) value. We also investigated the effect of pump-beam intensity distribution by comparing the result of a Gaussian and a top-hat intensity profile pump beam. We generated a signal beam of M(2) approximately 7 and an idler beam of M(2) approximately 2.5 through use of an unstable resonator and a Gaussian intensity profile pump beam. This corresponds to an increase of a factor of approximately 2 in beam quality for the signal and a factor of 3 for the idler, compared with the beam quality of the plane-parallel resonator optical parametric oscillator.

Integrated liquid-core optical fibers for ultra-efficient nonlinear liquid photonics.

PubMed

Kieu, K; Schneebeli, L; Norwood, R A; Peyghambarian, N

2012-03-26

We have developed a novel integrated platform for liquid photonics based on liquid core optical fiber (LCOF). The platform is created by fusion splicing liquid core optical fiber to standard single-mode optical fiber making it fully integrated and practical - a major challenge that has greatly hindered progress in liquid-photonic applications. As an example, we report here the realization of ultralow threshold Raman generation using an integrated CS₂ filled LCOF pumped with sub-nanosecond pulses at 532 nm and 1064 nm. The measured energy threshold for the Stokes generation is 1nJ, about three orders of magnitude lower than previously reported values in the literature for hydrogen gas, a popular Raman medium. The integrated LCOF platform opens up new possibilities for ultralow power nonlinear optics such as efficient white light generation for displays, mid-IR generation, slow light generation, parametric amplification, all-optical switching and wavelength conversion using liquids that have orders of magnitude larger optical nonlinearities compared with silica glass.

Characteristics of optical parametric oscillator synchronously pumped by Yb:KGW laser and based on periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vengelis, Julius; Tumas, Adomas; Pipinytė, Ieva; Kuliešaitė, Miglė; Tamulienė, Viktorija; Jarutis, Vygandas; Grigonis, Rimantas; Sirutkaitis, Valdas

2018-03-01

We present experimental data and numerical simulation results obtained during investigation of synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator (SPOPO) pumped by femtosecond Yb:KGW laser (central wavelength at 1033 nm). The nonlinear medium for parametric generation was periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate crystal (PPKTP). Maximum parametric light conversion efficiency from pump power to signal power was more than 37.5% at λs=1530 nm wavelength, whereas the achieved signal wave continuous tuning range was from 1470 nm to 1970 nm with signal pulse durations ranging from 91 fs to roughly 280 fs. We demonstrated wavelength tuning by changing cavity length and PPKTP crystal grating period and also discussed net cavity group delay dispersion (GDD) influence on SPOPO output radiation characteristics. The achieved high pump to signal conversion efficiency and easy wavelength tuning make this device a very promising alternative to Ti:sapphire based SPOPOs as a source of continuously tunable femtosecond laser radiation in the near and mid-IR range.

Research on High-Intensity Picosecond Pump Laser in Short Pulse Optical Parametric Amplification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Xue; Peng, Yu-Jie; Wang, Jiang-Feng; Lu, Xing-Hua; Ouyang, Xiao-Ping; Chen, Jia-Lin; Jiang, You-En; Fan, Wei; Li, Xue-Chun

2013-01-01

A 527 nm pump laser generating 1.7 mJ energy with peak power of more than 0.12 GW is demonstrated. The theoretical simulation result shows that it has 106 gain in the picosecond-pump optical parametric chirped pulse amplification when the pump laser peak power is 0.1 GW and the intensity is more than 5 GW/cm2, and that it can limit the parametric fluorescence in the picosecond time scale of pump duration. The pump laser system adopts a master-oscillator power amplifier, which integrates a more than 30 pJ fiber-based oscillator with a 150 μJ regenerative amplifier and a relay-imaged four-pass diode-pump Nd glass amplifier to generate a 1 Hz top hat spatial beam and about 14 ps temporal Guassian pulse with <2% pulse-to-pulse energy stability. The output energy of the power amplifier is limited to 4 mJ for B-integral concern, and the frequency doubling efficiency can reach 65% with input intensity 10 GW/cm2.

Parametric amplification of 100 fs mid-infrared pulses in ZnGeP₂ driven by a Ho:YAG chirped-pulse amplifier.

PubMed

Kanai, Tsuneto; Malevich, Pavel; Kangaparambil, Sarayoo Sasidharan; Ishida, Kakuta; Mizui, Makoto; Yamanouchi, Kaoru; Hoogland, Heinar; Holzwarth, Ronald; Pugzlys, Audrius; Baltuska, Andrius

2017-02-15

We report on the parametric generation of 100 fs sub-6-cycle 40 μJ pulses with the center wavelength at 5.2 μm using a 1 ps 2.1 μm pump laser and a dispersion management scheme based on bulk material. Our optically synchronized amplifier chain consists of a Ho:YAG chirped-pulse amplifier and white-light-seeded optical parametric amplifiers providing simultaneous passive carrier-envelope phase locking of three ultrashort longwave pulses at the pump, signal, and idler wavelengths corresponding, respectively, to 2.1, 3.5, and 5.2 μm. We also demonstrate bandwidth enhancement and efficient control over nonlinear spectral phase in the regime of cascaded χ² nonlinearity in ZnGeP₂.

Experimental demonstration of fiber optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yue; Cheung, Kim K. Y.; Chui, P. C.; Wong, Kenneth K. Y.

2010-02-01

A fiber optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier (FOPCPA) is experimentally demonstrated. A 1.76 ps signal at 1542 nm with a peak power of 20 mW is broadened to 40 ps, and then amplified by a 100-ps pulsed pump at 1560 nm. The corresponding idler at 1578 nm is generated as the FOPCPA output. The same medium used to stretch the signal is deployed to compress the idler to 3.8 ps, and another spool of fiber is deployed to further compress the idler to 1.87 ps. The peak power of the compressed idler is 2 W, which corresponds to a gain of 20 dB.

Quantum noise and squeezing in optical parametric oscillator with arbitrary output coupling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prasad, Sudhakar

1993-01-01

The redistribution of intrinsic quantum noise in the quadratures of the field generated in a sub-threshold degenerate optical parametric oscillator exhibits interesting dependences on the individual output mirror transmittances, when they are included exactly. We present a physical picture of this problem, based on mirror boundary conditions, which is valid for arbitrary transmittances. Hence, our picture applies uniformly to all values of the cavity Q factor representing, in the opposite extremes, both perfect oscillator and amplifier configurations. Beginning with a classical second-harmonic pump, we shall generalize our analysis to the finite amplitude and phase fluctuations of the pump.

Applications of high average power nonlinear optics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Velsko, S.P.; Krupke, W.F.

1996-02-05

Nonlinear optical frequency convertors (harmonic generators and optical parametric oscillators are reviewed with an emphasis on high average power performance and limitations. NLO materials issues and NLO device designs are discussed in reference to several emerging scientific, military and industrial commercial applications requiring {approx} 100 watt average power level in the visible and infrared spectral regions. Research efforts required to enable practical {approx} 100 watt class NLO based laser systems are identified.

High energy efficient solid state laser sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byer, Robert L.

1989-01-01

Recent progress in the development of highly efficient coherent optical sources was reviewed. This work has focused on nonlinear frequency conversion of the highly coherent output of the non-planar ring laser oscillators developed earlier in the program, and includes high efficiency second harmonic generation and the operation of optical parametric oscillators for wavelength diversity and tunability.

Application of Twin Beams in Mach-Zehnder Interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, J. X.; Xie, C. D.; Peng, K. C.

1996-01-01

Using the twin beams generated from parametric amplifier to drive the two port of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, it is shown that the minimum detectable optical phase shift can be largly reduced to the Heisenberg limit(1/n) which is far below the Shot Noise Limit(1/square root of n) the large gain limit. The dependence of the minimum detectable phase shift on parametric gain and the inefficient photodetectors has been discussed.

Injection-seeded optical parametric oscillator and system

DOEpatents

Lucht, Robert P.; Kulatilaka, Waruna D.; Anderson, Thomas N.; Bougher, Thomas L.

2007-10-09

Optical parametric oscillators (OPO) and systems are provided. The OPO has a non-linear optical material located between two optical elements where the product of the reflection coefficients of the optical elements are higher at the output wavelength than at either the pump or idler wavelength. The OPO output may be amplified using an additional optical parametric amplifier (OPA) stage.

Nonclassical-light generation in a photonic-band-gap nonlinear planar waveguide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peřina, Jan, Jr.; Sibilia, Concita; Tricca, Daniela; Bertolotti, Mario

2004-10-01

The optical parametric process occurring in a photonic-band-gap planar waveguide is studied from the point of view of nonclassical-light generation. The nonlinearly interacting optical fields are described by the generalized superposition of coherent signals and noise using the method of operator linear corrections to a classical strong solution. Scattered backward-propagating fields are taken into account. Squeezed light as well as light with sub-Poissonian statistics can be obtained in two-mode fields under the specified conditions.

An optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier for seeding high repetition rate free-electron lasers

DOE PAGES

Höppner, H.; Hage, A.; Tanikawa, T.; ...

2015-05-15

High repetition rate free-electron lasers (FEL), producing highly intense extreme ultraviolet and x-ray pulses, require new high power tunable femtosecond lasers for FEL seeding and FEL pump-probe experiments. A tunable, 112 W (burst mode) optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier (OPCPA) is demonstrated with center frequencies ranging from 720–900 nm, pulse energies up to 1.12 mJ and a pulse duration of 30 fs at a repetition rate of 100 kHz. Since the power scalability of this OPCPA is limited by the OPCPA-pump amplifier, we also demonstrate a 6.7–13.7 kW (burst mode) thin-disk OPCPA-pump amplifier, increasing the possible OPCPA output power to manymore » hundreds of watts. Furthermore, third and fourth harmonic generation experiments are performed and the results are used to simulate a seeded FEL with high-gain harmonic generation.« less

Mirrorless Optical Parametric Oscillation with Tunable Threshold in Cold Atoms.

PubMed

Mei, Yefeng; Guo, Xianxin; Zhao, Luwei; Du, Shengwang

2017-10-13

We report the demonstration of a mirrorless optical parametric oscillator with a tunable threshold in laser-cooled atoms with four-wave mixing (FWM) using electromagnetically induced transparency. Driven by two classical laser beams, the generated Stokes and anti-Stokes fields counterpropagate and build up efficient intrinsic feedback through the nonlinear FWM process. This feedback does not involve any cavity or spatially distributed microstructures. We observe the transition of photon correlation properties from the biphoton quantum regime (below the threshold) to the oscillation regime (above the threshold). The pump threshold can be tuned by varying the operating parameters. We achieve the oscillation with a threshold as low as 15  μW.

Fiber-coupled three-micron pulsed laser source for CFRP laser treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nyga, Sebastian; Blass, David; Katzy, Veronika; Westphalen, Thomas; Jungbluth, Bernd; Hoffmann, Hans-Dieter

2018-02-01

We present a laser source providing up to 18 W and 1.5 mJ at a wavelength of 3 μm. The output is generated by frequency conversion of randomly polarized multimode radiation at 1064 nm of an Nd:YAG laser in a two-stage conversion setup. The frequency converter comprises an optical parametric oscillator and a subsequent optical parametric amplifier using PPLN as nonlinear medium in both stages. To implement fiber-based beam delivery for materials processing, we coupled the output at 3 μm to a multimode ZrF4-fiber. This source was then used to remove epoxy resin from the surface of CFRP samples.

Fast and wide tuning wavelength-swept source based on dispersion-tuned fiber optical parametric oscillator.

PubMed

Zhou, Yue; Cheung, Kim K Y; Li, Qin; Yang, Sigang; Chui, P C; Wong, Kenneth K Y

2010-07-15

We demonstrate a dispersion-tuned fiber optical parametric oscillator (FOPO)-based swept source with a sweep rate of 40 kHz and a wavelength tuning range of 109 nm around 1550 nm. The cumulative speed exceeds 4,000,000 nm/s. The FOPO is pumped by a sinusoidally modulated pump, which is driven by a clock sweeping linearly from 1 to 1.0006 GHz. A spool of dispersion-compensating fiber is added inside the cavity to perform dispersion tuning. The instantaneous linewidth is 0.8 nm without the use of any wavelength selective element inside the cavity. 1 GHz pulses with pulse width of 150 ps are generated.

Optomechanical design and construction of a vacuum-compatible optical parametric oscillator for generation of squeezed light

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wade, A. R.; Mansell, G. L.; McRae, T. G., E-mail: Terry.Mcrae@anu.edu.au

With the recent detection of gravitational waves, non-classical light sources are likely to become an essential element of future detectors engaged in gravitational wave astronomy and cosmology. Operating a squeezed light source under high vacuum has the advantages of reducing optical losses and phase noise compared to techniques where the squeezed light is introduced from outside the vacuum. This will ultimately provide enhanced sensitivity for modern interferometric gravitational wave detectors that will soon become limited by quantum noise across much of the detection bandwidth. Here we describe the optomechanical design choices and construction techniques of a near monolithic glass opticalmore » parametric oscillator that has been operated under a vacuum of 10{sup −6} mbar. The optical parametric oscillator described here has been shown to produce 8.6 dB of quadrature squeezed light in the audio frequency band down to 10 Hz. This performance has been maintained for periods of around an hour and the system has been under vacuum continuously for several months without a degradation of this performance.« less

High-power, continuous-wave, tunable mid-IR, higher-order vortex beam optical parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aadhi, A.; Sharma, Varun; Samanta, G. K.

2018-05-01

We report on a novel experimental scheme to generate continuous-wave (cw), high power, and higher-order optical vortices tunable across mid-IR wavelength range. Using cw, two-crystal, singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (T-SRO) and pumping one of the crystals with Gaussian beam and the other crystal with optical vortices of orders, lp = 1 to 6, we have directly transferred the vortices at near-IR to the mid-IR wavelength range. The idler vortices of orders, li = 1 to 6, are tunable across 2276-3576 nm with a maximum output power of 6.8 W at order of, li = 1, for the pump power of 25 W corresponding to a near-IR vortex to mid-IR vortex conversion efficiency as high as 27.2%. Unlike the SROs generating optical vortices restricted to lower orders due to the elevated operation threshold with pump vortex orders, here, the coherent energy coupling between the resonant signals of the crystals of T-SRO facilitates the transfer of pump vortex of any order to the idler wavelength without stringent operation threshold condition. The generic experimental scheme can be used in any wavelength range across the electromagnetic spectrum and in all time scales from cw to ultrafast regime.

Towards terahertz detection and calibration through spontaneous parametric down-conversion in the terahertz idler-frequency range generated by a 795 nm diode laser system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kornienko, Vladimir V.; Kitaeva, Galiya Kh.; Sedlmeir, Florian; Leuchs, Gerd; Schwefel, Harald G. L.

2018-05-01

We study a calibration scheme for terahertz wave nonlinear-optical detectors based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion. Contrary to the usual low wavelength pump in the green, we report here on the observation of spontaneous parametric down-conversion originating from an in-growth poled lithium niobate crystal pumped with a continuous wave 50 mW, 795 nm diode laser system, phase-matched to a terahertz frequency idler wave. Such a system is more compact and allows for longer poling periods as well as lower losses in the crystal. Filtering the pump radiation by a rubidium-87 vapor cell allowed the frequency-angular spectra to be obtained down to ˜0.5 THz or ˜1 nm shift from the pump radiation line. The presence of an amplified spontaneous emission "pedestal" in the diode laser radiation spectrum significantly hampers the observation of spontaneous parametric down-conversion spectra, in contrast to conventional narrowband gas lasers. Benefits of switching to longer pump wavelengths are pointed out, such as collinear optical-terahertz phase-matching in bulk crystals.

Normal dispersion femtosecond fiber optical parametric oscillator.

PubMed

Nguyen, T N; Kieu, K; Maslov, A V; Miyawaki, M; Peyghambarian, N

2013-09-15

We propose and demonstrate a synchronously pumped fiber optical parametric oscillator (FOPO) operating in the normal dispersion regime. The FOPO generates chirped pulses at the output, allowing significant pulse energy scaling potential without pulse breaking. The output average power of the FOPO at 1600 nm was ∼60  mW (corresponding to 1.45 nJ pulse energy and ∼55% slope power conversion efficiency). The output pulses directly from the FOPO were highly chirped (∼3  ps duration), and they could be compressed outside of the cavity to 180 fs by using a standard optical fiber compressor. Detailed numerical simulation was also performed to understand the pulse evolution dynamics around the laser cavity. We believe that the proposed design concept is useful for scaling up the pulse energy in the FOPO using different pumping wavelengths.

Theoretical analysis of terahertz generation from a compact optical parametric oscillator based on adhesive-free-bonded periodically inverted KTiOPO4 plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhongyang; Wang, Silei; Wang, Mengtao; Yuan, Bin; Wang, Weishu

2017-10-01

Terahertz (THz) generation by difference frequency generation (DFG) processes with dual signal waves is theoretically analyzed. The dual signal waves are generated by an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) with periodically inverted KTiOPO4 (KTP) plates based on adhesive-free-bonded (AFB) technology. The phase-matching conditions in a same AFB KTP composite for the OPO generating signals and idlers and for the DFG generating THz wave can be simultaneously satisfied by selecting the thickness of each KTP plate. Moreover, 4-order cascaded DFG processes can be realized in the same AFB KTP composite. The cascaded Stokes interaction processes generating THz photons and the cascaded anti-Stokes interaction processes consuming THz photons are investigated from coupled wave equations. Take an example of 3.106 THz which locates in the vicinity of polariton resonances, THz intensities and quantum conversion efficiencies are calculated. Compared with non-cascaded DFG processes, THz intensities of 3.106 THz in 4-order cascaded DFG processes increase to 5.56 times. When the pump intensity equals 20 MW mm-2, the quantum conversion efficiency of 259% in 4-order cascaded DFG processes can be realized, which exceeds the Manley-Rowe limit.

Cooling an Optically Trapped Ultracold Fermi Gas by Periodical Driving.

PubMed

Li, Jiaming; de Melo, Leonardo F; Luo, Le

2017-03-30

We present a cooling method for a cold Fermi gas by parametrically driving atomic motions in a crossed-beam optical dipole trap (ODT). Our method employs the anharmonicity of the ODT, in which the hotter atoms at the edge of the trap feel the anharmonic components of the trapping potential, while the colder atoms in the center of the trap feel the harmonic one. By modulating the trap depth with frequencies that are resonant with the anharmonic components, we selectively excite the hotter atoms out of the trap while keeping the colder atoms in the trap, generating parametric cooling. This experimental protocol starts with a magneto-optical trap (MOT) that is loaded by a Zeeman slower. The precooled atoms in the MOT are then transferred to an ODT, and a bias magnetic field is applied to create an interacting Fermi gas. We then lower the trapping potential to prepare a cold Fermi gas near the degenerate temperature. After that, we sweep the magnetic field to the noninteracting regime of the Fermi gas, in which the parametric cooling can be manifested by modulating the intensity of the optical trapping beams. We find that the parametric cooling effect strongly depends on the modulation frequencies and amplitudes. With the optimized frequency and amplitude, we measure the dependence of the cloud energy on the modulation time. We observe that the cloud energy is changed in an anisotropic way, where the energy of the axial direction is significantly reduced by parametric driving. The cooling effect is limited to the axial direction because the dominant anharmonicity of the crossed-beam ODT is along the axial direction. Finally, we propose to extend this protocol for the trapping potentials of large anharmonicity in all directions, which provides a promising scheme for cooling quantum gases using external driving.

Gated frequency-resolved optical imaging with an optical parametric amplifier

DOEpatents

Cameron, S.M.; Bliss, D.E.; Kimmel, M.W.; Neal, D.R.

1999-08-10

A system for detecting objects in a turbid media utilizes an optical parametric amplifier as an amplifying gate for received light from the media. An optical gating pulse from a second parametric amplifier permits the system to respond to and amplify only ballistic photons from the object in the media. 13 figs.

Gated frequency-resolved optical imaging with an optical parametric amplifier

DOEpatents

Cameron, Stewart M.; Bliss, David E.; Kimmel, Mark W.; Neal, Daniel R.

1999-01-01

A system for detecting objects in a turbid media utilizes an optical parametric amplifier as an amplifying gate for received light from the media. An optical gating pulse from a second parametric amplifier permits the system to respond to and amplify only ballistic photons from the object in the media.

Single photons to multiple octaves: Engineering nonlinear optics in micro- and nano-structured media

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-18

generation and amplification of ultrafast IR pulses. Both efforts took advantage of microstructured nonlinear media, e.g. quasi -phasematched (QPM...enhance the wave-mixing efficiency, especially for low-power devices. Because errors in fabrication of waveguides and quasi - phasematching gratings are... experimental demonstration of optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers (OPCPA) in apodized aperiodic QPMgratings for high repetition rate, high

Applications of ultrashort laser pulses in science and technology; Proceedings of the Meeting, The Hague, Netherlands, Mar. 12, 13, 1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Antonetti, Andre (Editor)

1990-01-01

Topics discussed are on the generation of high-intensity femtosecond lasers, the high-repetition and infrared femtosecond pulses, and physics of semiconductors and applications. Papers are presented on the femtosecond pulse generation at 193 nm; the generation of intense subpicosecond and femtosecond pulses; intense tunable subpicosecond and femtosecond pulses in the visible and infrared, generated by optical parametric oscillators; a high-efficiency high-energy optical amplifier for femtosecond pulses; and the generation of solitons, periodic pulsing, and nonlinearities in GaAs. Other papers are on ultrafast relaxation dynamics of photoexcited carriers in GaAs, high-order optical nonlinear susceptibilities of transparent glasses, subnanosecond risetime high-power pulse generation using photoconductive bulk GaAs devices, femtosecond studies of plasma formation in crystalline and amorphous silicon, and subpicosecond dynamics of hot carrier relaxation in InP and GaAs.

20 mJ, 1 ps Yb:YAG Thin-disk Regenerative Amplifier

PubMed Central

Alismail, Ayman; Wang, Haochuan; Brons, Jonathan; Fattahi, Hanieh

2017-01-01

This is a report on a 100 W, 20 mJ, 1 ps Yb:YAG thin-disk regenerative amplifier. A homemade Yb:YAG thin-disk, Kerr-lens mode-locked oscillator with turn-key performance and microjoule-level pulse energy is used to seed the regenerative chirped-pulse amplifier. The amplifier is placed in airtight housing. It operates at room temperature and exhibits stable operation at a 5 kHz repetition rate, with a pulse-to-pulse stability less than 1%. By employing a 1.5 mm-thick beta barium borate crystal, the frequency of the laser output is doubled to 515 nm, with an average power of 70 W, which corresponds to an optical-to-optical efficiency of 70%. This superior performance makes the system an attractive pump source for optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers in the near-infrared and mid-infrared spectral range. Combining the turn-key performance and the superior stability of the regenerative amplifier, the system facilitates the generation of a broadband, CEP-stable seed. Providing the seed and pump of the optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) from one laser source eliminates the demand of active temporal synchronization between these pulses. This work presents a detailed guide to set up and operate a Yb:YAG thin-disk regenerative amplifier, based on chirped-pulse amplification (CPA), as a pump source for an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier. PMID:28745636

Sub-nanosecond periodically poled lithium niobate optical parametric generator and amplifier pumped by an actively Q-switched diode-pumped Nd:YAG microlaser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, L.; Wang, H. Y.; Ning, Y.; Shen, C.; Si, L.; Yang, Y.; Bao, Q. L.; Ren, G.

2017-05-01

A sub-nanosecond seeded optical parametric generator (OPG) based on magnesium oxide-doped periodically poled lithium niobate (MgO:PPLN) crystal is presented. Pumped by an actively Q-switched diode-pumped 1 kHz, 1064 nm, Nd:YAG microlaser and seeded with a low power distributed feedback (DFB) diode continuous-wave (CW) laser, the OPG generated an output energy of 41.4 µJ and 681 ps pulse duration for the signal at 1652.4 nm, achieving a quantum conversion efficiency of 61.2% and a slope efficiency of 41.8%. Signal tuning was achieved from 1651.0 to 1652.4 nm by tuning the seed-laser current. The FWHM of the signal spectrum was approximately from 35 nm to 0.5 nm by injection seed laser. The SHG doubled the frequency of OPG signal to produce a output energy of 12 µJ with the energy conversion efficiency of 29.0% and tunanble wavelength near 826 nm.

Multi-dressing suppression and enhancement and all-optical switching in parametrically amplified four-wave mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xinghua; Zhang, Dan; Sun, Ming; Li, Kangkang; Wang, Zhiguo; Zhang, Yanpeng

2018-04-01

We study different dressing effects in parametrically amplified four-wave mixing (PA-FWM) processes. By seeding a weak probe laser into the Stokes or anti-Stokes channel of the FWM, the gain process is generated in the so-called bright twin beams which are the probe and conjugate beams. The dressing types dramatically affect the gain factors in both the probe and conjugate channels. The gain factor of the FWM signal decreases under the cascade-type dressing and the signal's shape splits into two dips under this dressing type. However, the intensity of the FWM signal changes from suppression to enhancement under the parallel-type dressing. We will apply this switching process to all-optical switching.

Laser And Nonlinear Optical Materials For Laser Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, Norman P.

2005-01-01

NASA remote sensing missions involving laser systems and their economic impact are outlined. Potential remote sensing missions include: green house gasses, tropospheric winds, ozone, water vapor, and ice cap thickness. Systems to perform these measurements use lanthanide series lasers and nonlinear devices including second harmonic generators and parametric oscillators. Demands these missions place on the laser and nonlinear optical materials are discussed from a materials point of view. Methods of designing new laser and nonlinear optical materials to meet these demands are presented.

Frequency-domain nonlinear optics in two-dimensionally patterned quasi-phase-matching media.

PubMed

Phillips, C R; Mayer, B W; Gallmann, L; Keller, U

2016-07-11

Advances in the amplification and manipulation of ultrashort laser pulses have led to revolutions in several areas. Examples include chirped pulse amplification for generating high peak-power lasers, power-scalable amplification techniques, pulse shaping via modulation of spatially-dispersed laser pulses, and efficient frequency-mixing in quasi-phase-matched nonlinear crystals to access new spectral regions. In this work, we introduce and demonstrate a new platform for nonlinear optics which has the potential to combine these separate functionalities (pulse amplification, frequency transfer, and pulse shaping) into a single monolithic device that is bandwidth- and power-scalable. The approach is based on two-dimensional (2D) patterning of quasi-phase-matching (QPM) gratings combined with optical parametric interactions involving spatially dispersed laser pulses. Our proof of principle experiment demonstrates this technique via mid-infrared optical parametric chirped pulse amplification of few-cycle pulses. Additionally, we present a detailed theoretical and numerical analysis of such 2D-QPM devices and how they can be designed.

Millijoule-level 20 ps Nd:YAG oscillator-amplifier laser system for investigation of stimulated Raman scattering and optical parametric generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jelínek, Michal; Kubecek, Vàclav

2012-06-01

We report on quasi-continuously pumped oscillator-amplifier laser system. The laser oscillator was based on highly 2.4 at.% doped crystalline Nd:YAG in a bounce geometry and passively mode locked by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. Using the cavity dumping technique, 19 ps pulses with the energy of 20 μJ and Gaussian spatial beam profile were generated directly from the oscillator at the repetition rate up to 50 Hz. For applications requiring more energetic pulses the amplification was studied using either an identical highly doped Nd:YAG module in bounce geometry or flashlamp pumped Nd:YAG laser rod. Using compact all diode pumped oscillator-amplifier system, 130 μJ pulses were generated. The flashlamp pumped amplifier with 100 mm long Nd:YAG enabled to obtain higher energy. In the single pass configuration the pulse was amplified to 4.5 mJ, using the double pass configuration the pulse energy was further increased up to 20 mJ with the duration of 25 ps at 10 Hz. The developed laser system was used for investigation of stimulated Raman scattering in Strontium Barium Niobate and optical parametric generation in CdSiP2.

High-energy, tunable, mid-infrared, picosecond optical parametric generation in CdSiP2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaitanya Kumar, S.; Jelínek, M.; Baudisch, M.; Zawilski, K. T.; Schunemann, P. G.; Kubecek, V.; Biegert, J.; Ebrahim-Zadeh, M.

2012-06-01

We report a tunable, high-energy, single-pass, optical parametric generator (OPG) based on the new nonlinear material, cadmium silicon phosphide, CdSiP2. The OPG is pumped by a laboratory designed cavity-dumped passively mode-locked, diode-pumped, Nd:YAG oscillator, providing 25 μJ pulses in 20 ps at 5 Hz. The pump energy is further boosted by a flashlamp-pumped Nd:YAG amplifier to 2.5 mJ. The OPG is temperature tunable over 1263-1286 nm (23 nm) in the signal and 6153-6731 nm (578 nm) in the idler, corresponding to a total tuning range of 601 nm. Using the single-pass OPG configuration, we have generated signal energy as high as 636 μJ at 1283 nm, together with an idler energy of 33 μJ at 6234 nm, for 2.1 mJ of input pump energy. The signal pulses generated from the OPG have a Gaussian pulse duration of 24 ps and an FWHM spectral bandwidth of 10.4 nm at central wavelength of 1276 nm. The corresponding idler spectrum has an FWHM bandwidth of 140 nm centered at 6404 nm.

Influence of the pump threshold on the single-frequency output power of singly resonant optical parametric oscillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sowade, R.; Breunig, I.; Kiessling, J.; Buse, K.

2009-07-01

We demonstrate that for a given pump source, there is an optimum pump threshold to achieve the maximum single-frequency output power in singly resonant optical parametric oscillators. Therefore, cavity losses and parametric amplification have to be adjusted. In particular, continuous-wave output powers of 1.5 W were achieved with a 2.5 cm lithium niobate crystal in comparison with 0.5 W by a 5 cm long crystal within the same cavity design. This counter-intuitive result of weaker amplification leading to larger powers can be explained using a model from L.B. Kreuzer (Proc. Joint Conf. Lasers and Opt.-Elect., p. 52, 1969). Kreuzer also states that single-mode operation is possible only up to pump powers which are 4.6 times the threshold value. Additionally, implementing an outcoupling mirror to increase losses, single-frequency waves with powers of 3 W at 3.2 µm and 7 W at 1.5 µm could be generated simultaneously.

Frequency-agile THz-wave generation and detection system using nonlinear frequency conversion at room temperature.

PubMed

Guo, Ruixiang; Ikar'i, Tomofumi; Zhang, Jun; Minamide, Hiroaki; Ito, Hiromasa

2010-08-02

A surface-emitting THz parametric oscillator is set up to generate a narrow-linewidth, nanosecond pulsed THz-wave radiation. The THz-wave radiation is coherently detected using the frequency up-conversion in MgO: LiNbO(3) crystal. Fast frequency tuning and automatic achromatic THz-wave detection are achieved through a special optical design, including a variable-angle mirror and 1:1 telescope devices in the pump and THz-wave beams. We demonstrate a frequency-agile THz-wave parametric generation and THz-wave coherent detection system. This system can be used as a frequency-domain THz-wave spectrometer operated at room-temperature, and there are a high possible to develop into a real-time two-dimensional THz spectral imaging system.

Airborne Measurements of Atmospheric Methane Using Pulsed Laser Transmitters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Numata, Kenji; Riris, Haris; Wu, Stewart; Gonzalez, Brayler; Rodriguez, Michael; Hasselbrack, William; Fahey, Molly; Yu, Anthony; Stephen, Mark; Mao, Jianping;

Intensity and temporal noise characteristics in femtosecond optical parametric amplifiers.

PubMed

Chen, Wei; Fan, Jintao; Ge, Aichen; Song, Huanyu; Song, Youjian; Liu, Bowen; Chai, Lu; Wang, Chingyue; Hu, Minglie

2017-12-11

We characterize the relative intensity noise (RIN) and relative timing jitter (RTJ) between the signal and pump pulses of optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) seeded by three different seed sources. Compared to a white-light continuum (WLC) seeded- and an optical parametric generator (OPG) seeded OPA, the narrowband CW seeded OPA exhibits the lowest root-mean-square (RMS) RIN and RTJ of 0.79% and 0.32 fs, respectively, integrated from 1 kHz to the Nyquist frequency of 1.25 MHz. An improved numerical model based on a forward Maxwell equation (FME) is built to investigate the transfers of the pump and seed's noise to the resulting OPAs' intensity and temporal fluctuation. Both the experimental and numerical study indicate that the low level of noise from the narrowband CW seeded OPA is attributed to the elimination of the RIN and RTJ coupled from the noise of seed source, being one of the important contributions to RIN and timing jitter in the other two OPAs. The approach to achieve lower level of noise from this CW seeded OPA by driving it close to saturation is also discussed with the same numerical model.

Temporal-contrast measurements of a white-light-seeded noncollinear optical parametric amplifier

DOE PAGES

Bromage, J.; Dorrer, C.; Zuegel, J. D.

2015-09-01

Ultra-intense optical parametric chirped-pulse systems require front ends with broad bandwidth and high temporal contrast. Temporal cross-correlation measurements of a white-light–seeded noncollinear optical parametric amplifier (NOPA) show that its prepulse contrast exceeds the 120 dB dynamic range of the broadband NOPA-based cross-correlator.

Generation of sub-two-cycle millijoule infrared pulses in an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier and their application to soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy with high-flux high harmonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishii, Nobuhisa; Kaneshima, Keisuke; Kanai, Teruto; Watanabe, Shuntaro; Itatani, Jiro

2018-01-01

An optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier (OPCPA) based on bismuth triborate (BiB3O6, BIBO) crystals has been developed to deliver 1.5 mJ, 10.1 fs optical pulses around 1.6 μm with a repetition rate of 1 kHz and a stable carrier-envelope phase. The seed and pump pulses of the BIBO-based OPCPA are provided from two Ti:sapphire chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) systems. In both CPA systems, transmission gratings are used in the stretchers and compressors that result in a high throughput and robust operation without causing any thermal problem and optical damage. The seed pulses of the OPCPA are generated by intrapulse frequency mixing of a spectrally broadened continuum, temporally stretched to approximately 5 ps then, and amplified to more than 1.5 mJ. The amplified pulses are compressed in a fused silica block down to 10.1 fs. This BIBO-based OPCPA has been applied to high-flux high harmonic generation beyond the carbon K edge at 284 eV. The high-flux soft-x-ray continuum allows measuring the x-ray absorption near-edge structure of the carbon K edge within 2 min, which is shorter than a typical measurement time using synchrotron-based light sources. This laser-based table-top soft-x-ray source is a promising candidate for ultrafast soft x-ray spectroscopy with femtosecond to attosecond time resolution.

Coherent white light amplification

DOEpatents

Jovanovic, Igor; Barty, Christopher P.

2004-05-25

A system for coherent simultaneous amplification of a broad spectral range of light that includes an optical parametric amplifier and a source of a seed pulse is described. A first angular dispersive element is operatively connected to the source of a seed pulse. A first imaging telescope is operatively connected to the first angular dispersive element and operatively connected to the optical parametric amplifier. A source of a pump pulse is operatively connected to the optical parametric amplifier. A second imaging telescope is operatively connected to the optical parametric amplifier and a second angular dispersive element is operatively connected to the second imaging telescope.

Idler-efficiency-enhanced long-wave infrared beam generation using aperiodic orientation-patterned GaAs gratings.

PubMed

Gürkan Figen, Ziya; Aytür, Orhan; Arıkan, Orhan

2016-03-20

In this paper, we design aperiodic gratings based on orientation-patterned gallium arsenide (OP-GaAs) for converting 2.1 μm pump laser radiation into long-wave infrared (8-12 μm) in an idler-efficiency-enhanced scheme. These single OP-GaAs gratings placed in an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) or an optical parametric generator (OPG) can simultaneously phase match two optical parametric amplification (OPA) processes, OPA 1 and OPA 2. We use two design methods that allow simultaneous phase matching of two arbitrary χ⁽²⁾ processes and also free adjustment of their relative strength. The first aperiodic grating design method (Method 1) relies on generating a grating structure that has domain walls located at the zeros of the summation of two cosine functions, each of which has a spatial frequency that equals one of the phase-mismatch terms of the two processes. Some of the domain walls are discarded considering the minimum domain length that is achievable in the production process. In this paper, we propose a second design method (Method 2) that relies on discretizing the crystal length with sample lengths that are much smaller than the minimum domain length and testing each sample's contribution in such a way that the sign of the nonlinearity maximizes the magnitude sum of the real and imaginary parts of the Fourier transform of the grating function at the relevant phase mismatches. Method 2 produces a similar performance as Method 1 in terms of the maximization of the height of either Fourier peak located at the relevant phase mismatch while allowing an adjustable relative height for the two peaks. To our knowledge, this is the first time that aperiodic OP-GaAs gratings have been proposed for efficient long-wave infrared beam generation based on simultaneous phase matching.

Giant narrowband twin-beam generation along the pump-energy propagation direction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez, Angela M.; Spasibko, Kirill Yu; Sharapova, Polina R.; Tikhonova, Olga V.; Leuchs, Gerd; Chekhova, Maria V.

2015-07-01

Walk-off effects, originating from the difference between the group and phase velocities, limit the efficiency of nonlinear optical interactions. While transverse walk-off can be eliminated by proper medium engineering, longitudinal walk-off is harder to avoid. In particular, ultrafast twin-beam generation via pulsed parametric down-conversion and four-wave mixing is only possible in short crystals or fibres. Here we show that in high-gain parametric down-conversion, one can overcome the destructive role of both effects and even turn them into useful tools for shaping the emission. In our experiment, one of the twin beams is emitted along the pump Poynting vector or its group velocity matches that of the pump. The result is markedly enhanced generation of both twin beams, with the simultaneous narrowing of angular and frequency spectrum. The effect will enable efficient generation of ultrafast twin photons and beams in cavities, waveguides and whispering-gallery mode resonators.

An innovative Yb-based ultrafast deep ultraviolet source for time-resolved photoemission experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boschini, F.; Hedayat, H.; Dallera, C.

2014-12-15

Time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy is a powerful technique to study ultrafast electronic dynamics in solids. Here, an innovative optical setup based on a 100-kHz Yb laser source is presented. Exploiting non-collinear optical parametric amplification and sum-frequency generation, ultrashort pump (hν = 1.82 eV) and ultraviolet probe (hν = 6.05 eV) pulses are generated. Overall temporal and instrumental energy resolutions of, respectively, 85 fs and 50 meV are obtained. Time- and angle-resolved measurements on BiTeI semiconductor are presented to show the capabilities of the setup.

Nonequilibrium Langevin approach to quantum optics in semiconductor microcavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Portolan, S.; di Stefano, O.; Savasta, S.; Rossi, F.; Girlanda, R.

2008-01-01

Recently, the possibility of generating nonclassical polariton states by means of parametric scattering has been demonstrated. Excitonic polaritons propagate in a complex interacting environment and contain real electronic excitations subject to scattering events and noise affecting quantum coherence and entanglement. Here, we present a general theoretical framework for the realistic investigation of polariton quantum correlations in the presence of coherent and incoherent interaction processes. The proposed theoretical approach is based on the nonequilibrium quantum Langevin approach for open systems applied to interacting-electron complexes described within the dynamics controlled truncation scheme. It provides an easy recipe to calculate multitime correlation functions which are key quantities in quantum optics. As a first application, we analyze the buildup of polariton parametric emission in semiconductor microcavities including the influence of noise originating from phonon-induced scattering.

Statistical properties of light from optical parametric oscillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vyas, Reeta; Singh, Surendra

2009-12-01

Coherence properties of light beams generated by optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) are discussed in the region of threshold. Analytic expressions, that are valid throughout the threshold region, for experimentally measurable quantities such as the mean and variance of photon number fluctuations, squeezing of field quadratures, and photon counting distributions are derived. These expressions describe non-Gaussian fluctuations of light in the region of threshold and reproduce Gaussian fluctuations below and above threshold, thus providing a bridge between below and above threshold regimes of operation. They are used to study the transformation of fluctuation properties of light as the OPOs make a transition from below to above threshold. The results for the OPOs are compared to those for the single-mode and two-mode lasers and their similarities and differences are discussed.

Linear optical properties of the monoclinic bismuth borate BiB3O6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hellwig, H.; Liebertz, J.; Bohatý, L.

2000-07-01

New materials for nonlinear optical (NLO) applications are still of great interest. The monoclinic BiB3O6 (BIBO) shows exceptionally large NLO coefficients. In this article we will present the linear optical properties in the wavelength range between 350 and 2400 nm, the phase matching conditions calculated for second harmonic generation, and optical parametric oscillation. Angular bandwidth data are also given. The wide tuning range of phase matched directions together with the monoclinic symmetry allow a broad variety of applications. The laser damage threshold is comparable to high quality lithium triborate.

All-Optical Control of Linear and Nonlinear Energy Transfer via the Zeno Effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Xiang; Zou, Chang-Ling; Jiang, Liang; Tang, Hong X.

2018-05-01

Microresonator-based nonlinear processes are fundamental to applications including microcomb generation, parametric frequency conversion, and harmonics generation. While nonlinear processes involving either second- (χ(2 )) or third- (χ(3 )) order nonlinearity have been extensively studied, the interaction between these two basic nonlinear processes has seldom been reported. In this paper we demonstrate a coherent interplay between second- and third- order nonlinear processes. The parametric (χ(2 ) ) coupling to a lossy ancillary mode shortens the lifetime of the target photonic mode and suppresses its density of states, preventing the photon emissions into the target photonic mode via the Zeno effect. Such an effect is then used to control the stimulated four-wave mixing process and realize a suppression ratio of 34.5.

THz-wave parametric sources and imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawase, Kodo

2004-12-01

We have studied the generation of terahertz (THz) waves by optical parametric processes based on laser light scattering from the polariton mode of nonlinear crystals. Using parametric oscillation of MgO-doped LiNbO3 crystal pumped by a nano-second Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, we have realized a widely tunable coherent THz-wave sources with a simple configuration. We have also developed a novel basic technology for THz imaging, which allows detection and identification of chemicals by introducing the component spatial pattern analysis. The spatial distributions of the chemicals were obtained from terahertz multispectral trasillumination images, using absorption spectra previously measured with a widely tunable THz-wave parametric oscillator. Further we have applied this technique to the detection and identification of illicit drugs concealed in envelopes. The samples we used were methamphetamine and MDMA, two of the most widely consumed illegal drugs in Japan, and aspirin as a reference.

Study of parametric instability in gravitational wave detectors with silicon test masses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jue; Zhao, Chunnong; Ju, Li; Blair, David

2017-03-01

Parametric instability is an intrinsic risk in high power laser interferometer gravitational wave detectors, in which the optical cavity modes interact with the acoustic modes of the mirrors, leading to exponential growth of the acoustic vibration. In this paper, we investigate the potential parametric instability for a proposed next generation gravitational wave detector, the LIGO Voyager blue design, with cooled silicon test masses of size 45 cm in diameter and 55 cm in thickness. It is shown that there would be about two unstable modes per test mass at an arm cavity power of 3 MW, with the highest parametric gain of  ∼76. While this is less than the predicted number of unstable modes for Advanced LIGO (∼40 modes with max gain of  ∼32 at the designed operating power of 830 kW), the importance of developing suitable instability suppression schemes is emphasized.

Space-Charge Simulation of Integrable Rapid Cycling Synchrotron

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eldred, Jeffery; Valishev, Alexander

2017-05-01

Integrable optics is an innovation in particle accelerator design that enables strong nonlinear focusing without generating parametric resonances. We use a Synergia space-charge simulation to investigate the application of integrable optics to a high-intensity hadron ring that could replace the Fermilab Booster. We find that incorporating integrability into the design suppresses the beam halo generated by a mismatched KV beam. Our integrable rapid cycling synchrotron (iRCS) design includes other features of modern ring design such as low momentum compaction factor and harmonically canceling sextupoles. Experimental tests of high-intensity beams in integrable lattices will take place over the next several yearsmore » at the Fermilab Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) and the University of Maryland Electron Ring (UMER).« less

Heralded creation of photonic qudits from parametric down-conversion using linear optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshikawa, Jun-ichi; Bergmann, Marcel; van Loock, Peter; Fuwa, Maria; Okada, Masanori; Takase, Kan; Toyama, Takeshi; Makino, Kenzo; Takeda, Shuntaro; Furusawa, Akira

2018-05-01

We propose an experimental scheme to generate, in a heralded fashion, arbitrary quantum superpositions of two-mode optical states with a fixed total photon number n based on weakly squeezed two-mode squeezed state resources (obtained via weak parametric down-conversion), linear optics, and photon detection. Arbitrary d -level (qudit) states can be created this way where d =n +1 . Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate our scheme for n =2 . The resulting qutrit states are characterized via optical homodyne tomography. We also discuss possible extensions to more than two modes concluding that, in general, our approach ceases to work in this case. For illustration and with regards to possible applications, we explicitly calculate a few examples such as NOON states and logical qubit states for quantum error correction. In particular, our approach enables one to construct bosonic qubit error-correction codes against amplitude damping (photon loss) with a typical suppression of √{n }-1 losses and spanned by two logical codewords that each correspond to an n -photon superposition for two bosonic modes.

Turnable Blue-Green LIDAR Transmitter Demonstration: Injection Laser Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-08-30

5-1 5.2 Baseline Requirements ............................................. 5-1 5.3 Optical Parametric Oscillator Using Beta Barium Borate... optical parametric oscillators , and organic dye lasers. Tunable solid state lasers such as Ti: sapphire operate in the infrared and would have to be...The same is true of I frequency mixing schemes. Optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) are attractive because of their extremely wide potential tuning

Wavelength-agile near-IR optical parametric oscillator using a deposited silicon waveguide.

PubMed

Wang, Ke-Yao; Foster, Mark A; Foster, Amy C

2015-06-15

Using a deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) waveguide, we demonstrate ultra-broad bandwidth (60 THz) parametric amplification via four-wave mixing (FWM), and subsequently achieve the first silicon optical parametric oscillator (OPO) at near-IR wavelengths. Utilization of the time-dispersion-tuned technique provides an optical source with active wavelength tuning over 42 THz with a fixed pump wave.

Practical implementation of multilevel quantum cryptography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kulik, S. P.; Maslennikov, G. A.; Moreva, E. V.

2006-05-15

The physical principles of a quantum key distribution protocol using four-level optical systems are discussed. Quantum information is encoded into polarization states created by frequency-nondegenerate spontaneous parametric down-conversion in collinear geometry. In the scheme under analysis, the required nonorthogonal states are generated in a single nonlinear crystal. All states in the selected basis are measured deterministically. The results of initial experiments on transformation of the basis polarization states of a four-level optical system are discussed.

Development of the 1.6μm OPG/OPA system wavelength-controlled precisely for CO2 DIAL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abo, M.; Shibata, Y.; Nagasawa, C.

2010-12-01

We developed an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) laser system for 1.6μm CO2 DIAL1). In order to improve the measurement accuracy of CO2 profiles, development of high power and wavelength stabilized laser system has been conducted. We report a new high-power 1.6μm laser transmitter based on a parametric master oscillator-power amplifier (MOPA) system pumped by a LD-pumped Q-switched Nd:YAG laser which has the injection seed laser locked to the iodine absorption line. The master oscillator is an optical parametric generator (OPG), based on an MgO-doped periodically poled LiTaO3 (PPMgLT) crystal. The OPOs require either active control of the cavity length or slight misalignment of the cavity. On the other hand, the OPGs do not require a cavity and instead rely on sufficient conversion efficiency to be obtained with a single pass through the crystal. The single-frequency oscillation of the OPG was achieved by injection seeding. The 1.6μm emission of the OPG is amplified by two-stage optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs). The each PPMgLT crystal was mounted on the copper holder, and the temperature control of the each holder was carried out within 0.01 K. The wavelength feedback system of the Nd:YAG seed laser is performed with the side locking of the iodine absorption spectrum (line No.1107) and the frequency stability is realized within 10 MHz rms. Stabilization of the 1.6μm DFB seed laser is estimated to within 4 MHz rms at the CO2 absorption line center and within 1.8 MHz rms at the CO2 absorption line slope using the wavelength control unit. We demonstrated single-longitudinal-mode emission with the OPG and two OPAs. The beam quality was TEM00 mode, the pulse energy was 12 mJ at 500 Hz repetition rate and the frequency stability was less than 10MHz rms. The unique performances of this optical parametric system make a relevant transmitter for CO2 DIAL. This work was financially supported by the System Development Program for Advanced Measurement and Analysis of the Japan Science and Technology Agency. Reference (1) D. Sakaisawa, C. Nagasawa, T. Nagai, M. Abo, Y. Shibata, H. Nagai, M. Nakazato, and T. Sakai, Development of a 1.6μm differential absorption lidar with a quasi-phase-matching optical parametric oscillator and photon-counting detector for the vertical CO2 profile, Applied Optics, Vol.48, No.4, pp.748-757, 2009.

Detection of two-mode compression and degree of entanglement in continuous variables in parametric scattering of light

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rytikov, G. O.; Chekhova, M. V.

2008-12-15

Generation of 'twin beams' (of light with two-mode compression) in single-pass optical parametric amplifier (a crystal with a nonzero quadratic susceptibility) is considered. Radiation at the output of the nonlinear crystal is essentially multimode, which raises the question about the effect of the detection volume on the extent of suppression of noise from the difference photocurrent of the detectors. In addition, the longitudinal as well as transverse size of the region in which parametric transformation takes place is of fundamental importance. It is shown that maximal suppression of noise from difference photocurrent requires a high degree of entanglement of two-photonmore » light at the outlet of the parametric amplifier, which is defined by Federov et al. [Phys. Rev. A 77, 032336 (2008)] as the ratio of the intensity distribution width to the correlation function width. The detection volume should be chosen taking into account both these quantities. Various modes of single-pass generation of twin beams (noncollinear frequency-degenerate and collinear frequency-nondegenerate synchronism of type I, as well as collinear frequency-degenerate synchronism of type II) are considered in connection with the degree of entanglement.« less

Phase-matching properties of BaGa₄Se₇ for SHG and SFG in the 0.901-10.5910  μm range.

PubMed

Kato, Kiyoshi; Miyata, Kentaro; Petrov, Valentin

2017-04-10

We report new experimental results on the phase-matching properties of a BaGa₄Se₇ crystal for harmonic generation of a Nd:YAG laser-pumped AgGaS₂ optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and a CO₂ laser in the 0.901-10.5910 μm range. In addition, we present new Sellmeier equations that provide a good reproduction of the present experimental results as well as the published data points for a Nd:YAG laser-pumped OPO and an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) in the 3.10-15.22 μm range and a Ho:YAG laser-pumped OPA in the 3.49-5.18 μm range.

Effects of polarization mode dispersion on polarization-entangled photons generated via broadband pumped spontaneous parametric down-conversion

PubMed Central

Lim, Hyang-Tag; Hong, Kang-Hee; Kim, Yoon-Ho

2016-01-01

An inexpensive and compact frequency multi-mode diode laser enables a compact two-photon polarization entanglement source via the continuous wave broadband pumped spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) process. Entanglement degradation caused by polarization mode dispersion (PMD) is one of the critical issues in optical fiber-based polarization entanglement distribution. We theoretically and experimentally investigate how the initial entanglement is degraded when the two-photon polarization entangled state undergoes PMD. We report an effect of PMD unique to broadband pumped SPDC, equally applicable to pulsed pumping as well as cw broadband pumping, which is that the amount of the entanglement degradation is asymmetrical to the PMD introduced to each quantum channel. We believe that our results have important applications in long-distance distribution of polarization entanglement via optical fiber channels. PMID:27174100

Parametric bicubic spline and CAD tools for complex targets shape modelling in physical optics radar cross section prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delogu, A.; Furini, F.

1991-09-01

Increasing interest in radar cross section (RCS) reduction is placing new demands on theoretical, computation, and graphic techniques for calculating scattering properties of complex targets. In particular, computer codes capable of predicting the RCS of an entire aircraft at high frequency and of achieving RCS control with modest structural changes, are becoming of paramount importance in stealth design. A computer code, evaluating the RCS of arbitrary shaped metallic objects that are computer aided design (CAD) generated, and its validation with measurements carried out using ALENIA RCS test facilities are presented. The code, based on the physical optics method, is characterized by an efficient integration algorithm with error control, in order to contain the computer time within acceptable limits, and by an accurate parametric representation of the target surface in terms of bicubic splines.

Investigation on phase noise of the signal from a singly resonant optical parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jinxia, Feng; Yuanji, Li; Kuanshou, Zhang

2018-04-01

The phase noise of the signal from a singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (SRO) is investigated theoretically and experimentally. An SRO based on periodically poled lithium niobate is built up that generates the signal with a maximum power of 5.2 W at 1.5 µm. The intensity noise of the signal reaches the shot noise level for frequencies above 5 MHz. The phase noise of the signal oscillates depending on the analysis frequency, and there are phase noise peaks above the shot noise level at the peak frequencies. To explain the phase noise feature of the signal, a semi-classical theoretical model of SROs including the guided acoustic wave Brillouin scattering effect within the nonlinear crystal is developed. The theoretical predictions are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Quantum correlations across two octaves from combined up- and down-conversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jingyan; Olsen, M. K.

2018-04-01

We propose and analyze a cascaded optical parametric system which involves three interacting modes across two octaves of frequency difference. Our system, combining degenerate optical parametric oscillation (OPO) with second harmonic generation (SHG), promises to be a useful source of squeezed and entangled light at three differing frequencies. We show how changes in damping rates and the ratio of the two concurrent nonlinearities affect the quantum correlations in the output fields. We analyze the threshold behavior, showing how the normal OPO threshold is changed by the addition of the SHG interactions. We also find that the inclusion of the OPO interaction removes the self-pulsing behavior found in normal SHG. Finally, we show how the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen correlations can be controlled by the injection of a coherent seed field at the lower frequency.

Influence of pump-field scattering on nonclassical-light generation in a photonic-band-gap nonlinear planar waveguide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peřina, Jan, Jr.; Sibilia, Concita; Tricca, Daniela; Bertolotti, Mario

2005-04-01

Optical parametric process occurring in a nonlinear planar waveguide can serve as a source of light with nonclassical properties. The properties of the generated fields are substantially modified by scattering of the nonlinearly interacting fields in a photonic-band-gap structure inside the waveguide. A general quantum model of linear operator amplitude corrections to the amplitude mean values and its numerical analysis provide conditions for efficient squeezed-light generation as well as generation of light with sub-Poissonian photon-number statistics. The destructive influence of phase mismatch of the nonlinear interaction can fully be compensated using a suitable photonic-band-gap structure inside the waveguide. Also an increase of the signal-to-noise ratio of the incident optical field can be reached in the waveguide.

Time-reversed wave mixing in nonlinear optics

PubMed Central

Zheng, Yuanlin; Ren, Huaijin; Wan, Wenjie; Chen, Xianfeng

2013-01-01

Time-reversal symmetry is important to optics. Optical processes can run in a forward or backward direction through time when such symmetry is preserved. In linear optics, a time-reversed process of laser emission can enable total absorption of coherent light fields inside an optical cavity of loss by time-reversing the original gain medium. Nonlinearity, however, can often destroy such symmetry in nonlinear optics, making it difficult to study time-reversal symmetry with nonlinear optical wave mixings. Here we demonstrate time-reversed wave mixings for optical second harmonic generation (SHG) and optical parametric amplification (OPA) by exploring this well-known but underappreciated symmetry in nonlinear optics. This allows us to observe the annihilation of coherent beams. Our study offers new avenues for flexible control in nonlinear optics and has potential applications in efficient wavelength conversion, all-optical computing. PMID:24247906

Widely tunable optical parametric oscillation in a Kerr microresonator.

PubMed

Sayson, Noel Lito B; Webb, Karen E; Coen, Stéphane; Erkintalo, Miro; Murdoch, Stuart G

2017-12-15

We report on the first experimental demonstration of widely tunable parametric sideband generation in a Kerr microresonator. Specifically, by pumping a silica microsphere in the normal dispersion regime, we achieve the generation of phase-matched four-wave mixing sidebands at large frequency detunings from the pump. Thanks to the role of higher-order dispersion in enabling phase matching, small variations of the pump wavelength translate into very large and controllable changes in the wavelengths of the generated sidebands: we experimentally demonstrate over 720 nm of tunability using a low-power continuous-wave pump laser in the C-band. We also derive simple theoretical predictions for the phase-matched sideband frequencies and discuss the predictions in light of the discrete cavity resonance frequencies. Our experimentally measured sideband wavelengths are in very good agreement with theoretical predictions obtained from our simple phase-matching analysis.

A Methane Lidar for Greenhouse Gas Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riris, Haris; Numata, Kenji; Wu, Stewart; Gonzalez, Brayler; Rodriguez, Michael; Fahey, Molly; Kawa, Stephan R.; Scott, Stan; Yu, Anthony; Stephen, Mark;

Methods and devices for generation of broadband pulsed radiation

DOEpatents

Borguet, Eric; Isaienko, Oleksandr

2013-05-14

Methods and apparatus for non-collinear optical parametric ampliffication (NOPA) are provided. Broadband phase matching is achieved with a non-collinear geometry and a divergent signal seed to provide bandwidth gain. A chirp may be introduced into the pump pulse such that the white light seed is amplified in a broad spectral region.

Program Predicts Performance of Optical Parametric Oscillators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cross, Patricia L.; Bowers, Mark

2006-01-01

A computer program predicts the performances of solid-state lasers that operate at wavelengths from ultraviolet through mid-infrared and that comprise various combinations of stable and unstable resonators, optical parametric oscillators (OPOs), and sum-frequency generators (SFGs), including second-harmonic generators (SHGs). The input to the program describes the signal, idler, and pump beams; the SFG and OPO crystals; and the laser geometry. The program calculates the electric fields of the idler, pump, and output beams at three locations (inside the laser resonator, just outside the input mirror, and just outside the output mirror) as functions of time for the duration of the pump beam. For each beam, the electric field is used to calculate the fluence at the output mirror, plus summary parameters that include the centroid location, the radius of curvature of the wavefront leaving through the output mirror, the location and size of the beam waist, and a quantity known, variously, as a propagation constant or beam-quality factor. The program provides a typical Windows interface for entering data and selecting files. The program can include as many as six plot windows, each containing four graphs.

Upconversion of the mid-IR pulses to the near-IR in LiGaS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Kiyoshi; Umemura, Nobuhiro; Okamoto, Takuya; Petrov, Valentin

2018-02-01

This paper reports on the phase-matching properties of LiGaS2 for upconverting a Nd:YAG laser-pumped KTP and AgGaS2 optical parametric oscillator (OPO) at mid-IR to the near-IR by mixing with its pump source together with the new Sellmeier equations that provide a good reproduction of the present experimental results as well as the published data points of second-harmonic generation (SHG) and sum-frequency generation (SFG) of a CO2 laser, a Ti:Al2O3 laser-pumped optical parametric amplifier (OPA), and a Nd:YAG laser-pumped OPO in the mid-IR. This index formula gives the important information that group velocity mismatch (GVM) (Δsp = 1/υs - 1/υp) of LiGaS2 in the 4 - 11 μm range is 12 27 fs/mm lower than that of the widely used LiInS2, which makes it ideal for the upconversion of the mid-IR femtosecond pulses having large spectral bandwidths to the near-IR.

Tunable, continuous-wave, ultraviolet source based on intracavity sum-frequency-generation in an optical parametric oscillator using BiB₃O₆.

PubMed

Devi, Kavita; Kumar, S Chaitanya; Ebrahim-Zadeh, M

2013-10-21

We report a continuous-wave (cw) source of tunable radiation across 333-345 nm in the ultraviolet (UV) using bismuth triborate, BiB₃O₆ (BIBO) as the nonlinear gain material. The source is based on internal sum-frequency-generation (SFG) in a cw singly-resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped at 532 nm. The compact tunable source employs a 30-mm-long MgO:sPPLT crystal as the OPO gain medium and a 5-mm-long BIBO crystal for intracavity SFG of the signal and pump, providing up to 21.6 mW of UV power at 339.7 nm, with >15 mW over 64% of the SFG tuning range. The cw OPO is also tunable across 1158-1312 nm in the idler, delivering as much as 1.7 W at 1247 nm, with >1W over 65% of the tuning range. The UV output at maximum power exhibits passive power stability better than 3.4% rms and frequency stability of 193 GHz over more than one minute.

1.9 octave supercontinuum generation in a As₂S₃ step-index fiber driven by mid-IR OPCPA.

PubMed

Hudson, Darren D; Baudisch, Matthias; Werdehausen, Daniel; Eggleton, Benjamin J; Biegert, Jens

2014-10-01

Using a 3.1-μm optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier (OPCPA), we generate a supercontinuum in a step-index chalcogenide fiber that spans from 1.6 to 5.9 μm at the -20  dB points. The rugged step-index geometry allows for long-term operation, while the spectral bandwidth is limited by the transmission of the As2S3 fiber.

Quasi-phase-matched χ(3 )-parametric interactions in sinusoidally tapered waveguides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saleh, Mohammed F.

2018-01-01

In this article, I show how periodically tapered waveguides can be employed as efficient quasi-phase-matching schemes for four-wave mixing parametric processes in third-order nonlinear materials. As an example, a thorough study of enhancing third-harmonic generation in sinusoidally tapered fibers has been conducted. The quasi-phase-matching condition has been obtained for nonlinear parametric interactions in these structures using Fourier-series analysis. The dependencies of the conversion efficiency of the third harmonic on the modulation amplitude, tapering period, longitudinal-propagation direction, and pump wavelength have been studied. In comparison to uniform waveguides, the conversion efficiency has been enhanced by orders of magnitudes. I envisage that this work will have a great impact in the field of guided nonlinear optics using centrosymmetric materials.

NONLINEAR OPTICAL EFFECTS AND FIBER OPTICS: Use of an open resonator in a parametric free-electron laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alekseev, V. I.; Bessonov, Evgenii G.; Serov, Alexander V.

1988-12-01

Parametric free-electron lasers utilizing open resonators and beams consisting of a series of identical particle bunches are analyzed theoretically. It is shown that the use of a resonator in a parametric laser system can increase the radiation intensity and its monochromaticity.

Unbiased All-Optical Random-Number Generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinle, Tobias; Greiner, Johannes N.; Wrachtrup, Jörg; Giessen, Harald; Gerhardt, Ilja

2017-10-01

The generation of random bits is of enormous importance in modern information science. Cryptographic security is based on random numbers which require a physical process for their generation. This is commonly performed by hardware random-number generators. These often exhibit a number of problems, namely experimental bias, memory in the system, and other technical subtleties, which reduce the reliability in the entropy estimation. Further, the generated outcome has to be postprocessed to "iron out" such spurious effects. Here, we present a purely optical randomness generator, based on the bistable output of an optical parametric oscillator. Detector noise plays no role and postprocessing is reduced to a minimum. Upon entering the bistable regime, initially the resulting output phase depends on vacuum fluctuations. Later, the phase is rigidly locked and can be well determined versus a pulse train, which is derived from the pump laser. This delivers an ambiguity-free output, which is reliably detected and associated with a binary outcome. The resulting random bit stream resembles a perfect coin toss and passes all relevant randomness measures. The random nature of the generated binary outcome is furthermore confirmed by an analysis of resulting conditional entropies.

Nonlinear Wavefront Control with All-Dielectric Metasurfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Lei; Kruk, Sergey; Koshelev, Kirill

Metasurfaces, two-dimensional lattices of nanoscale resonators, offer unique opportunities for functional flat optics and allow the control of the transmission, reflection, and polarization of a wavefront of light. Recently, all-dielectric metasurfaces reached remarkable efficiencies, often matching or out-performing conventional optical elements. The exploitation of the nonlinear optical response of metasurfaces offers a paradigm shift in nonlinear optics, and dielectric nonlinear metasurfaces are expected to enrich subwavelength photonics by enhancing substantially nonlinear response of natural materials combined with the efficient control of the phase of nonlinear waves. Here, we suggest a novel and rather general approach for engineering the wavefront ofmore » parametric waves of arbitrary complexity generated by a nonlinear metasurface. We design all-dielectric nonlinear metasurfaces, achieve a highly efficient wavefront control of a third-harmonic field, and demonstrate the generation of nonlinear beams at a designed angle and the generation of nonlinear focusing vortex beams. Lastly, our nonlinear metasurfaces produce phase gradients over a full 0–2π phase range with a 92% diffraction efficiency.« less

Nonlinear Wavefront Control with All-Dielectric Metasurfaces.

PubMed

Wang, Lei; Kruk, Sergey; Koshelev, Kirill; Kravchenko, Ivan; Luther-Davies, Barry; Kivshar, Yuri

2018-06-13

Metasurfaces, two-dimensional lattices of nanoscale resonators, offer unique opportunities for functional flat optics and allow the control of the transmission, reflection, and polarization of a wavefront of light. Recently, all-dielectric metasurfaces reached remarkable efficiencies, often matching or out-performing conventional optical elements. The exploitation of the nonlinear optical response of metasurfaces offers a paradigm shift in nonlinear optics, and dielectric nonlinear metasurfaces are expected to enrich subwavelength photonics by enhancing substantially nonlinear response of natural materials combined with the efficient control of the phase of nonlinear waves. Here, we suggest a novel and rather general approach for engineering the wavefront of parametric waves of arbitrary complexity generated by a nonlinear metasurface. We design all-dielectric nonlinear metasurfaces, achieve a highly efficient wavefront control of a third-harmonic field, and demonstrate the generation of nonlinear beams at a designed angle and the generation of nonlinear focusing vortex beams. Our nonlinear metasurfaces produce phase gradients over a full 0-2π phase range with a 92% diffraction efficiency.

Nonlinear Wavefront Control with All-Dielectric Metasurfaces

DOE PAGES

Wang, Lei; Kruk, Sergey; Koshelev, Kirill; ...

2018-05-11

Metasurfaces, two-dimensional lattices of nanoscale resonators, offer unique opportunities for functional flat optics and allow the control of the transmission, reflection, and polarization of a wavefront of light. Recently, all-dielectric metasurfaces reached remarkable efficiencies, often matching or out-performing conventional optical elements. The exploitation of the nonlinear optical response of metasurfaces offers a paradigm shift in nonlinear optics, and dielectric nonlinear metasurfaces are expected to enrich subwavelength photonics by enhancing substantially nonlinear response of natural materials combined with the efficient control of the phase of nonlinear waves. Here, we suggest a novel and rather general approach for engineering the wavefront ofmore » parametric waves of arbitrary complexity generated by a nonlinear metasurface. We design all-dielectric nonlinear metasurfaces, achieve a highly efficient wavefront control of a third-harmonic field, and demonstrate the generation of nonlinear beams at a designed angle and the generation of nonlinear focusing vortex beams. Lastly, our nonlinear metasurfaces produce phase gradients over a full 0–2π phase range with a 92% diffraction efficiency.« less

Mid-infrared-to-mid-ultraviolet supercontinuum enhanced by third-to-fifteenth odd harmonics.

PubMed

Mitrofanov, A V; Voronin, A A; Mitryukovskiy, S I; Sidorov-Biryukov, D A; Pugžlys, A; Andriukaitis, G; Flöry, T; Stepanov, E A; Fedotov, A B; Baltuška, A; Zheltikov, A M

2015-05-01

A high-energy supercontinuum spanning 4.7 octaves, from 250 to 6500 nm, is generated using a 0.3-TW, 3.9-μm output of a mid-infrared optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier as a driver inducing a laser filament in the air. The high-frequency wing of the supercontinuum spectrum is enhanced by odd-order optical harmonics of the mid-infrared driver. Optical harmonics up to the 15th order are observed in supercontinuum spectra as overlapping, yet well-resolved peaks broadened, as verified by numerical modeling, due to spatially nonuniform ionization-induced blue shift.

Solid-state lasers for coherent communication and remote sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byer, Robert L.

1991-01-01

Work in the stabilization of monolithic Nd:YAG lasers and the application of these lasers to nonlinear optical frequency conversion is discussed. The intrinsic stability of semiconductor diode laser pumped solid state lasers has facilitated a number of demonstration in external resonant cavity harmonic generation and stable optical parametric oscillation. Relative laser frequency stabilization of 0.3 Hz was achieved, and absolute stability of a few hundred hertz is anticipated. The challenge is now to reproduce this frequency stability in the output of tunable nonlinear optical devices. Theoretical and experimental work toward this goal are continuing.

Ground and Airborne Methane Measurements Using Optical Parametric Amplifiers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Numata, Kenji; Riris, Haris; Li, Steve; Wu, Stewart; Kawa, Stephan R.; Abshire, James Brice; Dawsey, Martha; Ramanathan, Anand

2011-01-01

We report on ground and airborne methane measurements with an active sensing instrument using widely tunable, seeded optical parametric generation (OPG). The technique has been used to measure methane, CO2, water vapor, and other trace gases in the near and mid-infrared spectral regions. Methane is a strong greenhouse gas on Earth and it is also a potential biogenic marker on Mars and other planetary bodies. Methane in the Earth's atmosphere survives for a shorter time than CO2 but its impact on climate change can be larger than CO2. Carbon and methane emissions from land are expected to increase as permafrost melts exposing millennial-age carbon stocks to respiration (aerobic-CO2 and anaerobic-CH4) and fires. Methane emissions from c1athrates in the Arctic Ocean and on land are also likely to respond to climate warming. However, there is considerable uncertainty in present Arctic flux levels, as well as how fluxes will change with the changing environment. For Mars, methane measurements are of great interest because of its potential as a strong biogenic marker. A remote sensing instrument that can measure day and night over all seasons and latitudes can localize sources of biogenic gas plumes produced by subsurface chemistry or biology, and aid in the search for extra-terrestrial life. In this paper we report on remote sensing measurements of methane using a high peak power, widely tunable optical parametric generator (OPG) operating at 3.3 micrometers and 1.65 micrometers. We have demonstrated detection of methane at 3.3 micrometers and 1650 nanometers in an open path and compared them to accepted standards. We also report on preliminary airborne demonstration of methane measurements at 1.65 micrometers.

Distribution of continuous variable quantum entanglement at a telecommunication wavelength over 20  km of optical fiber.

PubMed

Feng, Jinxia; Wan, Zhenju; Li, Yuanji; Zhang, Kuanshou

2017-09-01

The distribution of continuous variable (CV) Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR)-entangled beams at a telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm over single-mode fibers is investigated. EPR-entangled beams with quantum entanglement of 8.3 dB are generated using a single nondegenerate optical parametric amplifier based on a type-II periodically poled KTiOPO 4 crystal. When one beam of the generated EPR-entangled beams is distributed over 20 km of single-mode fiber, 1.02 dB quantum entanglement can still be measured. The degradation of CV quantum entanglement in a noisy fiber channel is theoretically analyzed considering the effect of depolarized guided acoustic wave Brillouin scattering in optical fibers. The theoretical prediction is in good agreement with the experimental results.

Cascaded second-order processes for the efficient generation of narrowband terahertz radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cirmi, Giovanni; Hemmer, Michael; Ravi, Koustuban; Reichert, Fabian; Zapata, Luis E.; Calendron, Anne-Laure; Çankaya, Hüseyin; Ahr, Frederike; Mücke, Oliver D.; Matlis, Nicholas H.; Kärtner, Franz X.

2017-02-01

The generation of high-energy narrowband terahertz radiation has gained heightened importance in recent years due to its potentially transformative impact on spectroscopy, high-resolution radar and more recently electron acceleration. Among various applications, such terahertz radiation is particularly important for table-top free electron lasers, which are at the moment a subject of extensive research. Second-order nonlinear optical methods are among the most promising techniques to achieve the required coherent radiation with energy > 10 mJ, peak field > 100 MV m-1, and frequency between 0.1 and 1 THz. However, they are conventionally thought to suffer from low efficiencies < ˜10-3, due to the high ratio between optical and terahertz photon energies, in what is known as the Manley-Rowe limitation. In this paper, we review the current second-order nonlinear optical methods for the generation of narrowband terahertz radiation. We explain how to employ spectral cascading to increase the efficiency beyond the Manley-Rowe limit and describe the first experimental results in the direction of a terahertz-cascaded optical parametric amplifier, a novel technique which promises to fully exploit spectral cascading to generate narrowband terahertz radiation with few percent optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiency.

Mathematical model of optical signals emitted by electrical discharges occuring in electroinsulating oil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozioł, Michał

2017-10-01

The article presents a parametric model describing the registered distributions spectrum of optical radiation emitted by electrical discharges generated in the systems: the needle- needle, the needleplate and in the system for surface discharges. Generation of electrical discharges and registration of the emitted radiation was carried out in three different electrical insulating oils: fabric new, operated (used) and operated with air bubbles. For registration of optical spectra in the range of ultraviolet, visible and near infrared a high resolution spectrophotometer was. The proposed mathematical model was developed in a regression procedure using gauss-sigmoid type function. The dependent variable was the intensity of the recorded optical signals. In order to estimate the optimal parameters of the model an evolutionary algorithm was used. The optimization procedure was performed in Matlab environment. For determination of the matching quality of theoretical parameters of the regression function to the empirical data determination coefficient R2 was applied.

Inverse four-wave-mixing and self-parametric amplification effect in optical fibre

PubMed Central

Turitsyn, Sergei K.; Bednyakova, Anastasia E.; Fedoruk, Mikhail P.; Papernyi, Serguei B.; Clements, Wallace R.L.

2015-01-01

An important group of nonlinear processes in optical fibre involves the mixing of four waves due to the intensity dependence of the refractive index. It is customary to distinguish between nonlinear effects that require external/pumping waves (cross-phase modulation and parametric processes such as four-wave mixing) and self-action of the propagating optical field (self-phase modulation and modulation instability). Here, we present a new nonlinear self-action effect, self-parametric amplification (SPA), which manifests itself as optical spectrum narrowing in normal dispersion fibre, leading to very stable propagation with a distinctive spectral distribution. The narrowing results from an inverse four-wave mixing, resembling an effective parametric amplification of the central part of the spectrum by energy transfer from the spectral tails. SPA and the observed stable nonlinear spectral propagation with random temporal waveform can find applications in optical communications and high power fibre lasers with nonlinear intra-cavity dynamics. PMID:26345290

Note: Pulsed single longitudinal mode optical parametric oscillator for sub-Doppler spectroscopy of jet cooled transient species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Qiang; Zhu, Boxing; Zhang, Deping; Gu, Jingwang; Zhao, Dongfeng; Chen, Yang

2017-12-01

We present a pulsed single longitudinal mode optical parametric oscillator that was recently constructed for sub-Doppler spectroscopic studies of transient species in a supersonic slit jet expansion environment. The system consists of a Littman-type grazing-incidence-grating resonator and a KTP crystal and is pumped at 532 nm. By spatially filtering the pump laser beam and employing an active cavity-length-stabilization scheme, a frequency down-conversion efficiency up to 18% and generation of Fourier-transform limited pulses with a typical pulse duration of ˜5.5 ns and a bandwidth less than 120 MHz have been achieved. In combination with a slit jet expansion, a sub-Doppler spectrum of SiC2 has been recorded at ˜498 nm, showing a spectral resolution of Δν/ν ≈ 6.2 × 10-7.

Toward a compact fibered squeezing parametric source.

PubMed

Brieussel, Alexandre; Ott, Konstantin; Joos, Maxime; Treps, Nicolas; Fabre, Claude

2018-03-15

In this work, we investigate three different compact fibered systems generating vacuum squeezing that involve optical cavities limited by the end surface of a fiber and by a curved mirror and containing a thin parametric crystal. These systems have the advantage to couple squeezed states directly to a fiber, allowing the user to benefit from the flexibility of fibers in the use of squeezing. Three types of fibers are investigated: standard single-mode fibers, photonic-crystal large-mode-area single-mode fibers, and short multimode fibers taped to a single-mode fiber. The observed squeezing is modest (-0.56  dB, -0.9  dB, -1  dB), but these experiments open the way for miniaturized squeezing devices that could be a very interesting advantage in scaling up quantum systems for quantum processing, opening new perspectives in the domain of integrated quantum optics.

Two-crystal mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator for absorption and dispersion dual-comb spectroscopy.

PubMed

Jin, Yuwei; Cristescu, Simona M; Harren, Frans J M; Mandon, Julien

2014-06-01

We present a femtosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO) containing two magnesium-doped periodically poled lithium niobate crystals in a singly resonant ring cavity, pumped by two mode-locked Yb-fiber lasers. As such, the OPO generates two idler combs (up to 220 mW), covering a wavelength range from 2.7 to 4.2 μm, from which a mid-infrared dual-comb Fourier transform spectrometer is constructed. By detecting the heterodyning signal between the two idler beams a full broadband spectrum of a molecular gas can be observed over 250  cm(-1) within 70 μs with a spectral resolution of 15 GHz. The absorption and dispersion spectra of acetylene and methane have been measured around 3000  cm(-1), indicating that this OPO represents an ideal broadband mid-infrared source for fast chemical sensing.

Widely tunable eye-safe laser by a passively Q-switched photonic crystal fiber laser and an external-cavity optical parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, H. L.; Zhuang, W. Z.; Huang, W. C.; Huang, J. Y.; Huang, K. F.; Chen, Y. F.

2011-09-01

We report on a widely tunable passively Q-switched photonic crystal fiber (PCF) laser with wavelength tuning range up to 80 nm. The PCF laser utilizes an AlGaInAs quantum well/barrier structure as a saturable absorber and incorporates an external-cavity optical parametric oscillator (OPO) to achieve wavelength conversion. Under a pump power of 13.1 W at 976 nm, the PCF laser generated 1029-nm radiation with maximum output energy of 750 μJ and was incident into an external-cavity OPO. The output energy and peak power of signal wave was found to be 138 μJ and 19 kW, respectively. By tuning the temperature of nonlinear crystal, periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN), in the OPO, the signal wavelength in eye-safe regime from 1513 to 1593 nm was obtained.

520-µJ mid-infrared femtosecond laser at 2.8 µm by 1-kHz KTA optical parametric amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Huijun; Wang, Zhaohua; Hu, Chenyang; Jiang, Jianwang; Qin, Shuang; He, Peng; Zhang, Ninghua; Yang, Peilong; Li, Zhiyuan; Wei, Zhiyi

2018-02-01

We report on a 520-µJ, 1-kHz mid-infrared femtosecond optical parametric amplifier system driven by a Ti:sapphire laser system. The seeding signal was generated from white-light continuum in YAG plate and then amplified in four non-collinear amplification stages and the idler was obtained in the last stage with central wavelength at 2.8 µm and bandwidth of 525 nm. To maximize the bandwidth of the idler, a theoretical method was developed to give an optimum non-collinear angle and estimate the conversion efficiency and output spectrum. As an experimental result, laser pulse energy up to 1.8 mJ for signal wave and 520 µJ for idler wave were obtained in the last stage under 10-mJ pump energy, corresponding to a pump-to-idler conversion efficiency of 5.2%, which meets well with the numerical calculation.

A fiber laser pumped dual-wavelength mid-infrared laser based on optical parametric oscillation and intracavity difference frequency generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Peng; Shang, Yaping; Li, Xiao; Shen, Meili; Xu, Xiaojun

2017-02-01

We report a dual-wavelength mid-infrared laser based on intracavity difference frequency generation (DFG) in an MgO-doped periodically poled LiNbO3, which was pumped by a dual-wavelength fiber MOPA consisting of two parts: a dual-wavelength seed and a power amplifier. The maximum pump power was 74.1 W and the wavelengths were 1060 nm and 1090 nm. The wavelengths of the mid-infrared output were 3.1 µm and 3.4 µm under maximum pump power with a total idler power of 6.57 W. The corresponding pump-to-idler slope efficiency reached 12%. The contrast for the peak intensity of the emissions for the two idlers was 0.6. A power preamplifier was added in a further experiment to enhance the contrast. The idler output reached 4.45 W under the maximum pump power of 70 W, which was lower than before. However, the contrast for the idler emission peak intensity was increased to 1.18. The signal wave generated in the experiment only had a single wavelength around 1.6 µm, indicating that two kinds of nonlinear processes occurred in the experiment, namely optical parametric oscillation and intracavity DFG.

Subharmonics, chaos and beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adler, Laszlo; Yost, William T.; Cantrell, John H.

2012-05-01

While studying finite amplitude ultrasonic wave resonance in a one dimensional liquid-filled cavity formed by a narrow band transducer and a plane reflector, subharmonics of the driver's frequency were observed (1,2) in addition to the expected harmonic structure. Subsequently, it was realized that the system was one of the many examples of parametric resonance in which the observed subharmonics are parametrically generated. The generation mechanism also requires a sufficiently high threshold value of the driving amplitude so that the system becomes increasingly nonlinear in response. The nonlinear features were recently investigated and are the focus of this paper. An ultrasonic interferometer with optical precision was built. The transducers were compressional, undamped quartz and Lithium Niobate crystals ranging from 1-10 MHz, driven by a high power amplifier. Both an optical diffraction system and a receiver transducer attached to an aligned reflector were used to observe the generated frequency components in the cavity. There are at least 5 regions of excitation that were identified. It is shown that from a region of oscillation stability into an unstable region leads to a cascade of bifurcations (subharmonics) culminating in chaotic oscillations. A further increase in the amplitude results in a reversion of the chaos into a second region of stability. A first-principle based explanation of the experimental findings is presented.

Three-wave interaction solitons in optical parametric amplification.

PubMed

Ibragimov, E; Struthers, A A; Kaup, D J; Khaydarov, J D; Singer, K D

1999-05-01

This paper applies three-wave interaction (TWI)-soliton theory to optical parametric amplification when the signal, idler, and pump wave can all contain TWI solitons. We use an analogy between two different velocity regimes to compare the theory with output from an experimental synchronously pumped optical parametric amplifier. The theory explains the observed inability to compress the intermediate group-velocity wave and 20-fold pulse compression in this experiment. The theory and supporting numerics show that one can effectively control the shape and energy of the optical pulses by shifting the TWI solitons in the pulses.

Manipulating and probing angular momentum and quantized circulation in optical fields and matter waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowney, Joseph Daniel

Methods to generate, manipulate, and measure optical and atomic fields with global or local angular momentum have a wide range of applications in both fundamental physics research and technology development. In optics, the engineering of angular momentum states of light can aid studies of orbital angular momentum (OAM) exchange between light and matter. The engineering of optical angular momentum states can also be used to increase the bandwidth of optical communications or serve as a means to distribute quantum keys, for example. Similar capabilities in Bose-Einstein condensates are being investigated to improve our understanding of superfluid dynamics, superconductivity, and turbulence, the last of which is widely considered to be one of most ubiquitous yet poorly understood subjects in physics. The first part of this two-part dissertation presents an analysis of techniques for measuring and manipulating quantized vortices in BECs. The second part of this dissertation presents theoretical and numerical analyses of new methods to engineer the OAM spectra of optical beams. The superfluid dynamics of a BEC are often well described by a nonlinear Schrodinger equation. The nonlinearity arises from interatomic scattering and enables BECs to support quantized vortices, which have quantized circulation and are fundamental structural elements of quantum turbulence. With the experimental tools to dynamically manipulate and measure quantized vortices, BECs are proving to be a useful medium for testing the theoretical predictions of quantum turbulence. In this dissertation we analyze a method for making minimally destructive in situ observations of quantized vortices in a BEC. Secondly, we numerically study a mechanism to imprint vortex dipoles in a BEC. With these advancements, more robust experiments of vortex dynamics and quantum turbulence will be within reach. A more complete understanding of quantum turbulence will enable principles of microscopic fluid flow to be related to the statistical properties of turbulence in a superfluid. In the second part of this dissertation we explore frequency mixing, a subset of nonlinear optical processes in which one or more input optical beam(s) are converted into one or more output beams with different optical frequencies. The ability of parametric nonlinear processes such as second harmonic generation or parametric amplification to manipulate the OAM spectra of optical beams is an active area of research. In a theoretical and numerical investigation, two complimentary methods for sculpting the OAM spectra are developed. The first method employs second harmonic generation with two non-collinear input beams to develop a broad spectrum of OAM states in an optical field. The second method utilizes parametric amplification with collinear input beams to develop an OAM-dependent gain or attenuation, termed dichroism for OAM, to effectively narrow the OAM spectrum of an optical beam. The theoretical principles developed in this dissertation enhance our understanding of how nonlinear processes can be used to engineer the OAM spectra of optical beams and could serve as methods to increase the bandwidth of an optical signal by multiplexing over a range of OAM states.

Order parameter description of walk-off effect on pattern selection in degenerate optical parametric oscillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taki, Majid; San Miguel, Maxi; Santagiustina, Marco

2000-02-01

Degenerate optical parametric oscillators can exhibit both uniformly translating fronts and nonuniformly translating envelope fronts under the walk-off effect. The nonlinear dynamics near threshold is shown to be described by a real convective Swift-Hohenberg equation, which provides the main characteristics of the walk-off effect on pattern selection. The predictions of the selected wave vector and the absolute instability threshold are in very good quantitative agreement with numerical solutions found from the equations describing the optical parametric oscillator.

Conditionally prepared photon and quantum imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lvovsky, Alexander I.; Aichele, Thomas

2004-10-01

We discuss a classical model allowing one to visualize and characterize the optical mode of the single photon generated by means of a conditional measurement on a biphoton produced in parametric down-conversion. The model is based on Klyshko's advanced wave interpretation, but extends beyond it, providing a precise mathematical description of the advanced wave. The optical mode of the conditional photon is shown to be identical to the mode of the classical difference-frequency field generated due to nonlinear interaction of the partially coherent advanced wave with the pump pulse. With this "nonlinear advanced wave model" most coherence properties of the conditional photon become manifest, which permits one to intuitively understand many recent results, in particular, in quantum imaging.

From SHG to mid-infrared SPDC generation in strained silicon waveguides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castellan, Claudio; Trenti, Alessandro; Mancinelli, Mattia; Marchesini, Alessandro; Ghulinyan, Mher; Pucker, Georg; Pavesi, Lorenzo

2017-08-01

The centrosymmetric crystalline structure of Silicon inhibits second order nonlinear optical processes in this material. We report here that, by breaking the silicon symmetry with a stressing silicon nitride over-layer, Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) is obtained in suitably designed waveguides where multi-modal phase-matching is achieved. The modeling of the generated signal provides an effective strain-induced second order nonlinear coefficient of χ(2) = (0.30 +/- 0.02) pm/V. Our work opens also interesting perspectives on the reverse process, the Spontaneous Parametric Down Conversion (SPDC), through which it is possible to generate mid-infrared entangled photon pairs.

Ultra-broadband tunable (0.67-2.57 µm) optical vortex parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araki, Shungo; Suzuki, Kensuke; Nishida, Shigeki; Mamuti, Roukuya; Miyamoto, Katsuhiko; Omatsu, Takashige

2017-10-01

We demonstrate an ultra-broadband (>2-octave band) tunable optical vortex laser comprising an optical-vortex-pumped optical parametric oscillator by employing a nanosecond pulse (˜10 ns) green laser and cascaded non-critical phase-matching LiB3O5 crystals (45 mm long each). With this system, an optical vortex output was produced over an extremely wide wavelength range of 0.67-2.57 µm.

Integrated source of tunable nonmaximally mode-entangled photons in a domain-engineered lithium niobate waveguide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ming, Yang; Wu, Zi-jian; Xu, Fei, E-mail: feixu@nju.edu.cn

The nonmaximally entangled state is a special kind of entangled state, which has important applications in quantum information processing. It has been generated in quantum circuits based on bulk optical elements. However, corresponding schemes in integrated quantum circuits have been rarely considered. In this Letter, we propose an effective solution for this problem. An electro-optically tunable nonmaximally mode-entangled photon state is generated in an on-chip domain-engineered lithium niobate (LN) waveguide. Spontaneous parametric down-conversion and electro-optic interaction are effectively combined through suitable domain design to transform the entangled state into our desired formation. Moreover, this is a flexible approach to entanglementmore » architectures. Other kinds of reconfigurable entanglements are also achievable through this method. LN provides a very promising platform for future quantum circuit integration.« less

The generation of a tunable laser emission in the vacuum ultraviolet and its application to supersonic jet/multiphoton ionization mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uchimura, Tomohiro; Onoda, Takayuki; Lin, Cheng-Huang; Imasaka, Totaro

1999-08-01

An optical parametric oscillator and a Ti:sapphire laser are used as a pump source for the generation of high-order vibrational stimulated Raman emission in the vacuum ultraviolet region. This tunable laser is employed as an excitation/ionization source in a supersonic jet/multiphoton ionization/time-of-flight mass spectrometric study of benzene. The merits and potential advantages of this approach are discussed in this study.

Raman-Suppressing Coupling for Optical Parametric Oscillator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Savchenkov, Anatoliy; Maleki, Lute; Matsko, Andrey; Rubiola, Enrico

2007-01-01

A Raman-scattering-suppressing input/ output coupling scheme has been devised for a whispering-gallery-mode optical resonator that is used as a four-wave-mixing device to effect an all-optical parametric oscillator. Raman scattering is undesired in such a device because (1) it is a nonlinear process that competes with the desired nonlinear four-wave conversion process involved in optical parametric oscillation and (2) as such, it reduces the power of the desired oscillation and contributes to output noise. The essence of the present input/output coupling scheme is to reduce output loading of the desired resonator modes while increasing output loading of the undesired ones.

13.5 nm High Harmonic Generation Driven by a Visible Noncollinear Optical Parametric Amplifier

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-11

compressed through a CaF2 prism pair at Brewster angle , and directed to the second OPA stage after a periscope flipping its polarization. The 90% part of...FWHM pulse duration. HHG setup The OPA pulses are sent into a vacuum chamber and focused in an Argon ( lens focal length 150 mm) or Helium (focal

Active locking and entanglement in type II optical parametric oscillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz-Rivas, Joaquín; de Valcárcel, Germán J.; Navarrete-Benlloch, Carlos

2018-02-01

Type II optical parametric oscillators are amongst the highest-quality sources of quantum-correlated light. In particular, when pumped above threshold, such devices generate a pair of bright orthogonally-polarized beams with strong continuous-variable entanglement. However, these sources are of limited practical use, because the entangled beams emerge with different frequencies and a diffusing phase difference. It has been proven that the use of an internal wave-plate coupling the modes with orthogonal polarization is capable of locking the frequencies of the emerging beams to half the pump frequency, as well as reducing the phase-difference diffusion, at the expense of reducing the entanglement levels. In this work we characterize theoretically an alternative locking mechanism: the injection of a laser at half the pump frequency. Apart from being less invasive, this method should allow for an easier real-time experimental control. We show that such an injection is capable of generating the desired phase locking between the emerging beams, while still allowing for large levels of entanglement. Moreover, we find an additional region of the parameter space (at relatively large injections) where a mode with well defined polarization is in a highly amplitude-squeezed state.

High-power, continuous-wave, mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator based on MgO:sPPLT.

PubMed

Chaitanya Kumar, S; Ebrahim-Zadeh, M

2011-07-01

We report a stable, high-power, cw, mid-IR optical parametric oscillator using MgO-doped stoichiometric periodically poled LiTaO₃ (MgO:sPPLT) pumped by a Yb fiber laser at 1064 nm. The singly resonant oscillator (SRO), based on a 30 mm long crystal, is tunable over 430 nm from 3032 to 3462 nm and can generate as much as 5.5 W of mid-IR output power, with >4 W of over 60% of the tuning range and under reduced thermal effects, enabling room temperature operation. Idler power scaling measurements at ~3.3 μm are compared with an MgO-doped periodically poled LiNbO₃ cw SRO, confirming that MgO:sPPLT is an attractive material for multiwatt mid-IR generation. The idler output at 3299 nm exhibits a peak-to-peak power stability better than 12.8% over 5 h and frequency stability of ~1 GHz, while operating close to room temperature, and has a linewidth of ~0.2 nm, limited by the resolution of the wavemeter. The corresponding signal linewidth at 1570 nm is ~21 MHz.

OPCPA front end and contrast optimization for the OMEGA EP kilojoule, picosecond laser

DOE PAGES

Dorrer, C.; Consentino, A.; Irwin, D.; ...

2015-09-01

OMEGA EP is a large-scale laser system that combines optical parametric amplification and solid-state laser amplification on two beamlines to deliver high-intensity, high-energy optical pulses. The temporal contrast of the output pulse is limited by the front-end parametric fluorescence and other features that are specific to parametric amplification. The impact of the two-crystal parametric preamplifier, pump-intensity noise, and pump-signal timing is experimentally studied. The implementation of a parametric amplifier pumped by a short pump pulse before stretching, further amplification, and recompression to enhance the temporal contrast of the high-energy short pulse is described.

Four-wave mixing parametric oscillation and frequency comb generation at visible wavelengths in a silica microbubble resonator.

PubMed

Yang, Yong; Jiang, Xuefeng; Kasumie, Sho; Zhao, Guangming; Xu, Linhua; Ward, Jonathan M; Yang, Lan; Chormaic, Síle Nic

2016-11-15

Frequency comb generation in microresonators at visible wavelengths has found applications in a variety of areas such as metrology, sensing, and imaging. To achieve Kerr combs based on four-wave mixing in a microresonator, dispersion must be in the anomalous regime. In this Letter, we demonstrate dispersion engineering in a microbubble resonator (MBR) fabricated by a two-CO₂ laser beam technique. By decreasing the wall thickness of the MBR to 1.4 μm, the zero dispersion wavelength shifts to values shorter than 764 nm, making phase matching possible around 765 nm. With the optical Q-factor of the MBR modes being greater than 10⁷, four-wave mixing is observed at 765 nm for a pump power of 3 mW. By increasing the pump power, parametric oscillation is achieved, and a frequency comb with 14 comb lines is generated at visible wavelengths.

Scaling submillimeter single-cycle transients toward megavolts per centimeter field strength via optical rectification in the organic crystal OH1.

PubMed

Ruchert, Clemens; Vicario, Carlo; Hauri, Christoph P

2012-03-01

We present the generation of high-power single-cycle terahertz (THz) pulses in the organic salt crystal 2-[3-(4-hydroxystyryl)-5.5-dimethylcyclohex-2-enylidene]malononitrile or OH1. Broadband THz radiation with a central frequency of 1.5 THz (λ(c)=200 μm) and high electric field strength of 440 kV/cm is produced by optical rectification driven by the signal of a powerful femtosecond optical parametric amplifier. A 1.5% pump to THz energy conversion efficiency is reported, and pulse energy stability better than 1% RMS is achieved. An approach toward the realization of higher field strength is discussed. © 2012 Optical Society of America

The Dual Wavelength UV Transmitter Development for Space Based Ozone DIAL Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prasad, Narasimha S.

2008-01-01

The objective of this research is to develop efficient 1-micron to UV wavelength conversion technology to generate tunable, single mode, pulsed UV wavelengths of 320 nm and 308 nm. The 532 nm wavelength radiation is generated by a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser through second harmonic generation. The 532 nm pumps an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) to generate 803 nm. The 320 nm is generated by sum frequency generation (SFG) of 532 nm and 803 nm wavelengths The hardware consists of a conductively cooled, 1 J/pulse, single mode Nd:YAG pump laser coupled to an efficient RISTRA OPO and SFG assembly-Both intra and extra-cavity approaches are examined for efficiency.

Ultrabright continuously tunable terahertz-wave generation at room temperature

PubMed Central

Hayashi, Shin'ichiro; Nawata, Kouji; Taira, Takunori; Shikata, Jun-ichi; Kawase, Kodo; Minamide, Hiroaki

2014-01-01

The hottest frequency region in terms of research currently lies in the ‘frequency gap' region between microwaves and infrared: terahertz waves. Although new methods for generating terahertz radiation have been developed, most sources cannot generate high-brightness terahertz beams. Here we demonstrate the generation of ultrabright terahertz waves (brightness ~0.2 GW/sr·cm2, brightness temperature of ~1018 K, peak power of >50 kW) using parametric wavelength conversion in a nonlinear crystal; this is brighter than many specialized sources such as far-infrared free-electron lasers (~1016 K, ~2 kW). We revealed novel parametric wavelength conversion using stimulated Raman scattering in LiNbO3 without stimulated Brillouin scattering using recently-developed microchip laser. Furthermore, nonlinear up-conversion techniques allow the intense terahertz waves to be visualized and their frequency determined. These results are very promising for extending applied research into the terahertz region, and we expect that this source will open up new research fields such as nonlinear optics in the terahertz region. PMID:24898269

Ultrabright continuously tunable terahertz-wave generation at room temperature.

PubMed

Hayashi, Shin'ichiro; Nawata, Kouji; Taira, Takunori; Shikata, Jun-ichi; Kawase, Kodo; Minamide, Hiroaki

2014-06-05

The hottest frequency region in terms of research currently lies in the 'frequency gap' region between microwaves and infrared: terahertz waves. Although new methods for generating terahertz radiation have been developed, most sources cannot generate high-brightness terahertz beams. Here we demonstrate the generation of ultrabright terahertz waves (brightness ~0.2 GW/sr·cm(2), brightness temperature of ~10(18) K, peak power of >50 kW) using parametric wavelength conversion in a nonlinear crystal; this is brighter than many specialized sources such as far-infrared free-electron lasers (~10(16) K, ~2 kW). We revealed novel parametric wavelength conversion using stimulated Raman scattering in LiNbO3 without stimulated Brillouin scattering using recently-developed microchip laser. Furthermore, nonlinear up-conversion techniques allow the intense terahertz waves to be visualized and their frequency determined. These results are very promising for extending applied research into the terahertz region, and we expect that this source will open up new research fields such as nonlinear optics in the terahertz region.

Nonlinear Mixing of Optical Vortices with Fractional Topological Charges in Raman Sideband Generation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strohaber, James; Boran, Yakup; Sayrac, Muhammed; Johnson, Lewis; Zhu, Feng; Kolomenskii, Alexandre; Schuessler, Hans

We studied the nonlinear parametric interaction of femtosecond fractionally-charged optical vortices in a Raman-active medium. Propagation of such beams is described using the Kirchhoff-Fresnel integrals by embedding a non-integer 2pi phase step in a Gaussian beam profile. When using fractionally-charged pump or Stokes beams, we observed the production of new topological charge and phase discontinuities in the Raman field. These newly generated fractionally-charged Raman vortex beams were found to follow the same orbital angular momentum algebra derived by for integer vortex beams. This work was funded by the Robert A. Welch Foundation, Grant No. A1546 and the Qatar Foundation under Grants No. NPRP 6-465-1-091.

Quantum Lidar - Remote Sensing at the Ultimate Limit

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-01

of Lossy Propaga- tion of Non-Classical Dual-Mode Entangled Photon States 57 34 Decay of Coherence for a N00N State (N=10) as a Function of...resolution could be beaten by exploiting entangled photons [Boto2000, Kok2001]. This effect is now universally known as quantum super-resolution. We...spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC), optical parametric amplifier (OPA), optical parametric oscillator (OPO), and entangled - photon Laser (EPL

Compact high-power red-green-blue laser light source generation from a single lithium tantalate with cascaded domain modulation.

PubMed

Xu, P; Zhao, L N; Lv, X J; Lu, J; Yuan, Y; Zhao, G; Zhu, S N

2009-06-08

1W quasi-white-light source has been generated from a single lithium tantalate with cascaded domain modulation. The quasi-white-light is combined by proper proportion of the red, green and blue laser light. The red and the blue result from a compact self-sum frequency optical parametric oscillation when pumped by a single green laser. The efficiency of quasi-white-light from the green pump reaches 27%. This compact design can be employed not only as a stable and powerful RGB light source but also an effective blue laser generator.

Generation of Nonclassical Biphoton States through Cascaded Quantum Walks on a Nonlinear Chip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solntsev, Alexander S.; Setzpfandt, Frank; Clark, Alex S.; Wu, Che Wen; Collins, Matthew J.; Xiong, Chunle; Schreiber, Andreas; Katzschmann, Fabian; Eilenberger, Falk; Schiek, Roland; Sohler, Wolfgang; Mitchell, Arnan; Silberhorn, Christine; Eggleton, Benjamin J.; Pertsch, Thomas; Sukhorukov, Andrey A.; Neshev, Dragomir N.; Kivshar, Yuri S.

2014-07-01

We demonstrate a nonlinear optical chip that generates photons with reconfigurable nonclassical spatial correlations. We employ a quadratic nonlinear waveguide array, where photon pairs are generated through spontaneous parametric down-conversion and simultaneously spread through quantum walks between the waveguides. Because of the quantum interference of these cascaded quantum walks, the emerging photons can become entangled over multiple waveguide positions. We experimentally observe highly nonclassical photon-pair correlations, confirming the high fidelity of on-chip quantum interference. Furthermore, we demonstrate biphoton-state tunability by spatial shaping and frequency tuning of the classical pump beam.

Optical Parametric Amplification of Single Photon: Statistical Properties and Quantum Interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xue-Xiang; Yuan, Hong-Chun

2014-05-01

By using phase space method, we theoretically investigate the quantum statistical properties and quantum interference of optical parametric amplification of single photon. The statistical properties, such as the Wigner function (WF), average photon number, photon number distribution and parity, are derived analytically for the fields of the two output ports. The results indicate that the fields in the output ports are multiphoton states rather than single photon state due to the amplification of the optical parametric amplifiers (OPA). In addition, the phase sensitivity is also examined by using the detection scheme of parity measurement.

Physical Approaches to Designing a Two-Cascade Terahertz Laser Generating Difference-Frequency Radiation in a Nonlinear Optical ZnGeP2 Crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gribenyukov, A. I.; Dyomin, V. V.; Polovtsev, I. G.; Yudin, N. N.

2018-03-01

An optical layout of a two-cascade frequency converter of the mid-IR laser radiation into the terahertz (THz) radiation is proposed. In the first stage it is assumed to convert the Tm:YLF-laser frequency in a Cr+2:ZnSe polycrystal into the radiation with the wavelength 2-3 μm. The second cascade can be presented as a parametric conversion of the frequencies of two laser sources operating in the 2-3 μm range into the THz radiation via the difference-frequency mixing in a nonlinear optical ZnGeP2 crystal. The estimates of the terahertz output signal are reported.

Ultrafast spectroscopy of coherent phonon in carbon nanotubes using sub-5-fs visible pulses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kobayashi, Takayoshi; JST, CREST, 5 Sanbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0075 Japan; Department of Electrophysics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan

2016-02-01

In the last two decades, nano materials are attracting many scientists’ interest for both basic and application viewpoints. In order to understand the properties of nano systems it is needed to understand the dynamic properties which control the specific properties of the systems. All the primary processes in nano systems are taking place in femtosecond regime. Our group has been able to stably generate visible to near-infrared sub-5-fs laser pulses using a noncollinear optical parametric amplifier (NOPA) by the combination of various novel techniques including non-collinear optical parametric amplifier, pulse compression by a prism pair and grating pair. We applymore » the sub-5-fs pulses to study real-time coherent phonon in a one-dimensional system of carbon nanotubes. We determine exciton-phonon coupling mechanisms by observing the breathing mode in semiconducting carbon nanotubes and show the effect of electronic transition affected by the vibrational mode.« less

Measurement of the photon statistics and the noise figure of a fiber-optic parametric amplifier.

PubMed

Voss, Paul L; Tang, Renyong; Kumar, Prem

2003-04-01

We report measurement of the noise statistics of spontaneous parametric fluorescence in a fiber parametric amplifier with single-mode, single-photon resolution. We employ optical homodyne tomography for this purpose, which also provides a self-calibrating measurement of the noise figure of the amplifier. The measured photon statistics agree with quantum-mechanical predictions, and the amplifier's noise figure is found to be almost quantum limited.

Pushing the limits of CMOS optical parametric amplifiers with USRN:Si7N3 above the two-photon absorption edge

PubMed Central

Ooi, K. J. A.; Ng, D. K. T.; Wang, T.; Chee, A. K. L.; Ng, S. K.; Wang, Q.; Ang, L. K.; Agarwal, A. M.; Kimerling, L. C.; Tan, D. T. H.

2017-01-01

CMOS platforms operating at the telecommunications wavelength either reside within the highly dissipative two-photon regime in silicon-based optical devices, or possess small nonlinearities. Bandgap engineering of non-stoichiometric silicon nitride using state-of-the-art fabrication techniques has led to our development of USRN (ultra-silicon-rich nitride) in the form of Si7N3, that possesses a high Kerr nonlinearity (2.8 × 10−13 cm2 W−1), an order of magnitude larger than that in stoichiometric silicon nitride. Here we experimentally demonstrate high-gain optical parametric amplification using USRN, which is compositionally tailored such that the 1,550 nm wavelength resides above the two-photon absorption edge, while still possessing large nonlinearities. Optical parametric gain of 42.5 dB, as well as cascaded four-wave mixing with gain down to the third idler is observed and attributed to the high photon efficiency achieved through operating above the two-photon absorption edge, representing one of the largest optical parametric gains to date on a CMOS platform. PMID:28051064

Wide range operation of regenerative optical parametric wavelength converter using ASE-degraded 43-Gb/s RZ-DPSK signals.

PubMed

Gao, Mingyi; Kurumida, Junya; Namiki, Shu

2011-11-07

For sustainable growth of the Internet, wavelength-tunable optical regeneration is the key to scaling up high energy-efficiency dynamic optical path networks while keeping the flexibility of the network. Wavelength-tunable optical parametric regenerator (T-OPR) based on the gain saturation effect of parametric amplification in a highly nonlinear fiber is promising for noise reduction in phase-shift keying signals. In this paper, we experimentally evaluated the T-OPR performance for ASE-degraded 43-Gb/s RZ-DPSK signals over a 20-nm input wavelength range between 1527 nm and 1547 nm. As a result, we achieved improved power penalty performance for the regenerated idler with a proper pump power range.

Controlling quantum interference in phase space with amplitude.

PubMed

Xue, Yinghong; Li, Tingyu; Kasai, Katsuyuki; Okada-Shudo, Yoshiko; Watanabe, Masayoshi; Zhang, Yun

2017-05-23

We experimentally show a quantum interference in phase space by interrogating photon number probabilities (n = 2, 3, and 4) of a displaced squeezed state, which is generated by an optical parametric amplifier and whose displacement is controlled by amplitude of injected coherent light. It is found that the probabilities exhibit oscillations of interference effect depending upon the amplitude of the controlling light field. This phenomenon is attributed to quantum interference in phase space and indicates the capability of controlling quantum interference using amplitude. This remarkably contrasts with the oscillations of interference effects being usually controlled by relative phase in classical optics.

Continuous-Variable Triple-Photon States Quantum Entanglement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González, E. A. Rojas; Borne, A.; Boulanger, B.; Levenson, J. A.; Bencheikh, K.

2018-01-01

We investigate the quantum entanglement of the three modes associated with the three-photon states obtained by triple-photon generation in a phase-matched third-order nonlinear optical interaction. Although the second-order processes have been extensively dealt with, there is no direct analogy between the second and third-order mechanisms. We show, for example, the absence of quantum entanglement between the quadratures of the three modes in the case of spontaneous parametric triple-photon generation. However, we show robust, seeding-dependent, genuine triple-photon entanglement in the fully seeded case.

Continuous-Variable Triple-Photon States Quantum Entanglement.

PubMed

González, E A Rojas; Borne, A; Boulanger, B; Levenson, J A; Bencheikh, K

2018-01-26

We investigate the quantum entanglement of the three modes associated with the three-photon states obtained by triple-photon generation in a phase-matched third-order nonlinear optical interaction. Although the second-order processes have been extensively dealt with, there is no direct analogy between the second and third-order mechanisms. We show, for example, the absence of quantum entanglement between the quadratures of the three modes in the case of spontaneous parametric triple-photon generation. However, we show robust, seeding-dependent, genuine triple-photon entanglement in the fully seeded case.

Phase-matching directions, refined Sellmeier equations, and second-order nonlinear coefficient of the infrared Langatate crystal La₃Ga(5.5)Ta(0.5)O₁₄.

PubMed

Boursier, Elodie; Segonds, Patricia; Boulanger, Benoit; Félix, Corinne; Debray, Jérôme; Jegouso, David; Ménaert, Bertrand; Roshchupkin, Dmitry; Shoji, Ichiro

2014-07-01

We directly measured phase-matching directions of second harmonic, sum, and difference frequency generations in the Langatate La₃Ga(5.5)Ta(0.5)O₁₄ (LGT) uniaxial crystal. The simultaneous fit of the data enabled us to refine the Sellmeier equations of the ordinary and extraordinary principal refractive indices over the entire transparency range of the crystal, and to calculate the phase-matching curves and efficiencies of LGT for infrared optical parametric generation.

First Demonstration of Electrostatic Damping of Parametric Instability at Advanced LIGO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blair, Carl; Gras, Slawek; Abbott, Richard; Aston, Stuart; Betzwieser, Joseph; Blair, David; DeRosa, Ryan; Evans, Matthew; Frolov, Valera; Fritschel, Peter; Grote, Hartmut; Hardwick, Terra; Liu, Jian; Lormand, Marc; Miller, John; Mullavey, Adam; O'Reilly, Brian; Zhao, Chunnong; Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, T. D.; Adams, C.; Adhikari, R. X.; Anderson, S. B.; Ananyeva, A.; Appert, S.; Arai, K.; Ballmer, S. W.; Barker, D.; Barr, B.; Barsotti, L.; Bartlett, J.; Bartos, I.; Batch, J. C.; Bell, A. S.; Billingsley, G.; Birch, J.; Biscans, S.; Biwer, C.; Bork, R.; Brooks, A. F.; Ciani, G.; Clara, F.; Countryman, S. T.; Cowart, M. J.; Coyne, D. C.; Cumming, A.; Cunningham, L.; Danzmann, K.; Da Silva Costa, C. F.; Daw, E. J.; DeBra, D.; DeSalvo, R.; Dooley, K. L.; Doravari, S.; Driggers, J. C.; Dwyer, S. E.; Effler, A.; Etzel, T.; Evans, T. M.; Factourovich, M.; Fair, H.; Fernández Galiana, A.; Fisher, R. P.; Fulda, P.; Fyffe, M.; Giaime, J. A.; Giardina, K. D.; Goetz, E.; Goetz, R.; Gray, C.; Gushwa, K. E.; Gustafson, E. K.; Gustafson, R.; Hall, E. D.; Hammond, G.; Hanks, J.; Hanson, J.; Harry, G. M.; Heintze, M. C.; Heptonstall, A. W.; Hough, J.; Izumi, K.; Jones, R.; Kandhasamy, S.; Karki, S.; Kasprzack, M.; Kaufer, S.; Kawabe, K.; Kijbunchoo, N.; King, E. J.; King, P. J.; Kissel, J. S.; Korth, W. Z.; Kuehn, G.; Landry, M.; Lantz, B.; Lockerbie, N. A.; Lundgren, A. P.; MacInnis, M.; Macleod, D. M.; Márka, S.; Márka, Z.; Markosyan, A. S.; Maros, E.; Martin, I. W.; Martynov, D. V.; Mason, K.; Massinger, T. J.; Matichard, F.; Mavalvala, N.; McCarthy, R.; McClelland, D. E.; McCormick, S.; McIntyre, G.; McIver, J.; Mendell, G.; Merilh, E. L.; Meyers, P. M.; Mittleman, R.; Moreno, G.; Mueller, G.; Munch, J.; Nuttall, L. K.; Oberling, J.; Oppermann, P.; Oram, Richard J.; Ottaway, D. J.; Overmier, H.; Palamos, J. R.; Paris, H. R.; Parker, W.; Pele, A.; Penn, S.; Phelps, M.; Pierro, V.; Pinto, I.; Principe, M.; Prokhorov, L. G.; Puncken, O.; Quetschke, V.; Quintero, E. A.; Raab, F. J.; Radkins, H.; Raffai, P.; Reid, S.; Reitze, D. H.; Robertson, N. A.; Rollins, J. G.; Roma, V. J.; Romie, J. H.; Rowan, S.; Ryan, K.; Sadecki, T.; Sanchez, E. J.; Sandberg, V.; Savage, R. L.; Schofield, R. M. S.; Sellers, D.; Shaddock, D. A.; Shaffer, T. J.; Shapiro, B.; Shawhan, P.; Shoemaker, D. H.; Sigg, D.; Slagmolen, B. J. J.; Smith, B.; Smith, J. R.; Sorazu, B.; Staley, A.; Strain, K. A.; Tanner, D. B.; Taylor, R.; Thomas, M.; Thomas, P.; Thorne, K. A.; Thrane, E.; Torrie, C. I.; Traylor, G.; Vajente, G.; Valdes, G.; van Veggel, A. A.; Vecchio, A.; Veitch, P. J.; Venkateswara, K.; Vo, T.; Vorvick, C.; Walker, M.; Ward, R. L.; Warner, J.; Weaver, B.; Weiss, R.; Weßels, P.; Willke, B.; Wipf, C. C.; Worden, J.; Wu, G.; Yamamoto, H.; Yancey, C. C.; Yu, Hang; Yu, Haocun; Zhang, L.; Zucker, M. E.; Zweizig, J.; LSC Instrument Authors

2017-04-01

Interferometric gravitational wave detectors operate with high optical power in their arms in order to achieve high shot-noise limited strain sensitivity. A significant limitation to increasing the optical power is the phenomenon of three-mode parametric instabilities, in which the laser field in the arm cavities is scattered into higher-order optical modes by acoustic modes of the cavity mirrors. The optical modes can further drive the acoustic modes via radiation pressure, potentially producing an exponential buildup. One proposed technique to stabilize parametric instability is active damping of acoustic modes. We report here the first demonstration of damping a parametrically unstable mode using active feedback forces on the cavity mirror. A 15 538 Hz mode that grew exponentially with a time constant of 182 sec was damped using electrostatic actuation, with a resulting decay time constant of 23 sec. An average control force of 0.03 nN was required to maintain the acoustic mode at its minimum amplitude.

Femtosecond deep-infrared optical parametric oscillator pumped directly by a Ti:sapphire laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Donnell, Callum; Chaitanya Kumar, S.; Zawilski, Kevin T.; Schunemann, Peter G.; Ebrahim-Zadeh, Majid

2018-02-01

We report a high-repetition-rate femtosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO) for the deep-infrared (deep-IR) based on the nonlinear optical crystal, CdSiP2 (CSP), pumped directly by a Ti:sapphire laser, for the first time. By pumping CSP at <1 μm, we have achieved practical output powers at the longest wavelengths generated by any Ti:sapphire-pumped OPO. Using a combination of pump wavelength tuning, type-I critical phase-matching, and cavity delay tuning, we have generated continuously tunable radiation across 6654-8373 nm (1194-1503 cm-1) at 80.5 MHz repetition rate, providing up to 20 mW of average power at 7314 nm and <7 mW beyond 8000 nm, with idler spectra exhibiting bandwidths of 140-180 nm across the tuning range. Moreover, the near-IR signal is tunable across 1127-1192 nm, providing up to 37 mW of average power at 1150 nm. Signal pulses, characterised using intensity autocorrelation, have durations of 260-320 fs, with corresponding time-bandwidth product of ΔυΔτ 1. The idler and signal output exhibit a TEM00 spatial profile with single-peak Gaussian distribution. With an equivalent spectral brightness of 6.68×1020 photons s-1 mm-2 sr-1 0.1% BW-1, this OPO represents a viable table-top alternative to synchrotron and supercontinuum sources for deep-IR applications in spectroscopy, metrology and medical diagnostics.

Femtosecond optical parametric oscillators toward real-time dual-comb spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Yuwei; Cristescu, Simona M.; Harren, Frans J. M.; Mandon, Julien

2015-04-01

We demonstrate mid-infrared dual-comb spectroscopy with an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) toward real-time field measurement. A singly resonant OPO based on a MgO-doped periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal is demonstrated. Chirped mirrors are used to compensate the dispersion caused by the optical cavity and the crystal. A low threshold of 17 mW has been achieved. The OPO source generates a tunable idler frequency comb between 2.7 and 4.7 μm. Dual-comb spectroscopy is achieved by coupling two identical Yb-fiber mode-locked lasers to this OPO with slightly different repetition frequencies. A measured absorption spectrum of methane is presented with a spectral bandwidth of , giving an instrumental resolution of . In addition, a second OPO containing two MgO-doped PPLN crystals in a singly resonant ring cavity is demonstrated. As such, this OPO generates two idler combs (average power up to 220 mW), covering a wavelength range between 2.7 and 4.2 μm, from which a mid-infrared dual-comb Fourier transform spectrometer is constructed. By detecting the heterodyned signal between the two idler combs, broadband spectra of molecular gases can be observed over a spectral bandwidth of more than . This special cavity design allows the spectral resolution to be improved to without locking the OPO cavity, indicating that this OPO represents an ideal high-power broadband mid-infrared source for real-time gas sensing.

Image-rotating, 4-mirror, ring optical parametric oscillator

DOEpatents

Smith, Arlee V.; Armstrong, Darrell J.

2004-08-10

A device for optical parametric amplification utilizing four mirrors oriented in a nonplanar configuration where the optical plane formed by two of the mirrors is orthogonal to the optical plane formed by the other two mirrors and with the ratio of lengths of the laser beam paths approximately constant regardless of the scale of the device. With a cavity length of less than approximately 110 mm, a conversion efficiency of greater than 45% can be achieved.

Generation of energetic femtosecond green pulses based on an OPCPA-SFG scheme.

PubMed

Mero, M; Sipos, A; Kurdi, G; Osvay, K

2011-05-09

Femtosecond green pulses were generated from broadband pulses centered at 800 nm and quasi-monochromatic pulses centered at 532 nm using noncollinear optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (NOPCPA) followed by sum frequency mixing. In addition to amplifying the 800-nm pulses, the NOPCPA stage pumped by a Q-switched, injection seeded Nd:YAG laser also provided broadband idler pulses at 1590 nm. The signal and idler pulses were sum frequency mixed using achromatic and chirp assisted phase matching yielding pulses near 530 nm with a bandwidth of 12 nm and an energy in excess of 200 μJ. The generated pulses were recompressed with a grating compressor to a duration of 150 fs. The technique is scalable to high energies, broader bandwidths, and shorter pulse durations with compensation for higher order chirps and dedicated engineering of the interacting beams. © 2011 Optical Society of America

Distribution of polarization-entangled photonpairs produced via spontaneous parametric down-conversion within a local-area fiber network: theoretical model and experiment.

PubMed

Lim, Han Chuen; Yoshizawa, Akio; Tsuchida, Hidemi; Kikuchi, Kazuro

2008-09-15

We present a theoretical model for the distribution of polarization-entangled photon-pairs produced via spontaneous parametric down-conversion within a local-area fiber network. This model allows an entanglement distributor who plays the role of a service provider to determine the photon-pair generation rate giving highest two-photon interference fringe visibility for any pair of users, when given user-specific parameters. Usefulness of this model is illustrated in an example and confirmed in an experiment, where polarization-entangled photon-pairs are distributed over 82 km and 132 km of dispersion-managed optical fiber. Experimentally observed visibilities and entanglement fidelities are in good agreement with theoretically predicted values.

Frequency non-degenerate phase-sensitive optical parametric amplification based on four-wave-mixing in width-modulated silicon waveguides.

PubMed

Wang, Zhaolu; Liu, Hongjun; Sun, Qibing; Huang, Nan; Li, Xuefeng

2014-12-15

A width-modulated silicon waveguide is proposed to realize non-degenerate phase sensitive optical parametric amplification. It is found that the relative phase at the input of the phase sensitive amplifier (PSA) θIn-PSA can be tuned by tailoring the width and length of the second segment of the width-modulated silicon waveguide, which will influence the gain in the parametric amplification process. The maximum gain of PSA is larger by 9 dB compared with the phase insensitive amplifier (PIA) gain, and the gain bandwidth of PSA is larger by 35 nm compared with the gain bandwidth of PIA. Our on-chip PSA can find important potential applications in highly integrated optical circuits for optical chip-to-chip communication and computers.

Tunable narrow band difference frequency THz wave generation in DAST via dual seed PPLN OPG.

PubMed

Dolasinski, Brian; Powers, Peter E; Haus, Joseph W; Cooney, Adam

2015-02-09

We report a widely tunable narrowband terahertz (THz) source via difference frequency generation (DFG). A narrowband THz source uses the output of dual seeded periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) optical parametric generators (OPG) combined in the nonlinear crystal 4-dimthylamino-N-methyl-4-stilbazolium-tosylate (DAST). We demonstrate a seamlessly tunable THZ output that tunes from 1.5 THz to 27 THz with a minimum bandwidth of 3.1 GHz. The effects of dispersive phase matching, two-photon absorption, and polarization were examined and compared to a power emission model that consisted of the current accepted parameters of DAST.

Next Generation Driver for Attosecond and Laser-plasma Physics.

PubMed

Rivas, D E; Borot, A; Cardenas, D E; Marcus, G; Gu, X; Herrmann, D; Xu, J; Tan, J; Kormin, D; Ma, G; Dallari, W; Tsakiris, G D; Földes, I B; Chou, S-W; Weidman, M; Bergues, B; Wittmann, T; Schröder, H; Tzallas, P; Charalambidis, D; Razskazovskaya, O; Pervak, V; Krausz, F; Veisz, L

2017-07-12

The observation and manipulation of electron dynamics in matter call for attosecond light pulses, routinely available from high-order harmonic generation driven by few-femtosecond lasers. However, the energy limitation of these lasers supports only weak sources and correspondingly linear attosecond studies. Here we report on an optical parametric synthesizer designed for nonlinear attosecond optics and relativistic laser-plasma physics. This synthesizer uniquely combines ultra-relativistic focused intensities of about 10 20  W/cm 2 with a pulse duration of sub-two carrier-wave cycles. The coherent combination of two sequentially amplified and complementary spectral ranges yields sub-5-fs pulses with multi-TW peak power. The application of this source allows the generation of a broad spectral continuum at 100-eV photon energy in gases as well as high-order harmonics in relativistic plasmas. Unprecedented spatio-temporal confinement of light now permits the investigation of electric-field-driven electron phenomena in the relativistic regime and ultimately the rise of next-generation intense isolated attosecond sources.

Cavity-induced mirror-mirror entanglement in a single-atom Raman laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teklu, Berihu; Byrnes, Tim; Khan, Faisal Shah

2018-02-01

We address an experimental scheme to analyze the optical bistability and the entanglement of two movable mirrors coupled to a two-mode laser inside a doubly resonant cavity. With this aim we investigate the master equations of the atom-cavity subsystem in conjunction with the quantum Langevin equations that describe the interaction of the mirror cavity. The parametric amplification-type coupling induced by the two-photon coherence on the optical bistability of the intracavity mean photon numbers is found and investigated. Under this condition, the optical intensities exhibit bistability for all large values of cavity laser detuning. We also provide numerical evidence for the generation of strong entanglement between the movable mirrors and show that it is robust against environmental thermalization.

EPR experiment and 2-photon interferometry: Report of a 2-photon interference experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shih, Y. H.; Rubin, M. H.; Sergienko, A. V.

1992-01-01

After a very brief review of the historical Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen (EPR) experiments, a new two-photon interference type EPR experiment is reported. A two-photon state was generated by optical parametric down conversion. Pairs of light quanta with degenerate frequency but divergent directions of propagation were sent to two independent Michelson interferometers. First and second order interference effectors were studied. Different than other reports, we observed that the second order interference visibility vanished when the optical path difference of the interferometers were much less than the coherence length of the pumping laser beam. However, we also observed that the second order interference behaved differently depending on whether the interferometers were set at equal or different optical path differences.

Large-scale frequency- and time-domain quantum entanglement over the optical frequency comb (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfister, Olivier

2017-05-01

When it comes to practical quantum computing, the two main challenges are circumventing decoherence (devastating quantum errors due to interactions with the environmental bath) and achieving scalability (as many qubits as needed for a real-life, game-changing computation). We show that using, in lieu of qubits, the "qumodes" represented by the resonant fields of the quantum optical frequency comb of an optical parametric oscillator allows one to create bona fide, large scale quantum computing processors, pre-entangled in a cluster state. We detail our recent demonstration of 60-qumode entanglement (out of an estimated 3000) and present an extension to combining this frequency-tagged with time-tagged entanglement, in order to generate an arbitrarily large, universal quantum computing processor.

Compact high-power optical source for resonant infrared pulsed laser ablation and deposition of polymer materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolev, V. Z.; Duering, M. W.; Luther-Davies, B.; Rode, A. V.

2006-12-01

We propose a novel tuneable table-top optical source as an alternative to the free electron laser currently used for resonant infrared pulsed laser deposition of polymers. It is based on two-stage pulsed optical parametric amplification using MgO doped periodically poled lithium niobate crystals. Gain in excess of 106 in the first stage and pump depletion of 58% in the second stage were achieved when the system was pumped by a high-power Nd:YVO4 picosecond laser source at 1064 nm and seeded by a CW tuneable diode laser at 1530 nm. An average power of 2 W was generated at 3.5 µm corresponding to 1.3 µJ pulse energy.

Heralding efficiency and correlated-mode coupling of near-IR fiber-coupled photon pairs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dixon, P. Ben; Rosenberg, Danna; Stelmakh, Veronika

We report on a systematic experimental study of heralding efficiency and generation rate of telecom-band infrared photon pairs generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion and coupled to single mode optical fibers. We define the correlated-mode coupling efficiency--an inherent source efficiency--and explain its relation to heralding efficiency. For our experiment, we developed a reconfigurable computer controlled pump-beam and collection-mode optical apparatus which we used to measure the generation rate and correlated-mode coupling efficiency. The use of low-noise, high-efficiency superconducting-nanowire single-photon-detectors in this setup allowed us to explore focus configurations with low overall photon flux. The measured data agree well with theory andmore » we demonstrated a correlated-mode coupling efficiency of 97%±2%, which is the highest efficiency yet achieved for this type of system. These results confirm theoretical treatments and demonstrate that very high overall heralding efficiencies can, in principle, be achieved in quantum optical systems. We expect that these results and techniques will be widely incorporated into future systems that require, or benefit from, a high heralding efficiency.« less

Heralding efficiency and correlated-mode coupling of near-IR fiber-coupled photon pairs

DOE PAGES

Dixon, P. Ben; Rosenberg, Danna; Stelmakh, Veronika; ...

2014-10-06

We report on a systematic experimental study of heralding efficiency and generation rate of telecom-band infrared photon pairs generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion and coupled to single mode optical fibers. We define the correlated-mode coupling efficiency--an inherent source efficiency--and explain its relation to heralding efficiency. For our experiment, we developed a reconfigurable computer controlled pump-beam and collection-mode optical apparatus which we used to measure the generation rate and correlated-mode coupling efficiency. The use of low-noise, high-efficiency superconducting-nanowire single-photon-detectors in this setup allowed us to explore focus configurations with low overall photon flux. The measured data agree well with theory andmore » we demonstrated a correlated-mode coupling efficiency of 97%±2%, which is the highest efficiency yet achieved for this type of system. These results confirm theoretical treatments and demonstrate that very high overall heralding efficiencies can, in principle, be achieved in quantum optical systems. We expect that these results and techniques will be widely incorporated into future systems that require, or benefit from, a high heralding efficiency.« less

2.5 TW, two-cycle IR laser pulses via frequency domain optical parametric amplification.

PubMed

Gruson, V; Ernotte, G; Lassonde, P; Laramée, A; Bionta, M R; Chaker, M; Di Mauro, L; Corkum, P B; Ibrahim, H; Schmidt, B E; Legaré, F

2017-10-30

Broadband optical parametric amplification in the IR region has reached a new milestone through the use of a non-collinear Frequency domain Optical Parametric Amplification system. We report a laser source delivering 11.6 fs pulses with 30 mJ of energy at a central wavelength of 1.8 μm at 10 Hz repetition rate corresponding to a peak power of 2.5 TW. The peak power scaling is accompanied by a pulse shortening of about 20% upon amplification due to the spectral reshaping with higher gain in the spectral wings. This source paves the way for high flux soft X-ray pulses and IR-driven laser wakefield acceleration.

Ghost imaging via optical parametric amplification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Hong-Guo; Zhang, De-Jian; Xu, De-Qin; Zhao, Qiu-Li; Wang, Sen; Wang, Hai-Bo; Xiong, Jun; Wang, Kaige

2015-10-01

We investigate theoretically and experimentally thermal light ghost imaging where the light transmitted through the object as the seed light is amplified by an optical parametric amplifier (OPA). In conventional lens imaging systems with OPA, the spectral bandwidth of OPA dominates the image resolution. Theoretically, we prove that in ghost imaging via optical parametric amplification (GIOPA) the bandwidth of OPA will not affect the image resolution. The experimental results show that for weak seed light the image quality in GIOPA is better than that of conventional ghost imaging. Our work may be valuable in remote sensing with ghost imaging technique, where the light passed through the object is weak after a long-distance propagation.

Parametrization and calibration of a quasi-analytical algorithm for tropical eutrophic waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Fernanda; Mishra, Deepak R.; Astuti, Ike; Rodrigues, Thanan; Alcântara, Enner; Imai, Nilton N.; Barbosa, Cláudio

2016-11-01

Quasi-analytical algorithm (QAA) was designed to derive the inherent optical properties (IOPs) of water bodies from above-surface remote sensing reflectance (Rrs). Several variants of QAA have been developed for environments with different bio-optical characteristics. However, most variants of QAA suffer from moderate to high negative IOP prediction when applied to tropical eutrophic waters. This research is aimed at parametrizing a QAA for tropical eutrophic water dominated by cyanobacteria. The alterations proposed in the algorithm yielded accurate absorption coefficients and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration. The main changes accomplished were the selection of wavelengths representative of the optically relevant constituents (ORCs) and calibration of values directly associated with the pigments and detritus plus colored dissolved organic material (CDM) absorption coefficients. The re-parametrized QAA eliminated the retrieval of negative values, commonly identified in other variants of QAA. The calibrated model generated a normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) of 21.88% and a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 28.27% for at(λ), where the largest errors were found at 412 nm and 620 nm. Estimated NRMSE for aCDM(λ) was 18.86% with a MAPE of 31.17%. A NRMSE of 22.94% and a MAPE of 60.08% were obtained for aφ(λ). Estimated aφ(665) and aφ(709) was used to predict Chl-a concentration. aφ(665) derived from QAA for Barra Bonita Hydroelectric Reservoir (QAA_BBHR) was able to predict Chl-a accurately, with a NRMSE of 11.3% and MAPE of 38.5%. The performance of the Chl-a model was comparable to some of the most widely used empirical algorithms such as 2-band, 3-band, and the normalized difference chlorophyll index (NDCI). The new QAA was parametrized based on the band configuration of MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS), Sentinel-2A and 3A and can be readily scaled-up for spatio-temporal monitoring of IOPs in tropical waters.

Electro-optic sampling of near-infrared waveforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keiber, Sabine; Sederberg, Shawn; Schwarz, Alexander; Trubetskov, Michael; Pervak, Volodymyr; Krausz, Ferenc; Karpowicz, Nicholas

2016-03-01

Access to the complete electric field evolution of a laser pulse is essential for attosecond science in general, and for the scrutiny and control of electron phenomena in solid-state physics specifically. Time-resolved field measurements are routine in the terahertz spectral range, using electro-optic sampling (EOS), photoconductive switches and field-induced second harmonic generation. EOS in particular features outstanding sensitivity and ease of use, making it the basis of time-resolved spectroscopic measurements for studying charge carrier dynamics and active optical devices. In this Letter, we show that careful optical filtering allows the bandwidth of this technique to be extended to wavelengths as short as 1.2 μm (230 THz) with half-cycle durations 2.3 times shorter than the sampling pulse. In a proof-of-principle application, we measure the influence of optical parametric amplification (OPA) on the electric field dynamics of a few-cycle near-infrared (NIR) pulse.

Low Noise Optical Amplifiers

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-01

Karsten Rottwitt DTU Fotonik Department of Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark - 2 - TABLE OF...at DTU Fotonik, has intensified through two new ph.d positions within parametric amplifiers, one partly funded through a research program on phase...Activities: As indicated in the above DTU Fotonik now has significant activities on using parametric processes in optical fibers. This includes

An Optical Parametric Amplifier for Profiling Gases of Atmospheric Interest

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heaps, William (Technical Monitor); Burris, John; Richter, Dale

2004-01-01

This paper describes the development of a lidar transmitter using an optical parametric amplifier. It is designed for profiling gases of atmospheric interest at high spatial and temporal precision in the near-IR. Discussions on desirable characteristics for such a transmitter with specific reference to the case of CO, are made.

Statistical parametric mapping of stimuli-evoked changes in quantitative blood flow using extended-focus optical coherence microscopy (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchand, Paul J.; Bouwens, Arno; Shamaei, Vincent; Nguyen, David; Extermann, Jerome; Bolmont, Tristan; Lasser, Theo

2016-03-01

Magnetic Resonance Imaging has revolutionised our understanding of brain function through its ability to image human cerebral structures non-invasively over the entire brain. By exploiting the different magnetic properties of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood, functional MRI can indirectly map areas undergoing neural activation. Alongside the development of fMRI, powerful statistical tools have been developed in an effort to shed light on the neural pathways involved in processing of sensory and cognitive information. In spite of the major improvements made in fMRI technology, the obtained spatial resolution of hundreds of microns prevents MRI in resolving and monitoring processes occurring at the cellular level. In this regard, Optical Coherence Microscopy is an ideal instrumentation as it can image at high spatio-temporal resolution. Moreover, by measuring the mean and the width of the Doppler spectra of light scattered by moving particles, OCM allows extracting the axial and lateral velocity components of red blood cells. The ability to assess quantitatively total blood velocity, as opposed to classical axial velocity Doppler OCM, is of paramount importance in brain imaging as a large proportion of cortical vascular is oriented perpendicularly to the optical axis. We combine here quantitative blood flow imaging with extended-focus Optical Coherence Microscopy and Statistical Parametric Mapping tools to generate maps of stimuli-evoked cortical hemodynamics at the capillary level.

Two-color walking Peregrine solitary waves.

PubMed

Baronio, Fabio; Chen, Shihua; Mihalache, Dumitru

2017-09-15

We study the extreme localization of light, evolving upon a non-zero background, in two-color parametric wave interaction in nonlinear quadratic media. We report the existence of quadratic Peregrine solitary waves, in the presence of significant group-velocity mismatch between the waves (or Poynting vector beam walk-off), in the regime of cascading second-harmonic generation. This finding opens a novel path for the experimental demonstration of extreme rogue waves in ultrafast quadratic nonlinear optics.

Ultra-Broad-Band Optical Parametric Amplifier or Oscillator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strekalov, Dmitry; Matsko, Andrey; Savchenkov, Anatolly; Maleki, Lute

2009-01-01

A concept for an ultra-broad-band optical parametric amplifier or oscillator has emerged as a by-product of a theoretical study in fundamental quantum optics. The study was originally intended to address the question of whether the two-photon temporal correlation function of light [in particular, light produced by spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC)] can be considerably narrower than the inverse of the spectral width (bandwidth) of the light. The answer to the question was found to be negative. More specifically, on the basis of the universal integral relations between the quantum two-photon temporal correlation and the classical spectrum of light, it was found that the lower limit of two-photon correlation time is set approximately by the inverse of the bandwidth. The mathematical solution for the minimum two-photon correlation time also provides the minimum relative frequency dispersion of the down-converted light components; in turn, the minimum relative frequency dispersion translates to the maximum bandwidth, which is important for the design of an ultra-broad-band optical parametric oscillator or amplifier. In the study, results of an analysis of the general integral relations were applied in the case of an optically nonlinear, frequency-dispersive crystal in which SPDC produces collinear photons. Equations were found for the crystal orientation and pump wavelength, specific for each parametric-down-converting crystal, that eliminate the relative frequency dispersion of collinear degenerate (equal-frequency) signal and idler components up to the fourth order in the frequency-detuning parameter

Parametric Raman anti-Stokes laser at 503 nm with phase-matched collinear beam interaction of orthogonally polarized Raman components in calcite under 532 nm 20 ps laser pumping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smetanin, Sergei; Jelínek, Michal; Kubeček, Václav

2017-05-01

Lasers based on stimulated-Raman-scattering process can be used for the frequency-conversion to the wavelengths that are not readily available from solid-state lasers. Parametric Raman lasers allow generation of not only Stokes, but also anti-Stokes components. However, practically all the known crystalline parametric Raman anti-Stokes lasers have very low conversion efficiencies of about 1 % at theoretically predicted values of up to 40 % because of relatively narrow angular tolerance of phase matching in comparison with angular divergence of the interacting beams. In our investigation, to widen the angular tolerance of four-wave mixing and to obtain high conversion efficiency into the antiStokes wave we propose and study a new scheme of the parametric Raman anti-Stokes laser at 503 nm with phasematched collinear beam interaction of orthogonally polarized Raman components in calcite under 532 nm 20 ps laser pumping. We use only one 532-nm laser source to pump the Raman-active calcite crystal oriented at the phase matched angle for orthogonally polarized Raman components four-wave mixing. Additionally, we split the 532-nm laser radiation into the orthogonally polarized components entering to the Raman-active calcite crystal at the certain incidence angles to fulfill the tangential phase matching compensating walk-off of extraordinary waves for collinear beam interaction in the crystal with the widest angular tolerance of four-wave mixing. For the first time the highest 503-nm anti-Stokes conversion efficiency of 30 % close to the theoretical limit of about 40 % at overall optical efficiency of the parametric Raman anti-Stokes generation of up to 3.5 % in calcite is obtained due to realization of tangential phase matching insensitive to the angular mismatch.

Bright broadband coherent fiber sources emitting strongly blue-shifted resonant dispersive wave pulses

PubMed Central

Tu, Haohua; Lægsgaard, Jesper; Zhang, Rui; Tong, Shi; Liu, Yuan; Boppart, Stephen A.

2013-01-01

We predict and realize the targeted wavelength conversion from the 1550-nm band of a fs Er:fiber laser to an isolated band inside 370-850 nm, corresponding to a blue-shift of 700-1180 nm. The conversion utilizes resonant dispersive wave generation in widely available optical fibers with good efficiency (~7%). The converted band has a large pulse energy (~1 nJ), high spectral brightness (~1 mW/nm), and broad Gaussian-like spectrum compressible to clean transform-limited ~17 fs pulses. The corresponding coherent fiber sources open up portable applications of optical parametric oscillators and dual-output synchronized ultrafast lasers. PMID:24104233

Two-component Thermal Dust Emission Model: Application to the Planck HFI Maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meisner, Aaron M.; Finkbeiner, Douglas P.

2014-06-01

We present full-sky, 6.1 arcminute resolution maps of dust optical depth and temperature derived by fitting the Finkbeiner et al. (1999) two-component dust emission model to the Planck HFI and IRAS 100 micron maps. This parametrization of the far infrared thermal dust SED as the sum of two modified blackbodies serves as an important alternative to the commonly adopted single modified blackbody dust emission model. We expect our Planck-based maps of dust temperature and optical depth to form the basis for a next-generation, high-resolution extinction map which will additionally incorporate small-scale detail from WISE imaging.

Efficient semiconductor multicycle terahertz pulse source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nugraha, P. S.; Krizsán, G.; Polónyi, Gy; Mechler, M. I.; Hebling, J.; Tóth, Gy; Fülöp, J. A.

2018-05-01

Multicycle THz pulse generation by optical rectification in GaP semiconductor nonlinear material is investigated by numerical simulations. It is shown that GaP can be an efficient and versatile source with up to about 8% conversion efficiency and a tuning range from 0.1 THz to about 7 THz. Contact-grating technology for pulse-front tilt can ensure an excellent focusability and scaling the THz pulse energy beyond 1 mJ. Shapeable infrared pump pulses with a constant intensity-modulation period can be delivered for example by a flexible and efficient dual-chirped optical parametric amplifier. Potential applications include linear and nonlinear THz spectroscopy and THz-driven acceleration of electrons.

Epi-detected quadruple-modal nonlinear optical microscopy for label-free imaging of the tooth

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Zi; Zheng, Wei; Huang, Zhiwei, E-mail: biehzw@nus.edu.sg

2015-01-19

We present an epi-detected quadruple-modal nonlinear optical microscopic imaging technique (i.e., coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), second-harmonic generation (SHG), third-harmonic generation (THG), and two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF)) based on a picosecond (ps) laser-pumped optical parametric oscillator system for label-free imaging of the tooth. We demonstrate that high contrast ps-CARS images covering both the fingerprint (500–1800 cm{sup −1}) and high-wavenumber (2500–3800 cm{sup −1}) regions can be acquired to uncover the distributions of mineral and organic biomaterials in the tooth, while high quality TPEF, SHG, and THG images of the tooth can also be acquired under ps laser excitation without damaging the samples. Themore » quadruple-modal nonlinear microscopic images (CARS/SHG/THG/TPEF) acquired provide better understanding of morphological structures and biochemical/biomolecular distributions in the dentin, enamel, and the dentin-enamel junction of the tooth without labeling, facilitating optical diagnosis and characterization of the tooth in dentistry.« less

Resource-efficient generation of linear cluster states by linear optics with postselection

DOE PAGES

Uskov, D. B.; Alsing, P. M.; Fanto, M. L.; ...

2015-01-30

Here we report on theoretical research in photonic cluster-state computing. Finding optimal schemes of generating non-classical photonic states is of critical importance for this field as physically implementable photon-photon entangling operations are currently limited to measurement-assisted stochastic transformations. A critical parameter for assessing the efficiency of such transformations is the success probability of a desired measurement outcome. At present there are several experimental groups that are capable of generating multi-photon cluster states carrying more than eight qubits. Separate photonic qubits or small clusters can be fused into a single cluster state by a probabilistic optical CZ gate conditioned on simultaneousmore » detection of all photons with 1/9 success probability for each gate. This design mechanically follows the original theoretical scheme of cluster state generation proposed more than a decade ago by Raussendorf, Browne, and Briegel. The optimality of the destructive CZ gate in application to linear optical cluster state generation has not been analyzed previously. Our results reveal that this method is far from the optimal one. Employing numerical optimization we have identified that the maximal success probability of fusing n unentangled dual-rail optical qubits into a linear cluster state is equal to 1/2 n-1; an m-tuple of photonic Bell pair states, commonly generated via spontaneous parametric down-conversion, can be fused into a single cluster with the maximal success probability of 1/4 m-1.« less

NONLINEAR AND FIBER OPTICS: Mutual suppression of the electron stimulated Raman scattering and four-wave parametric mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malakyan, Yu P.

1990-04-01

A new effect is considered: self-induced suppression of electron stimulated Raman scattering involving generation of two new fields from the Stokes radiation as a result of four-wave mixing, interfering destructively with electron stimulated Raman scattering and suppressing it, which in turn suppresses the mixing process. The effect occurs in the steady-state case and not under transient conditions. The results account in a simple manner for the generation of the Stokes radiation in barium vapor as a result of different transitions, depending on the duration of the pump pulse.

Growth and evaluation of AgGaS2 and AgGaSe2 for infrared nonlinear applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byer, R. L.; Feigelson, R. S.

1986-01-01

Significant advances were made in the growth technology of silver thiogallate (AgGaS2) and silver selenogallate (AgGaSe2). High efficiency harmonic generation of carbon dioxide laser radiation and tunable infrared parametric oscillation were demonstrated using these materials. Nonliner frequency conversion in the infrared was limited by the optical properties and the size of the available nonlinear materials. The development of these materials has reduced some of the limitations and generated wide interest. The continued development and application of AgGaS2 and AgGaSe2 now appears assured.

Terahertz parametric sources and imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawase, Kodo; Ogawa, Yuichi; Minamide, Hiroaki; Ito, Hiromasa

2005-07-01

We have studied the generation of terahertz (THz) waves by optical parametric processes based on laser light scattering from the polariton mode of nonlinear crystals. Using parametric oscillation of LiNbO3 or MgO-doped LiNbO3 crystal pumped by a nano-second Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, we have realized a widely tunable coherent THz-wave source with a simple configuration. We report the detailed characteristics of the oscillation and the radiation including tunability, spatial and temporal coherency, uni-directivity, and efficiency. A Fourier transform limited THz-wave spectrum narrowing was achieved by introducing the injection seeding method. Further, we have developed a spectroscopic THz imaging system using a THz-wave parametric oscillator, which allows detection and identification of drugs concealed in envelopes, by introducing the component spatial pattern analysis. Several images of the envelope are recorded at different THz frequencies and then processed. The final result is an image that reveals what substances are present in the envelope, in what quantity, and how they are distributed across the envelope area. The example presented here shows the identification of three drugs, two of which are illegal, while one is an over-the-counter drug.

Stable integrated hyper-parametric oscillator based on coupled optical microcavities.

PubMed

Armaroli, Andrea; Feron, Patrice; Dumeige, Yannick

2015-12-01

We propose a flexible scheme based on three coupled optical microcavities that permits us to achieve stable oscillations in the microwave range, the frequency of which depends only on the cavity coupling rates. We find that the different dynamical regimes (soft and hard excitation) affect the oscillation intensity, but not their periods. This configuration may permit us to implement compact hyper-parametric sources on an integrated optical circuit with interesting applications in communications, sensing, and metrology.

Intracavity-pumped Raman laser action in a mid IR, continuous-wave (cw) MgO:PPLN optical parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okishev, Andrey V.; Zuegel, Jonathan D.

2006-12-01

Intracavity-pumped Raman laser action in a fiber-laser pumped, single-resonant, continuous-wave (cw) MgO:PPLN optical parametric oscillator with a high-Q linear resonator has been observed for the first time to our knowledge. Experimental results of this phenomenon investigation will be discussed.

Numerical investigations of non-collinear optical parametric chirped pulse amplification for Laguerre-Gaussian vortex beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Lu; Yu, Lianghong; Liang, Xiaoyan

2016-04-01

We present for the first time a scheme to amplify a Laguerre-Gaussian vortex beam based on non-collinear optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA). In addition, a three-dimensional numerical model of non-collinear optical parametric amplification was deduced in the frequency domain, in which the effects of non-collinear configuration, temporal and spatial walk-off, group-velocity dispersion and diffraction were also taken into account, to trace the dynamics of the Laguerre-Gaussian vortex beam and investigate its critical parameters in the non-collinear OPCPA process. Based on the numerical simulation results, the scheme shows promise for implementation in a relativistic twisted laser pulse system, which will diversify the light-matter interaction field.

Parametric Covariance Model for Horizon-Based Optical Navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hikes, Jacob; Liounis, Andrew J.; Christian, John A.

2016-01-01

This Note presents an entirely parametric version of the covariance for horizon-based optical navigation measurements. The covariance can be written as a function of only the spacecraft position, two sensor design parameters, the illumination direction, the size of the observed planet, the size of the lit arc to be used, and the total number of observed horizon points. As a result, one may now more clearly understand the sensitivity of horizon-based optical navigation performance as a function of these key design parameters, which is insight that was obscured in previous (and nonparametric) versions of the covariance. Finally, the new parametric covariance is shown to agree with both the nonparametric analytic covariance and results from a Monte Carlo analysis.

Exponentially Enhanced Light-Matter Interaction, Cooperativities, and Steady-State Entanglement Using Parametric Amplification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Wei; Miranowicz, Adam; Li, Peng-Bo; Lü, Xin-You; You, J. Q.; Nori, Franco

2018-03-01

We propose an experimentally feasible method for enhancing the atom-field coupling as well as the ratio between this coupling and dissipation (i.e., cooperativity) in an optical cavity. It exploits optical parametric amplification to exponentially enhance the atom-cavity interaction and, hence, the cooperativity of the system, with the squeezing-induced noise being completely eliminated. Consequently, the atom-cavity system can be driven from the weak-coupling regime to the strong-coupling regime for modest squeezing parameters, and even can achieve an effective cooperativity much larger than 100. Based on this, we further demonstrate the generation of steady-state nearly maximal quantum entanglement. The resulting entanglement infidelity (which quantifies the deviation of the actual state from a maximally entangled state) is exponentially smaller than the lower bound on the infidelities obtained in other dissipative entanglement preparations without applying squeezing. In principle, we can make an arbitrarily small infidelity. Our generic method for enhancing atom-cavity interaction and cooperativities can be implemented in a wide range of physical systems, and it can provide diverse applications for quantum information processing.

High peak-power mid-infrared ZnGeP₂ optical parametric oscillator pumped by a Tm:fiber master oscillator power amplifier system.

PubMed

Gebhardt, Martin; Gaida, Christian; Kadwani, Pankaj; Sincore, Alex; Gehlich, Nils; Jeon, Cheonha; Shah, Lawrence; Richardson, Martin

2014-03-01

We report on the utilization of a novel Tm:fiber laser source for mid-IR ZnGeP2 (ZGP) optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumping. The pump laser is built in a master oscillator power-amplifier configuration delivering up to 3.36 W of polarized, diffraction limited output power with 7 ns pulse duration and 4 kHz repetition rate. This corresponds to a peak power of ∼121  kW and a pulse energy of ∼0.84  mJ. With this source, we generated 27.9 kW of total mid-IR peak power in a doubly resonant oscillator (DRO) configuration. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest ever demonstrated mid-IR peak power from a directly Tm:fiber laser pumped ZGP OPO. Moreover, a DRO output with about 284 μJ of total mid-IR pulse energy was demonstrated using 100 ns pump pulses. The wavelength tuning of the idler was extended to 6 μm with lower output power in another OPO experiment.

Design of a terahertz parametric oscillator based on a resonant cavity in a terahertz waveguide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saito, K., E-mail: k-saito@material.tohoku.ac.jp; Oyama, Y.; Tanabe, T.

We demonstrate ns-pulsed pumping of terahertz (THz) parametric oscillations in a quasi-triply resonant cavity in a THz waveguide. The THz waves, down converted through parametric interactions between the pump and signal waves at telecom frequencies, are confined to a GaP single mode ridge waveguide. By combining the THz waveguide with a quasi-triply resonant cavity, the nonlinear interactions can be enhanced. A low threshold pump intensity for parametric oscillations can be achieved in the cavity waveguide. The THz output power can be maximized by optimizing the quality factors of the cavity so that an optical to THz photon conversion efficiency, η{submore » p}, of 0.35, which is near the quantum-limit level, can be attained. The proposed THz optical parametric oscillator can be utilized as an efficient and monochromatic THz source.« less

Continuous parametric feedback cooling of a single atom in an optical cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sames, C.; Hamsen, C.; Chibani, H.; Altin, P. A.; Wilk, T.; Rempe, G.

2018-05-01

We demonstrate a feedback algorithm to cool a single neutral atom trapped inside a standing-wave optical cavity. The algorithm is based on parametric modulation of the confining potential at twice the natural oscillation frequency of the atom, in combination with fast and repetitive atomic position measurements. The latter serve to continuously adjust the modulation phase to a value for which parametric excitation of the atomic motion is avoided. Cooling is limited by the measurement backaction which decoheres the atomic motion after only a few oscillations. Nonetheless, applying this feedback scheme to an ˜5 -kHz oscillation mode increases the average storage time of a single atom in the cavity by a factor of 60 to more than 2 s. In contrast to previous feedback schemes, our algorithm is also capable of cooling a much faster ˜500 -kHz oscillation mode within just microseconds. This demonstrates that parametric cooling is a powerful technique that can be applied in all experiments where optical access is limited.

Investigation of the photon statistics of parametric fluorescence in a traveling-wave parametric amplifier by means of self-homodyne tomography.

PubMed

Vasilyev, M; Choi, S K; Kumar, P; D'Ariano, G M

1998-09-01

Photon-number distributions for parametric fluorescence from a nondegenerate optical parametric amplifier are measured with a novel self-homodyne technique. These distributions exhibit the thermal-state character predicted by theory. However, a difference between the fluorescence gain and the signal gain of the parametric amplifier is observed. We attribute this difference to a change in the signal-beam profile during the traveling-wave pulsed amplification process.

Noncritical quadrature squeezing through spontaneous polarization symmetry breaking.

PubMed

Garcia-Ferrer, Ferran V; Navarrete-Benlloch, Carlos; de Valcárcel, Germán J; Roldán, Eugenio

2010-07-01

We discuss the possibility of generating noncritical quadrature squeezing by spontaneous polarization symmetry breaking. We first consider Type II frequency-degenerate optical parametric oscillators but discard them for a number of reasons. Then we propose a four-wave-mixing cavity, in which the polarization of the output mode is always linear but has an arbitrary orientation. We show that in such a cavity, complete noise suppression in a quadrature of the output field occurs, irrespective of the parameter values.

Quantum teleportation in the spin-orbit variables of photon pairs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khoury, A. Z.; Milman, P.; Laboratoire Materiaux et Phenomenes Quantiques, CNRS UMR 7162, Universite Paris Diderot, F-75013, Paris

2011-06-15

We propose a polarization to orbital angular momentum teleportation scheme using entangled photon pairs generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. By making a joint detection of the polarization and angular momentum parity of a single photon, we are able to detect all the Bell states and perform, in principle, perfect teleportation from a discrete to a continuous system using minimal resources. The proposed protocol implementation demands experimental resources that are currently available in quantum optics laboratories.

Fiber Optical Parametric Oscillator for High Power, High Efficiency Short-Wavelength Generation

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-05

the spectral region about 1550 nm, this project has explored the possibility of using ytterbium - doped fiber lasers (YDFL) and amplifiers (YDFA) as...integration. From this point of view, an ytterbium - doped fiber -based pump source looks most attractive. Of particular interest is the master- oscillator... ytterbium - doped fiber amplifiers (YDFA). The MOPA constructed for this work is shown in Figure 1. It consists of a CW fiber ring-laser centered at

Phase-sensitive fiber-based parametric all-optical switch.

PubMed

Parra-Cetina, Josué; Kumpera, Aleš; Karlsson, Magnus; Andrekson, Peter A

2015-12-28

We experimentally demonstrate, for the first time, an all-optical switch in a phase-sensitive fiber optic parametric amplifier operated in saturation. We study the effect of phase variation of the signal and idler waves on the pump power depletion. By changing the phase of a 0.9 mW signal/idler pair wave by π/2 rad, a pump power extinction ratio of 30.4 dB is achieved. Static and dynamic characterizations are also performed and time domain results presented.

Verification of quantum entanglement of two-mode squeezed light source towards quantum radar and imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masada, Genta

2017-08-01

Two-mode squeezed light is an effective resource for quantum entanglement and shows a non-classical correlation between each optical mode. We are developing a two-mode squeezed light source to explore the possibility of quantum radar based on the quantum illumination theory. It is expected that the error probability for discrimination of target presence or absence is improved even in a lossy and noisy environment. We are also expecting to apply two-mode squeezed light source to quantum imaging. In this work we generated two-mode squeezed light and verify its quantum entanglement property towards quantum radar and imaging. Firstly we generated two independent single-mode squeezed light beams utilizing two sub-threshold optical parametric oscillators which include periodically-polled potassium titanyl phosphate crystals for the second order nonlinear interaction. Two single-mode squeezed light beams are combined using a half mirror with the relative optical phase of 90° between each optical field. Then entangled two-mode squeezed light beams can be generated. We observes correlation variances between quadrature phase amplitudes in entangled two-mode fields by balanced homodyne measurement. Finally we verified quantum entanglement property of two-mode squeezed light source based on Duan's and Simon's inseparability criterion.

Radiative entropy generation in a gray absorbing, emitting, and scattering planar medium at radiative equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadeghi, Pegah; Safavinejad, Ali

2017-11-01

Radiative entropy generation through a gray absorbing, emitting, and scattering planar medium at radiative equilibrium with diffuse-gray walls is investigated. The radiative transfer equation and radiative entropy generation equations are solved using discrete ordinates method. Components of the radiative entropy generation are considered for two different boundary conditions: two walls are at a prescribed temperature and mixed boundary conditions, which one wall is at a prescribed temperature and the other is at a prescribed heat flux. The effect of wall emissivities, optical thickness, single scattering albedo, and anisotropic-scattering factor on the entropy generation is attentively investigated. The results reveal that entropy generation in the system mainly arises from irreversible radiative transfer at wall with lower temperature. Total entropy generation rate for the system with prescribed temperature at walls remarkably increases as wall emissivity increases; conversely, for system with mixed boundary conditions, total entropy generation rate slightly decreases. Furthermore, as the optical thickness increases, total entropy generation rate remarkably decreases for the system with prescribed temperature at walls; nevertheless, for the system with mixed boundary conditions, total entropy generation rate increases. The variation of single scattering albedo does not considerably affect total entropy generation rate. This parametric analysis demonstrates that the optical thickness and wall emissivities have a significant effect on the entropy generation in the system at radiative equilibrium. Considering the parameters affecting radiative entropy generation significantly, provides an opportunity to optimally design or increase overall performance and efficiency by applying entropy minimization techniques for the systems at radiative equilibrium.

Self-starting harmonic frequency comb generation in a quantum cascade laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazakov, Dmitry; Piccardo, Marco; Wang, Yongrui; Chevalier, Paul; Mansuripur, Tobias S.; Xie, Feng; Zah, Chung-en; Lascola, Kevin; Belyanin, Alexey; Capasso, Federico

2017-12-01

Optical frequency combs1,2 establish a rigid phase-coherent link between microwave and optical domains and are emerging as high-precision tools in an increasing number of applications3. Frequency combs with large intermodal spacing are employed in the field of microwave photonics for radiofrequency arbitrary waveform synthesis4,5 and for the generation of terahertz tones of high spectral purity in future wireless communication networks6,7. Here, we demonstrate self-starting harmonic frequency comb generation with a terahertz repetition rate in a quantum cascade laser. The large intermodal spacing caused by the suppression of tens of adjacent cavity modes originates from a parametric contribution to the gain due to temporal modulations of population inversion in the laser8,9. Using multiheterodyne self-detection, the mode spacing of the harmonic comb is shown to be uniform to within 5 × 10-12 parts of the central frequency. This new harmonic comb state extends the range of applications of quantum cascade laser frequency combs10-13.

A stepped-plate bi-frequency source for generating a difference frequency sound with a parametric array.

PubMed

Je, Yub; Lee, Haksue; Park, Jongkyu; Moon, Wonkyu

2010-06-01

An ultrasonic radiator is developed to generate a difference frequency sound from two frequencies of ultrasound in air with a parametric array. A design method is proposed for an ultrasonic radiator capable of generating highly directive, high-amplitude ultrasonic sound beams at two different frequencies in air based on a modification of the stepped-plate ultrasonic radiator. The stepped-plate ultrasonic radiator was introduced by Gallego-Juarez et al. [Ultrasonics 16, 267-271 (1978)] in their previous study and can effectively generate highly directive, large-amplitude ultrasonic sounds in air, but only at a single frequency. Because parametric array sources must be able to generate sounds at more than one frequency, a design modification is crucial to the application of a stepped-plate ultrasonic radiator as a parametric array source in air. The aforementioned method was employed to design a parametric radiator for use in air. A prototype of this design was constructed and tested to determine whether it could successfully generate a difference frequency sound with a parametric array. The results confirmed that the proposed single small-area transducer was suitable as a parametric radiator in air.

Ultrabroadband direct detection of nonclassical photon statistics at telecom wavelength

PubMed Central

Wakui, Kentaro; Eto, Yujiro; Benichi, Hugo; Izumi, Shuro; Yanagida, Tetsufumi; Ema, Kazuhiro; Numata, Takayuki; Fukuda, Daiji; Takeoka, Masahiro; Sasaki, Masahide

2014-01-01

Broadband light sources play essential roles in diverse fields, such as high-capacity optical communications, optical coherence tomography, optical spectroscopy, and spectrograph calibration. Although a nonclassical state from spontaneous parametric down-conversion may serve as a quantum counterpart, its detection and characterization have been a challenging task. Here we demonstrate the direct detection of photon numbers of an ultrabroadband (110 nm FWHM) squeezed state in the telecom band centred at 1535 nm wavelength, using a superconducting transition-edge sensor. The observed photon-number distributions violate Klyshko's criterion for the nonclassicality. From the observed photon-number distribution, we evaluate the second- and third-order correlation functions, and characterize a multimode structure, which implies that several tens of orthonormal modes of squeezing exist in the single optical pulse. Our results and techniques open up a new possibility to generate and characterize frequency-multiplexed nonclassical light sources for quantum info-communications technology. PMID:24694515

Ultrabroadband direct detection of nonclassical photon statistics at telecom wavelength.

PubMed

Wakui, Kentaro; Eto, Yujiro; Benichi, Hugo; Izumi, Shuro; Yanagida, Tetsufumi; Ema, Kazuhiro; Numata, Takayuki; Fukuda, Daiji; Takeoka, Masahiro; Sasaki, Masahide

2014-04-03

Broadband light sources play essential roles in diverse fields, such as high-capacity optical communications, optical coherence tomography, optical spectroscopy, and spectrograph calibration. Although a nonclassical state from spontaneous parametric down-conversion may serve as a quantum counterpart, its detection and characterization have been a challenging task. Here we demonstrate the direct detection of photon numbers of an ultrabroadband (110 nm FWHM) squeezed state in the telecom band centred at 1535 nm wavelength, using a superconducting transition-edge sensor. The observed photon-number distributions violate Klyshko's criterion for the nonclassicality. From the observed photon-number distribution, we evaluate the second- and third-order correlation functions, and characterize a multimode structure, which implies that several tens of orthonormal modes of squeezing exist in the single optical pulse. Our results and techniques open up a new possibility to generate and characterize frequency-multiplexed nonclassical light sources for quantum info-communications technology.

Fully stabilized mid-infrared frequency comb for high-precision molecular spectroscopy.

PubMed

Vainio, Markku; Karhu, Juho

2017-02-20

A fully stabilized mid-infrared optical frequency comb spanning from 2.9 to 3.4 µm is described in this article. The comb is based on half-harmonic generation in a femtosecond optical parametric oscillator, which transfers the high phase coherence of a fully stabilized near-infrared Er-doped fiber laser comb to the mid-infrared region. The method is simple, as no phase-locked loops or reference lasers are needed. Precise locking of optical frequencies of the mid-infrared comb to the pump comb is experimentally verified at sub-20 mHz level, which corresponds to a fractional statistical uncertainty of 2 × 10^-16 at the center frequency of the mid-infrared comb. The fully stabilized mid-infrared comb is an ideal tool for high-precision molecular spectroscopy, as well as for optical frequency metrology in the mid-infrared region, which is difficult to access with other stabilized frequency comb techniques.

Experimental demonstration of spatially coherent beam combining using optical parametric amplification.

PubMed

Kurita, Takashi; Sueda, Keiichi; Tsubakimoto, Koji; Miyanaga, Noriaki

2010-07-05

We experimentally demonstrated coherent beam combining using optical parametric amplification with a nonlinear crystal pumped by random-phased multiple-beam array of the second harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser at 10-Hz repetition rate. In the proof-of-principle experiment, the phase jump between two pump beams was precisely controlled by a motorized actuator. For the demonstration of multiple-beam combining a random phase plate was used to create random-phased beamlets as a pump pulse. Far-field patterns of the pump, the signal, and the idler indicated that the spatially coherent signal beams were obtained on both cases. This approach allows scaling of the intensity of optical parametric chirped pulse amplification up to the exa-watt level while maintaining diffraction-limited beam quality.

Harmonic generation and parametric decay in the ion cyclotron frequency range

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Skiff, F.N.; Wong, K.L.; Ono, M.

1984-06-01

Harmonic generation and parametric decay are examined in a toroidal ACT-I plasma using electrostatic plate antennas. The harmonic generation, which is consistent with sheath rectification, is sufficiently strong that the nonlinearly generated harmonic modes themselves decay parametrically. Resonant and nonresonant parametric decay of the second harmonic are observed and compared with uniform pump theory. Resonant decay of lower hybrid waves into lower hybrid waves and slow ion cyclotron waves is seen for the first time. Surprisingly, the decay processes are nonlinearly saturated, indicating absolute instability.

Multi-channel lock-in amplifier assisted femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy with efficient rejection of superfluorescence background.

PubMed

Mao, Pengcheng; Wang, Zhuan; Dang, Wei; Weng, Yuxiang

2015-12-01

Superfluorescence appears as an intense background in femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence noncollinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy, which severely interferes the reliable acquisition of the time-resolved fluorescence spectra especially for an optically dilute sample. Superfluorescence originates from the optical amplification of the vacuum quantum noise, which would be inevitably concomitant with the amplified fluorescence photons during the optical parametric amplification process. Here, we report the development of a femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectrometer assisted with a 32-channel lock-in amplifier for efficient rejection of the superfluorescence background. With this spectrometer, the superfluorescence background signal can be significantly reduced to 1/300-1/100 when the seeding fluorescence is modulated. An integrated 32-bundle optical fiber is used as a linear array light receiver connected to 32 photodiodes in one-to-one mode, and the photodiodes are further coupled to a home-built 32-channel synchronous digital lock-in amplifier. As an implementation, time-resolved fluorescence spectra for rhodamine 6G dye in ethanol solution at an optically dilute concentration of 10(-5)M excited at 510 nm with an excitation intensity of 70 nJ/pulse have been successfully recorded, and the detection limit at a pump intensity of 60 μJ/pulse was determined as about 13 photons/pulse. Concentration dependent redshift starting at 30 ps after the excitation in time-resolved fluorescence spectra of this dye has also been observed, which can be attributed to the formation of the excimer at a higher concentration, while the blueshift in the earlier time within 10 ps is attributed to the solvation process.

Multi-channel lock-in amplifier assisted femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy with efficient rejection of superfluorescence background

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mao, Pengcheng; Wang, Zhuan; Dang, Wei

Superfluorescence appears as an intense background in femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence noncollinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy, which severely interferes the reliable acquisition of the time-resolved fluorescence spectra especially for an optically dilute sample. Superfluorescence originates from the optical amplification of the vacuum quantum noise, which would be inevitably concomitant with the amplified fluorescence photons during the optical parametric amplification process. Here, we report the development of a femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectrometer assisted with a 32-channel lock-in amplifier for efficient rejection of the superfluorescence background. With this spectrometer, the superfluorescence background signal can be significantly reduced to 1/300–1/100more » when the seeding fluorescence is modulated. An integrated 32-bundle optical fiber is used as a linear array light receiver connected to 32 photodiodes in one-to-one mode, and the photodiodes are further coupled to a home-built 32-channel synchronous digital lock-in amplifier. As an implementation, time-resolved fluorescence spectra for rhodamine 6G dye in ethanol solution at an optically dilute concentration of 10{sup −5}M excited at 510 nm with an excitation intensity of 70 nJ/pulse have been successfully recorded, and the detection limit at a pump intensity of 60 μJ/pulse was determined as about 13 photons/pulse. Concentration dependent redshift starting at 30 ps after the excitation in time-resolved fluorescence spectra of this dye has also been observed, which can be attributed to the formation of the excimer at a higher concentration, while the blueshift in the earlier time within 10 ps is attributed to the solvation process.« less

Quantum Nonlinear Optics without real Photons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macrí, Vincenzo; Frisk Kockum, Anton; Stassi, Roberto; di Stefano, Omar; Savasta, Salvatore; Nori, Franco

We propose a physical process analogous to spontaneous parametric down-conversion, where one excited atom directly transfers its excitation to a couple of spatially-separated atoms with probability approaching one. The interaction is mediated by the exchange of virtual, rather than real, photons. This nonlinear optical process is coherent and reversible, so that the two excited atoms can transfer back the excitation to the first one: the atomic analogue of sum-frequency generation. The parameters used here correspond to experimentally-demonstrated values in circuit QED. This approach can be extended to consider other nonlinear interatomic processes, e.g. four-qubit mixing, and is an attractive architecture for the realization of quantum devices on a chip. Univ. of Michigan, USA.

Quantum Nonlinear Optics without Photons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macrı, Vincenzo

Here we propose a physical process analogous to spontaneous parametric down-conversion, where one excited atom directly transfers its excitation to a couple of spatially separated atoms with probability approaching one. The interaction is mediated by the exchange of virtual rather than real photons. This nonlinear optical process is coherent and reversible, so that the couple of excited atoms can transfer back the excitation to the first one: the analogous for atoms of sum-frequency generation. The parameters used here correspond to experimentally-demonstrated values in circuit QED. This approach can be expanded to consider other nonlinear inter-atomic processes as the four-qubit mixing and is an attractive architecture for the realization of quantum devices on a chip.

Entangled quantum key distribution over two free-space optical links.

PubMed

Erven, C; Couteau, C; Laflamme, R; Weihs, G

2008-10-13

We report on the first real-time implementation of a quantum key distribution (QKD) system using entangled photon pairs that are sent over two free-space optical telescope links. The entangled photon pairs are produced with a type-II spontaneous parametric down-conversion source placed in a central, potentially untrusted, location. The two free-space links cover a distance of 435 m and 1,325 m respectively, producing a total separation of 1,575 m. The system relies on passive polarization analysis units, GPS timing receivers for synchronization, and custom written software to perform the complete QKD protocol including error correction and privacy amplification. Over 6.5 hours during the night, we observed an average raw key generation rate of 565 bits/s, an average quantum bit error rate (QBER) of 4.92%, and an average secure key generation rate of 85 bits/s.

Continuous Variable Cluster State Generation over the Optical Spatial Mode Comb

DOE PAGES

Pooser, Raphael C.; Jing, Jietai

2014-10-20

One way quantum computing uses single qubit projective measurements performed on a cluster state (a highly entangled state of multiple qubits) in order to enact quantum gates. The model is promising due to its potential scalability; the cluster state may be produced at the beginning of the computation and operated on over time. Continuous variables (CV) offer another potential benefit in the form of deterministic entanglement generation. This determinism can lead to robust cluster states and scalable quantum computation. Recent demonstrations of CV cluster states have made great strides on the path to scalability utilizing either time or frequency multiplexingmore » in optical parametric oscillators (OPO) both above and below threshold. The techniques relied on a combination of entangling operators and beam splitter transformations. Here we show that an analogous transformation exists for amplifiers with Gaussian inputs states operating on multiple spatial modes. By judicious selection of local oscillators (LOs), the spatial mode distribution is analogous to the optical frequency comb consisting of axial modes in an OPO cavity. We outline an experimental system that generates cluster states across the spatial frequency comb which can also scale the amount of quantum noise reduction to potentially larger than in other systems.« less

Single-mode, All-Solid-State Nd:YAG Laser Pumped UV Converter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prasad, Narasimha S.; Armstrong, Darrell, J.; Edwards, William C.; Singh, Upendra N.

2008-01-01

In this paper, the status of a high-energy, all solid-state Nd:YAG laser pumped nonlinear optics based UV converter development is discussed. The high-energy UV transmitter technology is being developed for ozone sensing applications from space based platforms using differential lidar technique. The goal is to generate greater than 200 mJ/pulse with 10-50 Hz PRF at wavelengths of 308 nm and 320 nm. A diode-pumped, all-solid-state and single longitudinal mode Nd:YAG laser designed to provide conductively cooled operation at 1064 nm has been built and tested. Currently, this pump laser provides an output pulse energy of >1 J/pulse at 50 Hz PRF and a pulsewidth of 22 ns with an electrical-to-optical system efficiency of greater than 7% and a M(sup 2) value of <2. The single frequency UV converter arrangement basically consists of an IR Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO) and a Sum Frequency Generator (SFG) setups that are pumped by 532 nm wavelength obtained via Second Harmonic Generation (SHG). In this paper, the operation of an inter cavity SFG with CW laser seeding scheme generating 320 nm wavelength is presented. Efforts are underway to improve conversion efficiency of this mJ class UV converter by modifying the spatial beam profile of the pump laser.

Beam splitter coupled CDSE optical parametric oscillator

DOEpatents

Levinos, Nicholas J.; Arnold, George P.

1980-01-01

An optical parametric oscillator is disclosed in which the resonant radiation is separated from the pump and output radiation so that it can be manipulated without interfering with them. Thus, for example, very narrow band output may readily be achieved by passing the resonant radiation through a line narrowing device which does not in itself interfere with either the pump radiation or the output radiation.

Cascade Raman sidebands generation and orbital angular momentum relations for paraxial beam modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strohaber, James; Schuessler, Hans; Kolomenskii, Alexandre; Zhu, Feng

2015-05-01

In this work, the nonlinear parametric interaction of optical radiation in various transverse modes in a Raman-active medium is investigated both experimentally and theoretically. Verification of the orbital angular momentum algebra (OAM-algebra) was performed for high-order Laguerre Gaussian modes. It was found that this same algebra also describes the coherent transfer of OAM when Ince-Gaussian modes were used. New theoretical considerations extend the OAM-algebra to even and odd Laguerre Gaussian, and Hermite Gaussian beam modes through a change of basis. The results of this work provide details in the spatiotemporal synthesis of custom broadband pulses of radiation from Raman sideband generation.

Synchronously Pumped Optical Parametric Oscillator with Intracavity Difference Frequency Mixing

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-06-29

Phys. B, vol. 63, no. 5, pp. 437-441, 1996. [11] T. Töpfer, K. P. Petrov, Y. Mine, L. E. Myers, and R. W. Wallace , "Room- temperature midinfrared...generation in diazo-dye-substitured polymer channel waveguides," IEEE J. of Quant. Electron., vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 349-357, 1997. [56] A. Szilagyi ...periodically poled lithium- niobate," Opt. Lett, vol. 23, no. 9, pp. 664-666, 1998. [119] W. R. Bosenberg, J. I. Alexander, L. E. Myers, and R. W. Wallace

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering spectroscope/microscope based on a widely tunable laser source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dementjev, A.; Gulbinas, V.; Serbenta, A.; Kaucikas, M.; Niaura, G.

2010-03-01

We present a coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscope based on a robust and simple laser source. A picosecond laser operating in a cavity dumping regime at the 1 MHz repetition rate was used to pump a traveling wave optical parametric generator, which serves as a two-color excitation light source for the CARS microscope. We demonstrate the ability of the presented CARS microscope to measure CARS spectra and images by using several detection schemes.

Sub-Nanosecond Infrared Optical Parametric Pulse Generation in Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate Pumped by a Seeded Fiber Amplifier

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-02-01

Photonics. New York: John J. Wiley & Sons, Inc, 1991. 30. “How to (Maybe) Measure Laser Beam Quality” Prof. A. E. Siegman Tutorial Presentation at...Deterministic Nanosecond Laser -Induced Breakdown Thresholds in Pure and Yb3+ Doped Fused Silica,” Proc. of SPIE 6453 (2007) 37. Siegman , A.E...seeded at one end and pumped at the other end, using dichroic filters to protect the pump and seed lasers , creating a fiber amplifier. The seed laser

Ultrafast polarisation spectroscopy of photoinduced charges in a conjugated polymer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bakulin, A A; Loosdrecht, P van; Pshenichnikov, M S

2009-07-31

Tunable optical parametric generators and amplifiers (OPA), proposed and developed by Akhmanov and his colleagues, have become the working horses in exploration of dynamical processes in physics, chemistry, and biology. In this paper, we demonstrate the possibility of using ultrafast polarisation-sensitive two-colour spectroscopy, performed with a set of two OPAs, to study charge photogeneration and transport in conjugated polymers and their donor-acceptor blends. (special issue devoted to the 80th birthday of S.A. Akhmanov)

A continuous-wave, widely tunable, intra-cavity, singly resonant, magnesium-doped, periodically poled lithium niobate optical parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Z. P.; Duan, Y. M.; Wu, K. R.; Zhang, G.; Zhu, H. Y.; Wang, X. L.; Chen, Y. H.; Xue, Z. Q.; Lin, Q.; Song, G. C.; Su, H.

2013-05-01

We report a continuous-wave (CW), intra-cavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO), based on periodically poled MgO:LiNbO3 pumped by a diode-end-pumped CW Nd:YVO4 laser, and calculate the gain of optical parametric amplification as a function of pump beam waist (at 1064 nm) in the singly resonant OPO (SRO) cavity, to balance the mode-matching and the intensity for the higher gain of a signal wave in the operation of the SRO. In order to achieve maximum gain, we use a convex lens to limit the 1064 nm beam waist. In the experiment, a tunable signal output from 1492 to 1614 nm and an idler output from 3122 to 3709 nm are obtained. For an 808 nm pump power of 11.5 W, a maximum signal output power of up to 2.48 W at 1586 nm and an idler output power of 1.1 W at 3232 nm are achieved with a total optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 31%.

Theory of parametrically amplified electron-phonon superconductivity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Babadi, Mehrtash; Knap, Michael; Martin, Ivar

2017-07-01

Ultrafast optical manipulation of ordered phases in strongly correlated materials is a topic of significant theoretical, experimental, and technological interest. Inspired by a recent experiment on light-induced superconductivity in fullerenes [M. Mitrano et al., Nature (London) 530, 461 (2016)], we develop a comprehensive theory of light-induced superconductivity in driven electron-phonon systemswith lattice nonlinearities. In analogy with the operation of parametric amplifiers, we show how the interplay between the external drive and lattice nonlinearities lead to significantly enhanced effective electron-phonon couplings. We provide a detailed and unbiased study of the nonequilibrium dynamics of the driven system using the real-time Green's functionmore » technique. To this end, we develop a Floquet generalization of the Migdal-Eliashberg theory and derive a numerically tractable set of quantum Floquet-Boltzmann kinetic equations for the coupled electron-phonon system. We study the role of parametric phonon generation and electronic heating in destroying the transient superconducting state. Finally, we predict the transient formation of electronic Floquet bands in time-and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments as a consequence of the proposed mechanism.« less

Synthesis and Analysis of Custom Bi-directional Reflectivity Distribution Functions in DIRSIG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dank, J.; Allen, D.

2016-09-01

The bi-directional reflectivity distribution (BRDF) function is a fundamental optical property of materials, characterizing important properties of light scattered by a surface. For accurate radiance calculations using synthetic targets and numerical simulations such as the Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Image Generation (DIRSIG) model, fidelity of the target BRDFs is critical. While fits to measured BRDF data can be used in DIRSIG, obtaining high-quality data over a large spectral continuum can be time-consuming and expensive, requiring significant investment in illumination sources, sensors, and other specialized hardware. As a consequence, numerous parametric BRDF models are available to approximate actual behavior; but these all have shortcomings. Further, DIRSIG doesn't allow direct visualization of BRDFs, making it difficult for the user to understand the numerical impact of various models. Here, we discuss the innovative use of "mixture maps" to synthesize custom BRDFs as linear combinations of parametric models and measured data. We also show how DIRSIG's interactive mode can be used to visualize and analyze both available parametric models currently used in DIRSIG and custom BRDFs developed using our methods.

Mid-infrared pulsed laser ultrasonic testing for carbon fiber reinforced plastics.

PubMed

Kusano, Masahiro; Hatano, Hideki; Watanabe, Makoto; Takekawa, Shunji; Yamawaki, Hisashi; Oguchi, Kanae; Enoki, Manabu

2018-03-01

Laser ultrasonic testing (LUT) can realize contactless and instantaneous non-destructive testing, but its signal-to-noise ratio must be improved in order to measure carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs). We have developed a mid-infrared (mid-IR) laser source optimal for generating ultrasonic waves in CFRPs by using a wavelength conversion device based on an optical parametric oscillator. This paper reports a comparison of the ultrasonic generation behavior between the mid-IR laser and the Nd:YAG laser. The mid-IR laser generated a significantly larger ultrasonic amplitude in CFRP laminates than a conventional Nd:YAG laser. In addition, our study revealed that the surface epoxy matrix of CFRPs plays an important role in laser ultrasonic generation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of Optical Parametric Amplifier for Lidar Measurements of Trace Gases on Earth and Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Numata, Kenji; Riris, Haris; Li, Steve; Wu, Stewart; Kawa, Stephen R.; Krainak, Michael; Abshire, James

2011-01-01

Trace gases in planetary atmospheres offer important clues as to the origins of the planet's hydrology, geology. atmosphere. and potential for biology. Wc report on the development effort of a nanosecond-pulsed optical parametric amplifier (OPA) for remote trace gas measurements for Mars and Earth. The OP A output light is single frequency with high spectral purity and is widely tunable both at 1600 nm and 3300 nm with an optical-optical conversion efficiency of approximately 40%. We demonstrated open-path atmospheric measurements ofCH4 (3291 nm and 1651 nm). CO2 (1573 nm), H20 (1652 nm) with this laser source.

Double-pump-pass singly resonant optical parametric oscillator for efficient generation of infrared light at 2300 nm based on PPMgSLT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Seungmin; Rhee, Bum Ku

2015-02-01

The pump laser was a cw-diode-pumped, acousto-optically Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The laser had a pulse width of ~85 ns when operating at 10 kHz repetition rates. For infrared output of 2300 nm, we used 35-mm-long PPMgSLT which has a grating period of 32.7 μm for the first-order quasi-phase matching, resulting in the signal wavelength of 1980 nm at the crystal temperature of 76.5oC. Our optical parametric oscillator (OPO) was of a simple linear extra-cavity structure, formed by two flat dichroic mirrors with a separation of ~45 mm. The input coupling mirror had a high transmission of 98% for the pump, high reflectance of 98% at the signal and idler wavelengths, whereas the output coupler had a high reflectance of 98% at the pump wavelength. Hence, the OPO can be considered as singly resonant with double-pass pumping. In order to find an optimum reflectance for the efficient generation of infrared radiation of 2300 nm, we used the three different output mirrors whose reflectivity are ranging from 90% to 38% at the signal wavelength. We measured the signal and idler power as a function of the pumping power of Nd:YAG laser for three different output couplers. A maximum extraction efficiency with an optimum reflectance of output mirror was 27% for the idler, corresponding to 5.6 W of average output power. The fluctuations in the idler root-mean-square output power were measured to be below 1.5%. Our result is comparable with the recent one based on PPLN even with a simple cavity.

Offset-Free Gigahertz Midinfrared Frequency Comb Based on Optical Parametric Amplification in a Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate Waveguide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, A. S.; Phillips, C. R.; Langrock, C.; Klenner, A.; Johnson, A. R.; Luke, K.; Okawachi, Y.; Lipson, M.; Gaeta, A. L.; Fejer, M. M.; Keller, U.

2016-11-01

We report the generation of an optical-frequency comb in the midinfrared region with 1-GHz comb-line spacing and no offset with respect to absolute-zero frequency. This comb is tunable from 2.5 to 4.2 μ m and covers a critical spectral region for important environmental and industrial applications, such as molecular spectroscopy of trace gases. We obtain such a comb using a highly efficient frequency conversion of a near-infrared frequency comb. The latter is based on a compact diode-pumped semiconductor saturable absorber mirror-mode-locked ytterbium-doped calcium-aluminum gadolynate (Yb:CALGO) laser operating at 1 μ m . The frequency-conversion process is based on optical parametric amplification (OPA) in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) chip containing buried waveguides fabricated by reverse proton exchange. The laser with a repetition rate of 1 GHz is the only active element of the system. It provides the pump pulses for the OPA process as well as seed photons in the range of 1.4 - 1.8 μ m via supercontinuum generation in a silicon-nitride (Si3 N4 ) waveguide. Both the PPLN and Si3 N4 waveguides represent particularly suitable platforms for low-energy nonlinear interactions; they allow for mid-IR comb powers per comb line at the microwatt level and signal amplification levels up to 35 dB, with 2 orders of magnitude less pulse energy than reported in OPA systems using bulk devices. Based on numerical simulations, we explain how high amplification can be achieved at low energy using the interplay between mode confinement and a favorable group-velocity mismatch configuration where the mid-IR pulse moves at the same velocity as the pump.

Spectral and Radiometric Calibration Using Tunable Lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCorkel, Joel (Inventor)

2017-01-01

A tunable laser system includes a tunable laser, an adjustable laser cavity for producing one or more modes of laser light emitted from the tunable laser, a first optical parametric oscillator positioned in a light path of the adjustable laser cavity, and a controller operable to simultaneously control parameters of at least the tunable laser, the first optical parametric oscillator, and the adjustable laser cavity to produce a range of wavelengths emitted from the tunable laser system. A method of operating a tunable laser system includes using a controller to simultaneously control parameters of a tunable laser, an adjustable laser cavity for producing one or more modes of laser light emitted from the tunable laser, and a first optical parametric oscillator positioned in a light path of the adjustable laser cavity, to produce a range of wavelengths emitted from the tunable laser system.

Thermal effects in an ultrafast BiB 3O 6 optical parametric oscillator at high average powers

DOE PAGES

Petersen, T.; Zuegel, J. D.; Bromage, J.

2017-08-15

An ultrafast, high-average-power, extended-cavity, femtosecond BiB 3O 6 optical parametric oscillator was constructed as a test bed for investigating the scalability of infrared parametric devices. Despite the high pulse energies achieved by this system, the reduction in slope efficiency near the maximum-available pump power prompted the investigation of thermal effects in the crystal during operation. Furthermore, the local heating effects in the crystal were used to determine the impact on both phase matching and thermal lensing to understand limitations that must be overcome to achieve microjoule-level pulse energies at high repetition rates.

Thermal effects in an ultrafast BiB 3O 6 optical parametric oscillator at high average powers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Petersen, T.; Zuegel, J. D.; Bromage, J.

An ultrafast, high-average-power, extended-cavity, femtosecond BiB 3O 6 optical parametric oscillator was constructed as a test bed for investigating the scalability of infrared parametric devices. Despite the high pulse energies achieved by this system, the reduction in slope efficiency near the maximum-available pump power prompted the investigation of thermal effects in the crystal during operation. Furthermore, the local heating effects in the crystal were used to determine the impact on both phase matching and thermal lensing to understand limitations that must be overcome to achieve microjoule-level pulse energies at high repetition rates.

Closed-loop wavelength stabilization of an optical parametric oscillator as a front end of a high-power iodine laser chain.

PubMed

Kral, L

2007-05-01

We present a complex stabilization and control system for a commercially available optical parametric oscillator. The system is able to stabilize the oscillator's output wavelength at a narrow spectral line of atomic iodine with subpicometer precision, allowing utilization of this solid-state parametric oscillator as a front end of a high-power photodissociation laser chain formed by iodine gas amplifiers. In such setup, a precise wavelength matching between the front end and the amplifier chain is necessary due to extremely narrow spectral lines of the gaseous iodine (approximately 20 pm). The system is based on a personal computer, a heated iodine cell, and a few other low-cost components. It automatically identifies the proper peak within the iodine absorption spectrum, and then keeps the oscillator tuned to this peak with high precision and reliability. The use of the solid-state oscillator as the front end allows us to use the whole iodine laser system as a pump laser for the optical parametric chirped pulse amplification, as it enables precise time synchronization with a signal Ti:sapphire laser.

Fabrication and characterization of a hybrid four-hole AsSe₂-As₂S₅ microstructured optical fiber with a large refractive index difference.

PubMed

Cheng, Tonglei; Kanou, Yasuhire; Deng, Dinghuan; Xue, Xiaojie; Matsumoto, Morio; Misumi, Takashi; Suzuki, Takenobu; Ohishi, Yasutake

2014-06-02

A hybrid four-hole AsSe2-As2S5 microstructured optical fiber (MOF) with a large refractive index difference is fabricated by the rod-in-tube drawing technique. The core and the cladding are made from the AsSe2 glass and As2S5 glass, respectively. The propagation loss is ~1.8 dB/m and the nonlinear coefficient is ~2.03 × 10(4) km(-1)W(-1) at 2000 nm. Raman scattering is observed in the normal dispersion regime when the fiber is pumped by a 2 μm mode-locked picosecond fiber laser. Additionally, soliton is generated in the anomalous dispersion regime when the fiber is pumped by an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) at the pump wavelength of ~3000 nm.

ANSYS UIDL-Based CAE Development of Axial Support System for Optical Mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, De-Hua; Shao, Liang

2008-09-01

The Whiffle-tree type axial support mechanism is widely adopted by most relatively large optical mirrors. Based on the secondary developing tools offered by the commonly used Finite Element Anylysis (FEA) software ANSYS, ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL) is used for creating the mirror FEA model driven by parameters, and ANSYS User Interface Design Language (UIDL) for generating custom menu of interactive manner, whereby, the relatively independent dedicated Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) module is embedded in ANSYS for calculation and optimization of axial Whiffle-tree support of optical mirrors. An example is also described to illustrate the intuitive and effective usage of the dedicated module by boosting work efficiency and releasing related engineering knowledge of user. The philosophy of secondary-developed special module with commonly used software also suggests itself for product development in other industries.

Optical Imaging and Radiometric Modeling and Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ha, Kong Q.; Fitzmaurice, Michael W.; Moiser, Gary E.; Howard, Joseph M.; Le, Chi M.

2010-01-01

OPTOOL software is a general-purpose optical systems analysis tool that was developed to offer a solution to problems associated with computational programs written for the James Webb Space Telescope optical system. It integrates existing routines into coherent processes, and provides a structure with reusable capabilities that allow additional processes to be quickly developed and integrated. It has an extensive graphical user interface, which makes the tool more intuitive and friendly. OPTOOL is implemented using MATLAB with a Fourier optics-based approach for point spread function (PSF) calculations. It features parametric and Monte Carlo simulation capabilities, and uses a direct integration calculation to permit high spatial sampling of the PSF. Exit pupil optical path difference (OPD) maps can be generated using combinations of Zernike polynomials or shaped power spectral densities. The graphical user interface allows rapid creation of arbitrary pupil geometries, and entry of all other modeling parameters to support basic imaging and radiometric analyses. OPTOOL provides the capability to generate wavefront-error (WFE) maps for arbitrary grid sizes. These maps are 2D arrays containing digital sampled versions of functions ranging from Zernike polynomials to combination of sinusoidal wave functions in 2D, to functions generated from a spatial frequency power spectral distribution (PSD). It also can generate optical transfer functions (OTFs), which are incorporated into the PSF calculation. The user can specify radiometrics for the target and sky background, and key performance parameters for the instrument s focal plane array (FPA). This radiometric and detector model setup is fairly extensive, and includes parameters such as zodiacal background, thermal emission noise, read noise, and dark current. The setup also includes target spectral energy distribution as a function of wavelength for polychromatic sources, detector pixel size, and the FPA s charge diffusion modulation transfer function (MTF).

Noise-figure limit of fiber-optical parametric amplifiers and wavelength converters: experimental investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Renyong; Voss, Paul L.; Lasri, Jacob; Devgan, Preetpaul; Kumar, Prem

2004-10-01

Recent theoretical work predicts that the quantum-limited noise figure of a chi(3)-based fiber-optical parametric amplifier operating as a phase-insensitive in-line amplifier or as a wavelength converter exceeds the standard 3-dB limit at high gain. The degradation of the noise figure is caused by the excess noise added by the unavoidable Raman gain and loss occurring at the signal and the converted wavelengths. We present detailed experimental evidence in support of this theory through measurements of the gain and noise-figure spectra for phase-insensitive parametric amplification and wavelength conversion in a continuous-wave amplifier made from 4.4 km of dispersion-shifted fiber. The theory is also extended to include the effect of distributed linear loss on the noise figure of such a long-length parametric amplifier and wavelength converter.

Femtosecond optical parametric amplification in BBO and KTA driven by a Ti:sapphire laser for LIDT testing and diagnostic development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meadows, Alexander R.; Cupal, Josef; Hříbek, Petr; Durák, Michal; Kramer, Daniel; Rus, Bedřich

2017-05-01

We present the design of a collinear femtosecond optical parametric amplification (OPA) system producing a tunable output at wavelengths between 1030 nm and 1080 nm from a Ti:Sapphire pump laser at a wavelength of 795 nm. Generation of a supercontinuum seed pulse is followed by one stage of amplification in Beta Barium Borate (BBO) and two stages of amplification in Potassium Titanyle Arsenate (KTA), resulting in a 225 μJ output pulse with a duration of 90 fs. The output of the system has been measured by self-referenced spectral interferometry to yield the complete spectrum and spectral phase of the pulse. When compared to KTP, the greater transparency of KTA in the spectral range from 3 - 4 μm allows for reduced idler absorption and enhanced gain from the OPA process when it is pumped by the fundamental frequency of a Ti:sapphire laser. In turn, the use of the Ti:sapphire fundamental at 795 nm as a pump improves the efficiency with which light can be converted to wavelengths between 1030 nm and 1080 nm and subsequently used to test components for Nd-based laser systems. This OPA system is operated at 1 kHz for diagnostic development and laser-induced damage threshold testing of optical components for the ELI-Beamlines project.

Optical parametric oscillation in a random poly-crystalline medium: ZnSe ceramic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ru, Qitian; Kawamori, Taiki; Lee, Nathaniel; Chen, Xuan; Zhong, Kai; Mirov, Mike; Vasilyev, Sergey; Mirov, Sergey B.; Vodopyanov, Konstantin L.

2018-02-01

We demonstrate an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on random phase matching in a polycrystalline χ(2) material, ZnSe. The subharmonic OPO utilized a 1.5-mm-long polished ZnSe ceramic sample placed at the Brewster's angle and was synchronously pumped by a Kerr-lens mode-locked Cr:ZnS laser with a central wavelength of 2.35 μm, a pulse duration of 62 fs, and a repetition frequency of 79 MHz. The OPO had a 90-mW pump threshold, and produced an ultrabroadband spectrum spanning 3-7.5 μm. The observed pump depletion was as high as 79%. The key to success in achieving the OPO action was choosing the average grain size of the ZnSe ceramic to be close to the coherence length ( 100 μm) for our 3-wave interaction. This is the first OPO that uses random polycrystalline material with quadratic nonlinearity and the first OPO based on ZnSe. Very likely, random phase matching in ZnSe and similar random polycrystalline materials (ZnS, CdS, CdSe, GaP) represents a viable route for generating few-cycle pulses and multi-octave frequency combs, thanks to a very broadband nonlinear response.

Tunable femtosecond near-infrared source based on a Yb:LYSO-laser-pumped optical parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen-Long, Tian; Zhao-Hua, Wang; Jiang-Feng, Zhu; Zhi-Yi, Wei

2016-01-01

We demonstrate a widely tunable near-infrared source from 767 nm to 874 nm generated by the intracavity second harmonic generation (SHG) in an optical parametric oscillator pumped by a Yb:LYSO solid-state laser. The home-made Yb:LYSO oscillator centered at 1035 nm delivers an average power of 2 W and a pulse duration as short as 351 fs. Two MgO doped periodically poled lithium niobates (MgO:PPLN) with grating periods of 28.5-31.5 μm in steps of 0.5 μm and 19.5-21.3 μm in steps of 0.2 μm are used for the OPO and intracavity SHG, respectively. The maximum average output power of 180 mW at 798 nm was obtained and the output pulses have pulse duration of 313 fs at 792 nm if a sech2-pulse shape was assumed. In addition, tunable signal femtosecond pulses from 1428 nm to 1763 nm are also realized with the maximum average power of 355 mW at 1628 nm. Project supported by the National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2013CB922402), the National Key Scientific Instruments Development Program of China (Grant No. 2012YQ120047), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61205130 and 11174361), and the Key Deployment Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KJZD-EW-L11-03).

Compact, High-Power, Fiber-Laser-Based Coherent Sources Tunable in the Mid-Infrared and THz Spectrum

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-02-20

conversion sources and optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) for the deep mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral regions >5 μm. We have successfully developed... oscillators (OPOs) for the deep mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral regions >5 µm. We have successfully developed tunable deep mid-IR systems in both...the advancement of nonlinear frequency conversion sources and optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) for the deep mid-infrared (mid- IR) spectral

Two and Three Beam Pumped Optical Parametric Amplifier of Chirped Pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ališauskas, S.; Butkus, R.; Pyragaitė, V.; Smilgevičius, V.; Stabinis, A.; Piskarskas, A.

2010-04-01

We present two and three beam pumped optical parametric amplifier of broadband chirped pulses. The seed pulses from Ti:sapphire oscillator were stretched and amplified in a non-collinear geometry pumping with up to three beams derived from independent laser amplifiers. The signal with ˜90 nm bandwidth was amplified up to 0.72 mJ. The conversion efficiency dependence on intersection angles of pump beams is also revealed.

Phase matched parametric amplification via four-wave mixing in optical microfibers.

PubMed

Abdul Khudus, Muhammad I M; De Lucia, Francesco; Corbari, Costantino; Lee, Timothy; Horak, Peter; Sazio, Pier; Brambilla, Gilberto

2016-02-15

Four-wave mixing (FWM) based parametric amplification in optical microfibers (OMFs) is demonstrated over a wavelength range of over 1000 nm by exploiting their tailorable dispersion characteristics to achieve phase matching. Simulations indicate that for any set of wavelengths satisfying the FWM energy conservation condition there are two diameters at which phase matching in the fundamental mode can occur. Experiments with a high-power pulsed source working in conjunction with a periodically poled silica fiber (PPSF), producing both fundamental and second harmonic signals, are undertaken to investigate the possibility of FWM parametric amplification in OMFs. Large increases of idler output power at the third harmonic wavelength were recorded for diameters close to the two phase matching diameters. A total amplification of more than 25 dB from the initial signal was observed in a 6 mm long optical microfiber, after accounting for the thermal drift of the PPSF and other losses in the system.

Squeezed light in an optical parametric oscillator network with coherent feedback quantum control.

PubMed

Crisafulli, Orion; Tezak, Nikolas; Soh, Daniel B S; Armen, Michael A; Mabuchi, Hideo

2013-07-29

We present squeezing and anti-squeezing spectra of the output from a degenerate optical parametric oscillator (OPO) network arranged in different coherent quantum feedback configurations. One OPO serves as a quantum plant, the other as a quantum controller. The addition of coherent feedback enables shaping of the output squeezing spectrum of the plant, and is found to be capable of pushing the frequency of maximum squeezing away from the optical driving frequency and broadening the spectrum over a wider frequency band. The experimental results are in excellent agreement with the developed theory, and illustrate the use of coherent quantum feedback to engineer the quantum-optical properties of the plant OPO output.

Integrated modeling for parametric evaluation of smart x-ray optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dell'Agostino, S.; Riva, M.; Spiga, D.; Basso, S.; Civitani, Marta

2014-08-01

This work is developed in the framework of AXYOM project, which proposes to study the application of a system of piezoelectric actuators to grazing-incidence X-ray telescope optic prototypes: thin glass or plastic foils, in order to increase their angular resolution. An integrated optomechanical model has been set up to evaluate the performances of X-ray optics under deformation induced by Piezo Actuators. Parametric evaluation has been done looking at different number and position of actuators to optimize the outcome. Different evaluations have also been done over the actuator types, considering Flexible Piezoceramic, Multi Fiber Composites piezo actuators, and PVDF.

Ultrafast optical transistor and router of multi-order fluorescence and spontaneous parametric four-wave mixing in Pr³⁺:YSO.

PubMed

Wen, Feng; Ali, Imran; Hasan, Abdulkhaleq; Li, Changbiao; Tang, Haijun; Zhang, Yufei; Zhang, Yanpeng

2015-10-15

We study the realization of an optical transistor (switch and amplifier) and router in multi-order fluorescence (FL) and spontaneous parametric four-wave mixing (SP-FWM). We estimate that the switching speed is about 15 ns. The router action results from the Autler-Townes splitting in spectral or time domain. The switch and amplifier are realized by dressing suppression and enhancement in FL and SP-FWM. The optical transistor and router can be controlled by multi-parameters (i.e., power, detuning, or polarization).

Dispersion management for a sub-10-fs, 10 TW optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier.

PubMed

Tavella, Franz; Nomura, Yutaka; Veisz, Laszlo; Pervak, Vladimir; Marcinkevicius, Andrius; Krausz, Ferenc

2007-08-01

We report the amplification of three-cycle, 8.5 fs optical pulses in a near-infrared noncollinear optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier (OPCPA) up to energies of 80 mJ. Improved dispersion management in the amplifier by means of a combination of reflection grisms and a chirped-mirror stretcher allowed us to recompress the amplified pulses to within 6% of their Fourier limit. The novel ultrabroad, ultraprecise dispersion control technology presented in this work opens the way to scaling multiterawatt technology to even shorter pulses by optimizing the OPCPA bandwidth.

Nonlinear Optical Properties of Traditional and Novel Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krupa, Sean J.

Nonlinear optical processes are an excellent candidate to provide the heralded, indistinguishable, or entangled photons necessary for development of quantum mechanics based technology which currently lack bright sources of these photons. In order to support these technologies, and others, two classes of materials: traditional and novel, were investigated via optical characterization methods with goal of gaining insight into which materials and experimental conditions yield the greatest nonlinear optical effects. Optical characterization of periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) helped support the development of a simple, efficient photon pair source that could be easily integrated into optical networks. Additionally, an in-situ measurement of the 2nd order nonlinear optical coefficient was developed to aid in the characterization of PPLN pair sources. Lastly, an undergraduate demonstration of quantum key distribution was constructed such that students could see the primary application for PPLN photon pair sources in an affordable, approachable demonstration. A class of novel optical materials known as 2D materials has been identified as potential replacements to the traditional nonlinear optical materials discussed in Part I. Through optical characterization of second harmonic generation (SHG) the ideal conditions for spontaneous parametric downconversion were established as well as signal thresholds for successful detection. Attempts to observe SPDC produces hints that weak generate SPDC may be present in WS2 samples however this is incredibly difficult to confirm. As growth techniques of 2D materials improve, a photonic device constructed from these materials may be possible, however it will need some mechanism e.g. stacking, a cavity, etc. to help enhance the SPDC signal.

Advanced infrared laser modulator development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheo, P. K.; Wagner, R.; Gilden, M.

1984-01-01

A parametric study was conducted to develop an electrooptic waveguide modulator for generating continuous tunable sideband power from an infrared CO2 laser. Parameters included were the waveguide configurations, microstrip dimensions device impedance, and effective dielectric constants. An optimum infrared laser modulator was established and was fabricated. This modulator represents the state-of-the-art integrated optical device, which has a three-dimensional topology to accommodate three lambda/4 step transformers for microwave impedance matching at both the input and output terminals. A flat frequency response of the device over 20 HGz or = 3 dB) was achieved. Maximum single sideband to carrier power greater than 1.2% for 20 W microwave input power at optical carrier wavelength of 10.6 microns was obtained.

Tailoring single-cycle electromagnetic pulses in the 2-9 THz frequency range using DAST/SiO₂ multilayer structures pumped at Ti:sapphire wavelength.

PubMed

Stepanov, Andrei G; Rogov, Andrii; Bonacina, Luigi; Wolf, Jean-Pierre; Hauri, Christoph P

2014-09-08

We present a numerical parametric study of single-cycle electromagnetic pulse generation in a DAST/SiO₂multilayer structure via collinear optical rectification of 800 nm femtosecond laser pulses. It is shown that modifications of the thicknesses of the DAST and SiO₂layers allow tuning of the average frequency of the generated THz pulses in the frequency range from 3 to 6 THz. The laser-to-THz energy conversion efficiency in the proposed structures is compared with that in a bulk DAST crystal and a quasi-phase-matching periodically poled DAST crystal and shows significant enhancement.

Broadband midinfrared frequency comb with tooth scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Kevin F.; Masłowski, P.; Mills, A.; Mohr, C.; Jiang, Jie; Schunemann, Peter G.; Fermann, M. E.

2015-03-01

Frequency combs are a massively parallel source of extremely accurate optical frequencies. Frequency combs generally operate at the visible or near-infrared wavelengths, but fundamental molecular vibrations occur at midinfrared wavelengths. We demonstrate an optically-referenced, broadband midinfrared frequency comb based on a doublyresonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO). By tuning the wavelength of the reference laser, the comb line frequencies are tuned as well. By scanning the reference wavelength, any frequency can be accessed, not just the frequencies of the base comb. Combined with our comb-resolving Fourier transform spectrometer, we can measure 200 wavenumber wide broadband absorption spectra with 200 kHz linewidth comb teeth. Our OPO is pumped by an amplified Tm fiber frequency comb, with phase-locked carrier envelope offset frequency, and repetition rate fixed by phase-locking a frequency comb line to a narrow linewidth diode laser at a telecom channel. The frequency comb is referenced to GPS by long-term stabilization of the repetition rate to a selected value using the temperature of the reference laser as the control. The resulting pump comb is about 3W of 100 fs pulses at 418 MHz repetition rate at 1950 nm. Part of the comb is used for supercontinuum generation for frequency stabilization, and the rest pumps an orientation-patterned gallium arsenide (OP-GaAs) crystal in a doubly-resonant optical parametric oscillator cavity, yielding collinear signal and idler beams from about 3 to 5.5 μm. We verify comb scanning by resolving the 200 MHz wide absorption lines of the entire fundamental CO vibrational manifold at 11 Torr pressure.

Spectral linewidth preservation in parametric frequency combs seeded by dual pumps.

PubMed

Tong, Zhi; Wiberg, Andreas O J; Myslivets, Evgeny; Kuo, Bill P P; Alic, Nikola; Radic, Stojan

2012-07-30

We demonstrate new technique for generation of programmable-pitch, wideband frequency combs with low phase noise. The comb generation was achieved using cavity-less, multistage mixer driven by two tunable continuous-wave pump seeds. The approach relies on phase-correlated continuous-wave pumps in order to cancel spectral linewidth broadening inherent to parametric comb generation. Parametric combs with over 200-nm bandwidth were obtained and characterized with respect to phase noise scaling to demonstrate linewidth preservation over 100 generated tones.

Complementary optical rogue waves in parametric three-wave mixing.

PubMed

Chen, Shihua; Cai, Xian-Ming; Grelu, Philippe; Soto-Crespo, J M; Wabnitz, Stefan; Baronio, Fabio

2016-03-21

We investigate the resonant interaction of two optical pulses of the same group velocity with a pump pulse of different velocity in a weakly dispersive quadratic medium and report on the complementary rogue wave dynamics which are unique to such a parametric three-wave mixing. Analytic rogue wave solutions up to the second order are explicitly presented and their robustness is confirmed by numerical simulations, in spite of the onset of modulation instability activated by quantum noise.

Ground and Airborne Methane Measurements with an Optical Parametric Amplifier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Numata, Kenji

2012-01-01

We report on ground and airborne atmospheric methane measurements with a differential absorption lidar using an optical parametric amplifier (OPA). Methane is a strong greenhouse gas on Earth and its accurate global mapping is urgently needed to understand climate change. We are developing a nanosecond-pulsed OPA for remote measurements of methane from an Earth-orbiting satellite. We have successfully demonstrated the detection of methane on the ground and from an airplane at approximately 11-km altitude.

Performance scaling via passive pulse shaping in cavity-enhanced optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification.

PubMed

Siddiqui, Aleem M; Moses, Jeffrey; Hong, Kyung-Han; Lai, Chien-Jen; Kärtner, Franz X

2010-06-15

We show that an enhancement cavity seeded at the full repetition rate of the pump laser can automatically reshape small-signal gain across the interacting pulses in an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier for close-to-optimal operation, significantly increasing both the gain bandwidth and the conversion efficiency, in addition to boosting gain for high-repetition-rate amplification. Applied to a degenerate amplifier, the technique can provide an octave-spanning gain bandwidth.

Inherent polarization entanglement generated from a monolithic semiconductor chip

PubMed Central

Horn, Rolf T.; Kolenderski, Piotr; Kang, Dongpeng; Abolghasem, Payam; Scarcella, Carmelo; Frera, Adriano Della; Tosi, Alberto; Helt, Lukas G.; Zhukovsky, Sergei V.; Sipe, J. E.; Weihs, Gregor; Helmy, Amr S.; Jennewein, Thomas

2013-01-01

Creating miniature chip scale implementations of optical quantum information protocols is a dream for many in the quantum optics community. This is largely because of the promise of stability and scalability. Here we present a monolithically integratable chip architecture upon which is built a photonic device primitive called a Bragg reflection waveguide (BRW). Implemented in gallium arsenide, we show that, via the process of spontaneous parametric down conversion, the BRW is capable of directly producing polarization entangled photons without additional path difference compensation, spectral filtering or post-selection. After splitting the twin-photons immediately after they emerge from the chip, we perform a variety of correlation tests on the photon pairs and show non-classical behaviour in their polarization. Combined with the BRW's versatile architecture our results signify the BRW design as a serious contender on which to build large scale implementations of optical quantum processing devices. PMID:23896982

A compact OPO/SFG laser for ultraviolet biological sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiihonen, Mikael; Pasiskevicius, Valdas; Laurell, Fredrik; Jonsson, Per; Lindgren, Mikael

2004-07-01

A compact parametric oscillator (OPO) with intracavity sum-frequency generation (SFG) to generate 293 nm UV laser irradiation, was developed. The OPO/SFG device was pumped by a 100 Hz Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm) of own design, including subsequent second harmonic generation (SHG) in an external periodically poled KTiOPO4 (KTP) crystal. The whole system could be used to deliver more than 30 μJ laser irradiation per pulse (100 Hz) at 293 nm. The UV laser light was introduced in an optical fiber attached to a sample compartment allowing detection of fluorescence emission using a commercial spectrometer. Aqueous samples containing biomolecules (ovalbumin) or bacteria spores (Bacillus subtilis) were excited by the UV-light at 293 nm resulting in strong fluorescence emission in the range 325 - 600 nm.

Synthetic perspective optical flow: Influence on pilot control tasks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, C. Thomas; Johnson, Walter W.; Perrone, John A.; Phatak, Anil V.

1989-01-01

One approach used to better understand the impact of visual flow on control tasks has been to use synthetic perspective flow patterns. Such patterns are the result of apparent motion across a grid or random dot display. Unfortunately, the optical flow so generated is based on a subset of the flow information that exists in the real world. The danger is that the resulting optical motions may not generate the visual flow patterns useful for actual flight control. Researchers conducted a series of studies directed at understanding the characteristics of synthetic perspective flow that support various pilot tasks. In the first of these, they examined the control of altitude over various perspective grid textures (Johnson et al., 1987). Another set of studies was directed at studying the head tracking of targets moving in a 3-D coordinate system. These studies, parametric in nature, utilized both impoverished and complex virtual worlds represented by simple perspective grids at one extreme, and computer-generated terrain at the other. These studies are part of an applied visual research program directed at understanding the design principles required for the development of instruments displaying spatial orientation information. The experiments also highlight the need for modeling the impact of spatial displays on pilot control tasks.

Trace Gas Measurements on Mars and Earth Using Optical Parametric Generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Numata, Kenji; Haris, Riris; Li, Steve; Sun, Xiaoli; Abshire, James Brice

2010-01-01

Trace gases and their isotopic ratios in planetary atmospheres offer important but subtle clues as to the origins of a planet's atmosphere, hydrology, geology, and potential for biology. An orbiting laser remote sensing instrument is capable of measuring trace gases on a global scale with unprecedented accuracy, and higher spatial resolution that can be obtained by passive instruments. We have developed an active sensing instrument for the remote measurement of trace gases in planetary atmospheres (including Earth). The technique uses widely tunable, seeded optical parametric generation (OPG) to measure methane, CO2, water vapor, and other trace gases in the near and mid-infrared spectral regions. Methane is a strong greenhouse gas on Earth and it is also a potential biogenic marker on Mars and other planets. Methane in the Earth's atmosphere survives for a shorter time than CO2 but its impact on climate change can be larger than CO2. Methane levels have remained relatively constant over the last decade around 1.78 parts per million (ppm) but recent observations indicate that methane levels may be on the rise. Increasing methane concentrations may trigger a positive feedback loop and a subsequent runaway greenhouse effect, where increasing temperatures result in increasing methane levels. The NRC Decadal Survey recognized the importance of global observations of greenhouse gases and called for simultaneous CH4, CO, and CO2 measurements but also underlined the technological limitations for these observations. For Mars, methane measurements are of great interest because of its potential as a strong biogenic marker. A remote sensing instrument that can measure day and night over all seasons and latitudes can identify and localize sources of biogenic gas plumes produced by subsurface chemistry or biology, and aid in the search for extra-terrestrial life. It can identify the dynamics of methane generation over time and latitude and identify future lander mission sites for more detailed in-situ analysis. In this paper we report on remote sensing measurements of methane using a high peak power, widely tunable optical parametric generator (OPG) operating at 3.3 micron and 1.65 micron. The OPG is pumped by a passively q-switched single frequency laser (3ns, 5KHz, 50uJ) and seeded by a diode laser. The spectral width of both signal and idler of seeded OPG is nearly Fourier transform limited. The output of seeded OPG is single frequency with high spectral purity and is widely tunable. Both 1650 nm and 3300 nm can be generated with a conversion efficiency of more than 30%. We have demonstrated detection of methane at 3274 nm and 1650 nm in a cell and also performed open path atmospheric measurements of methane at the same wavelengths. Finally, we were able to demonstrate simultaneous detection of methane at 3270.4 nm and CO2 at 1578.2 nm. In this paper we will discuss the OPG performance and atmospheric open path measurement results.

Sqeezing generated by a nonlinear master equation and by amplifying-dissipative Hamiltonians

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dodonov, V. V.; Marchiolli, M. A.; Mizrahi, Solomon S.; Moussa, M. H. Y.

1994-01-01

In the first part of this contribution we show that the master equation derived from the generalized version of the nonlinear Doebner-Goldin equation leads to the squeezing of one of the quadratures. In the second part we consider two familiar Hamiltonians, the Bateman- Caldirola-Kanai and the optical parametric oscillator; going back to their classical Lagrangian form we introduce a stochastic force and a dissipative factor. From this new Lagrangian we obtain a modified Hamiltonian that treats adequately the simultaneous amplification and dissipation phenomena, presenting squeezing, too.

Quantum cryptography with perfect multiphoton entanglement.

PubMed

Luo, Yuhui; Chan, Kam Tai

2005-05-01

Multiphoton entanglement in the same polarization has been shown theoretically to be obtainable by type-I spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC), which can generate bright pulses more easily than type-II SPDC. A new quantum cryptographic protocol utilizing polarization pairs with the detected type-I entangled multiphotons is proposed as quantum key distribution. We calculate the information capacity versus photon number corresponding to polarization after considering the transmission loss inside the optical fiber, the detector efficiency, and intercept-resend attacks at the level of channel error. The result compares favorably with all other schemes employing entanglement.

High-power picosecond fiber source for coherent Raman microscopy

PubMed Central

Kieu, Khanh; Saar, Brian G.; Holtom, Gary R.; Xie, X. Sunney; Wise, Frank W.

2011-01-01

We report a high-power picosecond fiber pump laser system for coherent Raman microscopy (CRM). The fiber laser system generates 3.5 ps pulses with 6 W average power at 1030 nm. Frequency doubling yields more than 2 W of green light, which can be used to pump an optical parametric oscillator to produce the pump and the Stokes beams for CRM. Detailed performance data on the laser and the various wavelength conversion steps are discussed, together with representative CRM images of fresh animal tissue obtained with the new source. PMID:19571996

Advances in nonlinear optical materials and devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byer, Robert L.

1991-01-01

The recent progress in the application of nonlinear techniques to extend the frequency of laser sources has come from the joint progress in laser sources and in nonlinear materials. A brief summary of the progress in diode pumped solid state lasers is followed by an overview of progress in nonlinear frequency extension by harmonic generation and parametric processes. Improved nonlinear materials including bulk crystals, quasiphasematched interactions, guided wave devices, and quantum well intersubband studies are discussed with the idea of identifying areas of future progress in nonlinear materials and devices.

High contrast research in the Nd:glass laser system based on optical parametric amplification temporal cleaning device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Xiaoming; Leng, Yuxin; Sui, Zhan; Li, Yanyan; Zhang, Zongxin; Xu, Yi; Guo, Xiaoyang; Liu, Yanqi; Li, Ruxin; Xu, Zhizhan

2014-02-01

We demonstrate high amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) contrast pulses in a Nd:glass laser system based on the hybrid double chirped pulse amplification (double CPA) scheme. By an OPA temporal cleaning device, ~100 uJ/46 fs/ 1011 clean pulses are generated and amplified in the next Nd:glass laser. After compressor, >150 mJ/~0.5 ps/1 Hz pulses can be obtained. The ASE temporal contrast of amplified pulses is ~1011 with energy gain ~2.5×104 in the Nd:glass amplifiers.

Terahertz parametric sources and imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamashita, M.; Ogawa, Y.; Otani, C.; Kawase, K.

2005-12-01

We have studied the generation of terahertz (THz) waves by optical parametric processes based on laser light scattering from the polariton mode of nonlinear crystals. Using parametric oscillation of LiNbO 3 or MgO-doped LiNbO 3 crystal pumped by a nano-second Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, we have realized a widely tunable coherent THz-wave sources with a simple configuration. We report the detailed characteristics of the oscillation and the radiation including tunability, spatial and temporal coherency, uni directivity, and efficiency. A Fourier transform limited THz-wave spectrum narrowing was achieved by introducing the injection seeding method. Further, we have developed a spectroscopic THz imaging system using a TPO, which allows detection and identification of drugs concealed in envelopes, by introducing the component spatial pattern analysis. Several images of the envelope are recorded at different THz frequencies and then processed. The final result is an image that reveals what substances are present in the envelope, in what quantity, and how they are distributed across the envelope area. The example presented here shows the identification of three drugs, two of which illegal, while one is an over-the-counter drug.

Effect of idler absorption in pulsed optical parametric oscillators.

PubMed

Rustad, Gunnar; Arisholm, Gunnar; Farsund, Øystein

2011-01-31

Absorption at the idler wavelength in an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) is often considered detrimental. We show through simulations that pulsed OPOs with significant idler absorption can perform better than OPOs with low idler absorption both in terms of conversion efficiency and beam quality. The main reason for this is reduced back conversion. We also show how the beam quality depends on the beam width and pump pulse length, and present scaling relations to use the example simulations for other pulsed nanosecond OPOs.

Mid-infrared wavelength- and frequency-modulation spectroscopy with a pump-modulated singly-resonant optical parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindsay, I. D.; Groß, P.; Lee, C. J.; Adhimoolam, B.; Boller, K.-J.

2006-12-01

We describe the implementation of the wavelength- and frequency-modulation spectroscopy techniques using a singly-resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped by a fiber-amplified diode laser. Frequency modulation of the diode laser was transferred to the OPO’s mid-infrared idler output, avoiding the need for external modulation devices. This approach thus provides a means of implementing these important techniques with powerful, widely tunable, mid-infrared sources while retaining the simple, flexible modulation properties of diode lasers.

Cooling optically levitated dielectric nanoparticles via parametric feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neukirch, Levi; Rodenburg, Brandon; Bhattacharya, Mishkatul; Vamivakas, Nick

2015-05-01

The inability to leverage resonant scattering processes involving internal degrees of freedom differentiates optical cooling experiments performed with levitated dielectric nanoparticles, from similar atomic and molecular traps. Trapping in optical cavities or the application of active feedback techniques have proven to be effective ways to circumvent this limitation. We present our nanoparticle optical cooling apparatus, which is based on parametric feedback modulation of a single-beam gradient force optical trap. This scheme allows us to achieve effective center-of-mass temperatures well below 1 kelvin for our ~ 1 ×10-18 kg particles, at modest vacuum pressures. The method provides a versatile platform, with parameter tunability not found in conventional tethered nanomechanical systems. Potential applications include investigations of nonequilibrium nanoscale thermodynamics, ultra-sensitive force metrology, and mesoscale quantum mechanics and hybrid systems. Supported by the office of Naval Research award number N000141410442.

Isolated attosecond pulses in the water window

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Zenghu

Millijoule level, few-cycle, carrier-envelope phase (CEP) stable Ti:Sapphire lasers have been the workhorse for the first generation attosecond light sources in the last decade. The spectral range of isolated attosecond pulses with sufficient photon flux for time-resolved pump-probe experiments has been limited to extreme ultraviolet (10 to 150 eV). The shortest pulses achieved are 67 as. The center wavelength of Ti:Sapphire lasers is 800 nm. It was demonstrated in 2001 that the cutoff photon energy of the high harmonic spectrum can be extended by increasing the center wavelength of the driving lasers. In recent years, mJ level, two-cycle, carrier-envelope phase stabilized lasers at 1.6 to 2.1 micron have been developed by compressing pulses from Optical Parametric Amplifiers with gas-filled hollow-core fibers or by implementing Optical Parametric Chirped Pulse Amplification (OPCPA) techniques. Recently, when long wavelength driving was combined with polarization gating, isolated soft x-rays in the water window (280-530 eV) were generated in our laboratory. The number of x-ray photons in the 120-400 eV range is comparable to that generated with Ti:Sapphire lasers in the 50 to 150 eV range. The yield of harmonic generation depends strongly on the ellipticity of the driving fields, which is the foundation of polarization gating. When the width of the gate was set to less than one half of the laser cycle, a soft x-ray supercontinuum was generated. The intensity of the gated x-ray spectrum is sensitive to the carrier-envelope phase of the driving laser, which indicates that single isolated attosecond pulses were generated. The ultrabroadband isolated x-ray pulses with 53 as duration were characterized by attosecond streaking measurements. This work has been supported by the DARPA PULSE program (W31P4Q1310017); the Army Research Office (W911NF-14-1-0383, W911NF-15-1- 0336); the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (FA9550-15-1-0037, FA9550-16-1-0149), and NSF 1506345.

Influence of wave-front curvature on supercontinuum energy during filamentation of femtosecond laser pulses in water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potemkin, F. V.; Mareev, E. I.; Smetanina, E. O.

2018-03-01

We demonstrate that using spatially divergent incident femtosecond 1240-nm laser pulses in water leads to an efficient supercontinuum generation in filaments. Optimal conditions were found when the focal plane is placed 100 -400 μ m before the water surface. Under sufficiently weak focusing conditions [numerical aperture (NA )<0.2 ] and low-energy laser pulses, the supercontinuum energy generated in divergent beams is higher than the supercontinuum energy generated in convergent beams. Analysis by means of the unidirectional pulse propagation equation shows a dramatic difference between filamentation scenarios of divergent and convergent beams, that explains corresponding features of the supercontinuum generation. Under strong focusing conditions (NA ⩾0.2 ) and high-energy laser pulses, the supercontinuum generation is suppressed for convergent beams in contrast to divergent beams that nevertheless are shown experimentally to allow supercontinuum generation. The presented technique of the supercontinuum generation in divergent beams in water is highly demanded in a development of femtosecond optical parametric amplifiers.

Parametric imaging of collagen structural changes in human osteoarthritic cartilage using optical polarization tractography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravanfar, Mohammadreza; Pfeiffer, Ferris M.; Bozynski, Chantelle C.; Wang, Yuanbo; Yao, Gang

2017-12-01

Collagen degeneration is an important pathological feature of osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PSOCT)-based optical polarization tractography (OPT) can be useful in imaging collagen structural changes in human osteoarthritic cartilage samples. OPT eliminated the banding artifacts in conventional PSOCT by calculating the depth-resolved local birefringence and fiber orientation. A close comparison between OPT and PSOCT showed that OPT provided improved visualization and characterization of the zonal structure in human cartilage. Experimental results obtained in this study also underlined the importance of knowing the collagen fiber orientation in conventional polarized light microscopy assessment. In addition, parametric OPT imaging was achieved by quantifying the surface roughness, birefringence, and fiber dispersion in the superficial zone of the cartilage. These quantitative parametric images provided complementary information on the structural changes in cartilage, which can be useful for a comprehensive evaluation of collagen damage in osteoarthritic cartilage.

Advanced Imaging Methods for Long-Baseline Optical Interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Besnerais, G.; Lacour, S.; Mugnier, L. M.; Thiebaut, E.; Perrin, G.; Meimon, S.

2008-11-01

We address the data processing methods needed for imaging with a long baseline optical interferometer. We first describe parametric reconstruction approaches and adopt a general formulation of nonparametric image reconstruction as the solution of a constrained optimization problem. Within this framework, we present two recent reconstruction methods, Mira and Wisard, representative of the two generic approaches for dealing with the missing phase information. Mira is based on an implicit approach and a direct optimization of a Bayesian criterion while Wisard adopts a self-calibration approach and an alternate minimization scheme inspired from radio-astronomy. Both methods can handle various regularization criteria. We review commonly used regularization terms and introduce an original quadratic regularization called ldquosoft support constraintrdquo that favors the object compactness. It yields images of quality comparable to nonquadratic regularizations on the synthetic data we have processed. We then perform image reconstructions, both parametric and nonparametric, on astronomical data from the IOTA interferometer, and discuss the respective roles of parametric and nonparametric approaches for optical interferometric imaging.

Multipass OPCPA system at 100 kHz pumped by a CPA-free solid-state amplifier.

PubMed

Ahrens, J; Prochnow, O; Binhammer, T; Lang, T; Schulz, B; Frede, M; Morgner, U

2016-04-18

We present a compact few-cycle 100 kHz OPCPA system pumped by a CPA-free picosecond Nd:YVO₄ solid-state amplifier with all-optical synchronization to an ultra-broadband Ti:sapphire oscillator. This pump approach shows an exceptional conversion rate into the second harmonic of almost 78%. Efficient parametric amplification was realized by a two stage double-pass scheme with following chirped mirror compressor. The amount of superfluorescence was measured by an optical cross-correlation. Pulses with a duration of 8.7 fs at energies of 18 µJ are demonstrated. Due to the peak power of 1.26 GW, this simple OPCPA approach forms an ideal high repetition rate driving source for high-order harmonic generation.

Opo lidar sounding of trace atmospheric gases in the 3 - 4 μm spectral range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanovskii, Oleg A.; Sadovnikov, Sergey A.; Kharchenko, Olga V.; Yakovlev, Semen V.

2018-04-01

The applicability of a KTA crystal-based laser system with optical parametric oscillators (OPO) generation to lidar sounding of the atmosphere in the spectral range 3-4 μm is studied in this work. A technique developed for lidar sounding of trace atmospheric gases (TAG) is based on differential absorption lidar (DIAL) method and differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS). The DIAL-DOAS technique is tested to estimate its efficiency for lidar sounding of atmospheric trace gases. The numerical simulation performed shows that a KTA-based OPO laser is a promising source of radiation for remote DIAL-DOAS sounding of the TAGs under study along surface tropospheric paths. A possibility of using a PD38-03-PR photodiode for the DIAL gas analysis of the atmosphere is shown.

Widely tunable and monochromatic terahertz difference frequency generation with organic crystal 2-(3-(4-hydroxystyryl)-5,5-dime-thylcyclohex-2-enylidene) malononitrile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Pengxiang; Zhang, Xinyuan; Yan, Chao; Xu, Degang; Li, Yin; Shi, Wei; Zhang, Guochun; Zhang, Xinzheng; Yao, Jianquan; Wu, Yicheng

2016-01-01

We report an experimental study on widely tunable terahertz (THz) wave difference frequency generation (DFG) with hydrogen-bonded crystals 2-(3-(4-hydroxystyryl)-5,5-dime-thylcyclohex-2-enylidene) malononitrile (OH1). The organic crystals were pumped by a ˜1.3 μm double-pass KTiOPO4 optical parametric oscillator. A tuning range of 0.02-20 THz was achieved. OH1 crystals offer a long effective interaction length (also high output) for the generation below 3 THz, owing to the low absorption and favorable phase-matching. The highest energy of 507 nJ/pulse was generated at 1.92 THz with a 1.89-mm-thick crystal. Comprehensive explanations were provided, on the basis of theoretical calculations. Cascading phenomenon during the DFG process was demonstrated. The photon conversion efficiency could reach 2.9%.

Widely tunable and monochromatic terahertz difference frequency generation with organic crystal 2-(3-(4-hydroxystyryl)-5,5-dime-thylcyclohex-2-enylidene) malononitrile

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Pengxiang; The Key Laboratory of Weak-Light Nonlinear Photonics, Ministry of Education, School of Physics and TEDA Applied Physics Institute, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071; Zhang, Xinyuan

2016-01-04

We report an experimental study on widely tunable terahertz (THz) wave difference frequency generation (DFG) with hydrogen-bonded crystals 2-(3-(4-hydroxystyryl)-5,5-dime-thylcyclohex-2-enylidene) malononitrile (OH1). The organic crystals were pumped by a ∼1.3 μm double-pass KTiOPO{sub 4} optical parametric oscillator. A tuning range of 0.02–20 THz was achieved. OH1 crystals offer a long effective interaction length (also high output) for the generation below 3 THz, owing to the low absorption and favorable phase-matching. The highest energy of 507 nJ/pulse was generated at 1.92 THz with a 1.89-mm-thick crystal. Comprehensive explanations were provided, on the basis of theoretical calculations. Cascading phenomenon during the DFG process wasmore » demonstrated. The photon conversion efficiency could reach 2.9%.« less

Near-self-imaging cavity for three-mode optoacoustic parametric amplifiers using silicon microresonators.

PubMed

Liu, Jian; Torres, F A; Ma, Yubo; Zhao, C; Ju, L; Blair, D G; Chao, S; Roch-Jeune, I; Flaminio, R; Michel, C; Liu, K-Y

2014-02-10

Three-mode optoacoustic parametric amplifiers (OAPAs), in which a pair of photon modes are strongly coupled to an acoustic mode, provide a general platform for investigating self-cooling, parametric instability and very sensitive transducers. Their realization requires an optical cavity with tunable transverse modes and a high quality-factor mirror resonator. This paper presents the design of a table-top OAPA based on a near-self-imaging cavity design, using a silicon torsional microresonator. The design achieves a tuning coefficient for the optical mode spacing of 2.46  MHz/mm. This allows tuning of the mode spacing between amplification and self-cooling regimes of the OAPA device. Based on demonstrated resonator parameters (frequencies ∼400  kHz and quality-factors ∼7.5×10(5) we predict that the OAPA can achieve parametric instability with 1.6 μW of input power and mode cooling by a factor of 1.9×10(4) with 30 mW of input power.

Fiber-laser-based, green-pumped, picosecond optical parametric oscillator using fan-out grating PPKTP.

PubMed

Chaitanya Kumar, S; Parsa, S; Ebrahim-Zadeh, M

2016-01-01

We report a stable, Yb-fiber-laser-based, green-pumped, picosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO) for the near-infrared based on periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate (PPKTP) nonlinear crystal, using fan-out grating design and operating near room temperature. The OPO is continuously tunable across 726-955 nm in the signal and 1201-1998 nm in the idler, resulting in a total signal plus idler wavelength coverage of 1026 nm by grating tuning at a fixed temperature. The device generates up to 580 mW of average power in the signal at 765 nm and 300 mW in the idler at 1338 nm, with an overall extraction efficiency of up to 52% and a pump depletion >76%. The extracted signal at 765 nm and idler at 1746 nm exhibit excellent passive power stability better than 0.5% and 0.8% rms, respectively, over 1 h with good beam quality in TEM₀₀ mode profile. The output signal pulses have a Gaussian temporal duration of 13.2 ps, with a FWHM spectral bandwidth of 3.4 nm at 79.5 MHz repetition rate. Power scaling limitations of the OPO due to the material properties of PPKTP are studied.

Parametric amplification of a superconducting plasma wave

DOE PAGES

Rajasekaran, S.; Casandruc, E.; Laplace, Y.; ...

2016-07-11

Many applications in photonics require all-optical manipulation of plasma waves, which can concentrate electromagnetic energy on sub-wavelength length scales. This is difficult in metallic plasmas because of their small optical nonlinearities. Some layered superconductors support Josephson plasma waves, involving oscillatory tunnelling of the superfluid between capacitively coupled planes. Josephson plasma waves are also highly nonlinear, and exhibit striking phenomena such as cooperative emission of coherent terahertz radiation, superconductor–metal oscillations and soliton formation. In this paper, we show that terahertz Josephson plasma waves can be parametrically amplified through the cubic tunnelling nonlinearity in a cuprate superconductor. Finally, parametric amplification is sensitivemore » to the relative phase between pump and seed waves, and may be optimized to achieve squeezing of the order-parameter phase fluctuations or terahertz single-photon devices.« less

Resonant dampers for parametric instabilities in gravitational wave detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gras, S.; Fritschel, P.; Barsotti, L.; Evans, M.

2015-10-01

Advanced gravitational wave interferometric detectors will operate at their design sensitivity with nearly ˜1 MW of laser power stored in the arm cavities. Such large power may lead to the uncontrolled growth of acoustic modes in the test masses due to the transfer of optical energy to the mechanical modes of the arm cavity mirrors. These parametric instabilities have the potential to significantly compromise the detector performance and control. Here we present the design of "acoustic mode dampers" that use the piezoelectric effect to reduce the coupling of optical to mechanical energy. Experimental measurements carried on an Advanced LIGO-like test mass have shown a tenfold reduction in the amplitude of several mechanical modes, thus suggesting that this technique can greatly mitigate the impact of parametric instabilities in advanced detectors.

High-power Femtosecond Optical Parametric Amplification at 1 kHz in BiB(3)O(6) pumped at 800 nm.

PubMed

Petrov, Valentin; Noack, Frank; Tzankov, Pancho; Ghotbi, Masood; Ebrahim-Zadeh, Majid; Nikolov, Ivailo; Buchvarov, Ivan

2007-01-22

Substantial power scaling of a travelling-wave femtosecond optical parametric amplifier, pumped near 800 nm by a 1 kHz Ti:sapphire laser amplifier, is demonstrated using monoclinic BiB(3)O(6) in a two stage scheme with continuum seeding. Total energy output (signal plus idler) exceeding 1 mJ is achieved, corresponding to an intrinsic conversion efficiency of approximately 32% for the second stage. The tunability extends from 1.1 to 2.9 microm. The high parametric gain and broad amplification bandwidth of this crystal allowed the maintenance of the pump pulse duration, leading to pulse lengths less than 140 fs, both for the signal and idler pulses, even at such high output levels.

High-energy terahertz wave parametric oscillator with a surface-emitted ring-cavity configuration.

PubMed

Yang, Zhen; Wang, Yuye; Xu, Degang; Xu, Wentao; Duan, Pan; Yan, Chao; Tang, Longhuang; Yao, Jianquan

2016-05-15

A surface-emitted ring-cavity terahertz (THz) wave parametric oscillator has been demonstrated for high-energy THz output and fast frequency tuning in a wide frequency range. Through the special optical design with a galvano-optical scanner and four-mirror ring-cavity structure, the maximum THz wave output energy of 12.9 μJ/pulse is achieved at 1.359 THz under the pump energy of 172.8 mJ. The fast THz frequency tuning in the range of 0.7-2.8 THz can be accessed with the step response of 600 μs. Moreover, the maximum THz wave output energy from this configuration is 3.29 times as large as that obtained from the conventional surface-emitted THz wave parametric oscillator with the same experimental conditions.

Shape sensing using multi-core fiber optic cable and parametric curve solutions.

PubMed

Moore, Jason P; Rogge, Matthew D

2012-01-30

The shape of a multi-core optical fiber is calculated by numerically solving a set of Frenet-Serret equations describing the path of the fiber in three dimensions. Included in the Frenet-Serret equations are curvature and bending direction functions derived from distributed fiber Bragg grating strain measurements in each core. The method offers advantages over prior art in that it determines complex three-dimensional fiber shape as a continuous parametric solution rather than an integrated series of discrete planar bends. Results and error analysis of the method using a tri-core optical fiber is presented. Maximum error expressed as a percentage of fiber length was found to be 7.2%.

Non-classical light generated by quantum-noise-driven cavity optomechanics.

PubMed

Brooks, Daniel W C; Botter, Thierry; Schreppler, Sydney; Purdy, Thomas P; Brahms, Nathan; Stamper-Kurn, Dan M

2012-08-23

Optomechanical systems, in which light drives and is affected by the motion of a massive object, will comprise a new framework for nonlinear quantum optics, with applications ranging from the storage and transduction of quantum information to enhanced detection sensitivity in gravitational wave detectors. However, quantum optical effects in optomechanical systems have remained obscure, because their detection requires the object’s motion to be dominated by vacuum fluctuations in the optical radiation pressure; so far, direct observations have been stymied by technical and thermal noise. Here we report an implementation of cavity optomechanics using ultracold atoms in which the collective atomic motion is dominantly driven by quantum fluctuations in radiation pressure. The back-action of this motion onto the cavity light field produces ponderomotive squeezing. We detect this quantum phenomenon by measuring sub-shot-noise optical squeezing. Furthermore, the system acts as a low-power, high-gain, nonlinear parametric amplifier for optical fluctuations, demonstrating a gain of 20 dB with a pump corresponding to an average of only seven intracavity photons. These findings may pave the way for low-power quantum optical devices, surpassing quantum limits on position and force sensing, and the control and measurement of motion in quantum gases.

Low-threshold collinear parametric Raman comb generation in calcite under 532 and 1064 nm picosecond laser pumping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smetanin, S. N.; Jelínek, M., Jr.; Kubeček, V.; Jelínková, H.

2015-09-01

Optimal conditions of low-threshold collinear parametric Raman comb generation in calcite (CaCO3) are experimentally investigated under 20 ps laser pulse excitation, in agreement with the theoretical study. The collinear parametric Raman generation of the highest number of Raman components in the short calcite crystals corresponding to the optimal condition of Stokes-anti-Stokes coupling was achieved. At the excitation wavelength of 1064 nm, using the optimum-length crystal resulted in the effective multi-octave frequency Raman comb generation containing up to five anti-Stokes and more than four Stokes components (from 674 nm to 1978 nm). The 532 nm pumping resulted in the frequency Raman comb generation from the 477 nm 2nd anti-Stokes up to the 692 nm 4th Stokes component. Using the crystal with a non-optimal length leads to the Stokes components generation only with higher thresholds because of the cascade-like stimulated Raman scattering with suppressed parametric coupling.

SiNOI and AlGaAs-on-SOI nonlinear circuits for continuum generation in Si photonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Dirani, Houssein; Monat, Christelle; Brision, Stéphane; Olivier, Nicolas; Jany, Christophe; Letartre, Xavier; Pu, Minhao; Girouard, Peter D.; Hagedorn Frandsen, Lars; Semenova, Elizaveta; Katsuo Oxenløwe, Leif; Yvind, Kresten; Sciancalepore, Corrado

2018-02-01

In this communication, we report on the design, fabrication, and testing of Silicon Nitride on Insulator (SiNOI) and Aluminum-Gallium-Arsenide (AlGaAs) on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) nonlinear photonic circuits for continuum generation in Silicon (Si) photonics. As recently demonstrated, the generation of frequency continua and supercontinua can be used to overcome the intrinsic limitations of nowadays silicon photonics notably concerning the heterogeneous integration of III-V on SOI lasers for datacom and telecom applications. By using the Kerr nonlinearity of monolithic silicon nitride and heterointegrated GaAs-based alloys on SOI, the generation of tens or even hundreds of new optical frequencies can be obtained in dispersion tailored waveguides, thus providing an all-optical alternative to the heterointegration of hundreds of standalone III-V on Si lasers. In our work, we present paths to energy-efficient continua generation on silicon photonics circuits. Notably, we demonstrate spectral broadening covering the full C-band via Kerrbased self-phase modulation in SiNOI nanowires featuring full process compatibility with Si photonic devices. Moreover, AlGaAs waveguides are heterointegrated on SOI in order to dramatically reduce (x1/10) thresholds in optical parametric oscillation and in the power required for supercontinuum generation under pulsed pumping. The manufacturing techniques allowing the monolithic co-integration of nonlinear functionalities on existing CMOS-compatible Si photonics for both active and passive components will be shown. Experimental evidence based on self-phase modulation show SiNOI and AlGaAs nanowires capable of generating wide-spanning frequency continua in the C-Band. This will pave the way for low-threshold power-efficient Kerr-based comb- and continuum- sources featuring compatibility with Si photonic integrated circuits (Si-PICs).

Three-Dimensional Unstained Live-Cell Imaging Using Stimulated Parametric Emission Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dang, Hieu M.; Kawasumi, Takehito; Omura, Gen; Umano, Toshiyuki; Kajiyama, Shin'ichiro; Ozeki, Yasuyuki; Itoh, Kazuyoshi; Fukui, Kiichi

2009-09-01

The ability to perform high-resolution unstained live imaging is very important to in vivo study of cell structures and functions. Stimulated parametric emission (SPE) microscopy is a nonlinear-optical microscopy based on ultra-fast electronic nonlinear-optical responses. For the first time, we have successfully applied this technique to archive three-dimensional (3D) images of unstained sub-cellular structures, such as, microtubules, nuclei, nucleoli, etc. in live cells. Observation of a complete cell division confirms the ability of SPE microscopy for long time-scale imaging.

Pattern formation without diffraction matching in optical parametric oscillators with a metamaterial.

PubMed

Tassin, Philippe; Van der Sande, Guy; Veretennicoff, Irina; Kockaert, Pascal; Tlidi, Mustapha

2009-05-25

We consider a degenerate optical parametric oscillator containing a left-handed material. We show that the inclusion of a left-handed material layer allows for controlling the strength and sign of the diffraction coefficient at either the pump or the signal frequency. Subsequently, we demonstrate the existence of stable dissipative structures without diffraction matching, i.e., without the usual relationship between the diffraction coefficients of the signal and pump fields. Finally, we investigate the size scaling of these light structures with decreasing diffraction strength.

Optical parametric amplifiers using chirped quasi-phase-matching gratings I: practical design formulas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Charbonneau-Lefort, Mathieu; Afeyan, Bedros; Fejer, M. M.

Optical parametric amplifiers using chirped quasi-phase-matching (QPM) gratings offer the possibility of engineering the gain and group delay spectra. We give practical formulas for the design of such amplifiers. We consider linearly chirped QPM gratings providing constant gain over a broad bandwidth, sinusoidally modulated profiles for selective frequency amplification and a pair of QPM gratings working in tandem to ensure constant gain and constant group delay at the same time across the spectrum. Finally, the analysis is carried out in the frequency domain using Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin analysis.

Controlled Asymmetry of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Steering with an Injected Nondegenerate Optical Parametric Oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olsen, M. K.

2017-10-01

We propose and analyze a nonlinear optical apparatus in which the direction of asymmetric steering is controllable within the apparatus, rather than by adding noise to measurements. Using a nondegenerate parametric oscillator with an injected signal field, we show how the directionality and extent of the steering can be readily controlled for output modes that can be up to one octave apart. The two down-converted modes, which exhibit the greater violations of the steering inequalities, can also be controlled to exhibit asymmetric steering in some regimes.

Parametric amplification in MoS2 drum resonator.

PubMed

Prasad, Parmeshwar; Arora, Nishta; Naik, A K

2017-11-30

Parametric amplification is widely used in diverse areas from optics to electronic circuits to enhance low level signals by varying relevant system parameters. Parametric amplification has also been performed in several micro-nano resonators including nano-electromechanical system (NEMS) resonators based on a two-dimensional (2D) material. Here, we report the enhancement of mechanical response in a MoS 2 drum resonator using degenerate parametric amplification. We use parametric pumping to modulate the spring constant of the MoS 2 resonator and achieve a 10 dB amplitude gain. We also demonstrate quality factor enhancement in the resonator with parametric amplification. We investigate the effect of cubic nonlinearity on parametric amplification and show that it limits the gain of the mechanical resonator. Amplifying ultra-small displacements at room temperature and understanding the limitations of the amplification in these devices is key for using these devices for practical applications.

Effects of time ordering in quantum nonlinear optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quesada, Nicolás; Sipe, J. E.

2014-12-01

We study time-ordering corrections to the description of spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC), four-wave mixing (SFWM), and frequency conversion using the Magnus expansion. Analytic approximations to the evolution operator that are unitary are obtained. They are Gaussian preserving, and allow us to understand order-by-order the effects of time ordering. We show that the corrections due to time ordering vanish exactly if the phase-matching function is sufficiently broad. The calculation of the effects of time ordering on the joint spectral amplitude of the photons generated in SPDC and SFWM are reduced to quadrature.

Laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy of the secondary cataract

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maslov, N. A.; Larionov, P. M.; Rozhin, I. A.; Druzhinin, I. B.; Chernykh, V. V.

2016-06-01

Excitation-emission matrices of laser-induced fluorescence of lens capsule epithelium, the lens nucleus, and the lens capsule are investigated. A solid-state laser in combination with an optical parametric generator tunable in the range from 210 to 350 nm was used for excitation of fluorescence. The spectra of fluorescence of all three types of tissues exhibit typical features that are specific to them and drastically differ from one another. This effect can be used for intrasurgical control of presence of residual lens capsule epithelium cells in the capsular bag after surgical treatment of a cataract.

Parametric analysis of ATM solar array.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, B. K.; Adkisson, W. B.

1973-01-01

The paper discusses the methods used for the calculation of ATM solar array performance characteristics and provides the parametric analysis of solar panels used in SKYLAB. To predict the solar array performance under conditions other than test conditions, a mathematical model has been developed. Four computer programs have been used to convert the solar simulator test data to the parametric curves. The first performs module summations, the second determines average solar cell characteristics which will cause a mathematical model to generate a curve matching the test data, the third is a polynomial fit program which determines the polynomial equations for the solar cell characteristics versus temperature, and the fourth program uses the polynomial coefficients generated by the polynomial curve fit program to generate the parametric data.

Integrating science and education during an international, multi-parametric investigation of volcanic activity at Santiaguito volcano, Guatemala

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavallée, Yan; Johnson, Jeffrey; Andrews, Benjamin; Wolf, Rudiger; Rose, William; Chigna, Gustavo; Pineda, Armand

2016-04-01

In January 2016, we held the first scientific/educational Workshops on Volcanoes (WoV). The workshop took place at Santiaguito volcano - the most active volcano in Guatemala. 69 international scientists of all ages participated in this intensive, multi-parametric investigation of the volcanic activity, which included the deployment of seismometers, tiltmeters, infrasound microphones and mini-DOAS as well as optical, thermographic, UV and FTIR cameras around the active vent. These instruments recorded volcanic activity in concert over a period of 3 to 9 days. Here we review the research activities and present some of the spectacular observations made through this interdisciplinary efforts. Observations range from high-resolution drone and IR footage of explosions, monitoring of rock falls and quantification of the erupted mass of different gases and ash, as well as morphological changes in the dome caused by recurring explosions (amongst many other volcanic processes). We will discuss the success of such integrative ventures in furthering science frontiers and developing the next generation of geoscientists.

CITIUS: An infrared-extreme ultraviolet light source for fundamental and applied ultrafast science

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grazioli, C.; Gauthier, D.; Ivanov, R.

2014-02-15

We present the main features of CITIUS, a new light source for ultrafast science, generating tunable, intense, femtosecond pulses in the spectral range from infrared to extreme ultraviolet (XUV). The XUV pulses (about 10{sup 5}-10{sup 8} photons/pulse in the range 14-80 eV) are produced by laser-induced high-order harmonic generation in gas. This radiation is monochromatized by a time-preserving monochromator, also allowing one to work with high-resolution bandwidth selection. The tunable IR-UV pulses (10{sup 12}-10{sup 15} photons/pulse in the range 0.4-5.6 eV) are generated by an optical parametric amplifier, which is driven by a fraction of the same laser pulse thatmore » generates high order harmonics. The IR-UV and XUV pulses follow different optical paths and are eventually recombined on the sample for pump-probe experiments. We also present the results of two pump-probe experiments: with the first one, we fully characterized the temporal duration of harmonic pulses in the time-preserving configuration; with the second one, we demonstrated the possibility of using CITIUS for selective investigation of the ultra-fast dynamics of different elements in a magnetic compound.« less

Unity-Efficiency Parametric Down-Conversion via Amplitude Amplification.

PubMed

Niu, Murphy Yuezhen; Sanders, Barry C; Wong, Franco N C; Shapiro, Jeffrey H

2017-03-24

We propose an optical scheme, employing optical parametric down-converters interlaced with nonlinear sign gates (NSGs), that completely converts an n-photon Fock-state pump to n signal-idler photon pairs when the down-converters' crystal lengths are chosen appropriately. The proof of this assertion relies on amplitude amplification, analogous to that employed in Grover search, applied to the full quantum dynamics of single-mode parametric down-conversion. When we require that all Grover iterations use the same crystal, and account for potential experimental limitations on crystal-length precision, our optimized conversion efficiencies reach unity for 1≤n≤5, after which they decrease monotonically for n values up to 50, which is the upper limit of our numerical dynamics evaluations. Nevertheless, our conversion efficiencies remain higher than those for a conventional (no NSGs) down-converter.

Low-phonon-frequency chalcogenide crystalline hosts for rare earth lasers operating beyond three microns

DOEpatents

Payne, Stephen A.; Page, Ralph H.; Schaffers, Kathleen I.; Nostrand, Michael C.; Krupke, William F.; Schunemann, Peter G.

2000-01-01

The invention comprises a RE-doped MA.sub.2 X.sub.4 crystalline gain medium, where M includes a divalent ion such as Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Pb, Eu, or Yb; A is selected from trivalent ions including Al, Ga, and In; X is one of the chalcogenide ions S, Se, and Te; and RE represents the trivalent rare earth ions. The MA.sub.2 X.sub.4 gain medium can be employed in a laser oscillator or a laser amplifier. Possible pump sources include diode lasers, as well as other laser pump sources. The laser wavelengths generated are greater than 3 microns, as becomes possible because of the low phonon frequency of this host medium. The invention may be used to seed optical devices such as optical parametric oscillators and other lasers.

Ground Demonstration of Planetary Gas Lidar Based on Optical Parametric Amplifier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Numata, Kenji; Riris, Haris; Li, Steve; Wu, Stewart; Kawa, Stephen R.; Krainak, Michael; Abshire, James

2012-01-01

We report on the development effort of a nanosecond-pulsed optical parametric amplifier (OPA) for remote trace gas measurements for Mars and Earth. The OPA output has high spectral purity and is widely tunable both at near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelengths, with an optical-optica1 conversion efficiency of up to approx 39 %. Using this laser source, we demonstrated open-path measurements of CH4 (3291 nm and 1651 nm), CO2 (1573 nm), H2O (1652 nm), and CO (4764 nm) on the ground. The simplicity, tunability. and power scalability of the OPA make it a strong candidate for general planetary lidar instruments, which will offer important information on the origins of the planet's geology, atmosphere, and potential for biology,

Projective filtering of the fundamental eigenmode from spatially multimode radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez, A. M.; Sharapova, P. R.; Straupe, S. S.; Miatto, F. M.; Tikhonova, O. V.; Leuchs, G.; Chekhova, M. V.

2015-11-01

Lossless filtering of a single coherent (Schmidt) mode from spatially multimode radiation is a problem crucial for optics in general and for quantum optics in particular. It becomes especially important in the case of nonclassical light that is fragile to optical losses. An example is bright squeezed vacuum generated via high-gain parametric down conversion or four-wave mixing. Its highly multiphoton and multimode structure offers a huge increase in the information capacity provided that each mode can be addressed separately. However, the nonclassical signature of bright squeezed vacuum, photon-number correlations, are highly susceptible to losses. Here we demonstrate lossless filtering of a single spatial Schmidt mode by projecting the spatial spectrum of bright squeezed vacuum on the eigenmode of a single-mode fiber. Moreover, we show that the first Schmidt mode can be captured by simply maximizing the fiber-coupled intensity. Importantly, the projection operation does not affect the targeted mode and leaves it usable for further applications.

Intracavity KTP optical parametric oscillator driven by a KLM Nd:GGG laser with a single AO modulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Hongwei; Zhao, Shengzhi; Yang, Kejian; Zhao, Jia; Li, Yufei; Li, Tao; Li, Guiqiu; Li, Dechun; Qiao, Wenchao

2015-05-01

An intracavity KTiOPO4 (KTP) optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped by a Kerr lens mode-locking (KLM) Nd:GGG laser near 1062 nm with a single AO modulator was realized for the first time. The mode-locking pulses of the signal wave were obtained with a short duration of subnanosecond and a repetition rate of several kilohertz (kHz). Under a diode pump power of 8.25 W, a maximum output power of 104 mW at signal wavelength near 1569 nm was obtained at a repetition rate of 2 kHz. The highest pulse energy and peak power were estimated to be 80 μJ and 102 kW at a repetition rate of 1 kHz, respectively. The shortest pulse duration was measured to be 749 ps. By considering the Gaussian spatial distribution of the photon density and the Kerr-lens effect in the gain medium, a set of the coupled rate equations for QML intracavity optical parametric oscillator are given and the numerical simulations are basically fitted with the experimental results.

Pixel-based parametric source depth map for Cerenkov luminescence imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altabella, L.; Boschi, F.; Spinelli, A. E.

2016-01-01

Optical tomography represents a challenging problem in optical imaging because of the intrinsically ill-posed inverse problem due to photon diffusion. Cerenkov luminescence tomography (CLT) for optical photons produced in tissues by several radionuclides (i.e.: 32P, 18F, 90Y), has been investigated using both 3D multispectral approach and multiviews methods. Difficult in convergence of 3D algorithms can discourage to use this technique to have information of depth and intensity of source. For these reasons, we developed a faster 2D corrected approach based on multispectral acquisitions, to obtain source depth and its intensity using a pixel-based fitting of source intensity. Monte Carlo simulations and experimental data were used to develop and validate the method to obtain the parametric map of source depth. With this approach we obtain parametric source depth maps with a precision between 3% and 7% for MC simulation and 5-6% for experimental data. Using this method we are able to obtain reliable information about the source depth of Cerenkov luminescence with a simple and flexible procedure.

Measurement of IR optics with linear coupling's action-angle parametrization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Y.; Bai, M.; Pilat, F.; Satogata, T.; Trbojevic, D.

2005-08-01

Linear coupling’s action-angle parametrization is convenient for interpretation of turn-by-turn beam position monitor (BPM) data. We demonstrate how to apply this parametrization to extract Twiss and coupling parameters in interaction regions (IRs), using BPMs on each side of a long IR drift region. Example data were acquired at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, using an ac dipole to excite a single transverse eigenmode. We have measured the waist of the β function and its Twiss and coupling parameters.

Simultaneous one-dimensional fluorescence lifetime measurements of OH and CO in premixed flames

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonsson, Malin; Ehn, Andreas; Christensen, Moah; Aldén, Marcus; Bood, Joakim

2014-04-01

A method for simultaneous measurements of fluorescence lifetimes of two species along a line is described. The experimental setup is based on picosecond laser pulses from two tunable optical parametric generator/optical parametric amplifier systems together with a streak camera. With an appropriate optical time delay between the two laser pulses, whose wavelengths are tuned to excite two different species, laser-induced fluorescence can be both detected temporally and spatially resolved by the streak camera. Hence, our method enables one-dimensional imaging of fluorescence lifetimes of two species in the same streak camera recording. The concept is demonstrated for fluorescence lifetime measurements of CO and OH in a laminar methane/air flame on a Bunsen-type burner. Measurements were taken in flames with four different equivalence ratios, namely ϕ = 0.9, 1.0, 1.15, and 1.25. The measured one-dimensional lifetime profiles generally agree well with lifetimes calculated from quenching cross sections found in the literature and quencher concentrations predicted by the GRI 3.0 mechanism. For OH, there is a systematic deviation of approximately 30 % between calculated and measured lifetimes. It is found that this is mainly due to the adiabatic assumption regarding the flame and uncertainty in H2O quenching cross section. This emphasizes the strength of measuring the quenching rates rather than relying on models. The measurement concept might be useful for single-shot measurements of fluorescence lifetimes of several species pairs of vital importance in combustion processes, hence allowing fluorescence signals to be corrected for quenching and ultimately yield quantitative concentration profiles.

Brain segmentation and the generation of cortical surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joshi, M.; Cui, J.; Doolittle, K.; Joshi, S.; Van Essen, D.; Wang, L.; Miller, M. I.

1999-01-01

This paper describes methods for white matter segmentation in brain images and the generation of cortical surfaces from the segmentations. We have developed a system that allows a user to start with a brain volume, obtained by modalities such as MRI or cryosection, and constructs a complete digital representation of the cortical surface. The methodology consists of three basic components: local parametric modeling and Bayesian segmentation; surface generation and local quadratic coordinate fitting; and surface editing. Segmentations are computed by parametrically fitting known density functions to the histogram of the image using the expectation maximization algorithm [DLR77]. The parametric fits are obtained locally rather than globally over the whole volume to overcome local variations in gray levels. To represent the boundary of the gray and white matter we use triangulated meshes generated using isosurface generation algorithms [GH95]. A complete system of local parametric quadratic charts [JWM+95] is superimposed on the triangulated graph to facilitate smoothing and geodesic curve tracking. Algorithms for surface editing include extraction of the largest closed surface. Results for several macaque brains are presented comparing automated and hand surface generation. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

CuBe: parametric modeling of 3D foveal shape using cubic Bézier

PubMed Central

Yadav, Sunil Kumar; Motamedi, Seyedamirhosein; Oberwahrenbrock, Timm; Oertel, Frederike Cosima; Polthier, Konrad; Paul, Friedemann; Kadas, Ella Maria; Brandt, Alexander U.

2017-01-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) allows three-dimensional (3D) imaging of the retina, and is commonly used for assessing pathological changes of fovea and macula in many diseases. Many neuroinflammatory conditions are known to cause modifications to the fovea shape. In this paper, we propose a method for parametric modeling of the foveal shape. Our method exploits invariant features of the macula from OCT data and applies a cubic Bézier polynomial along with a least square optimization to produce a best fit parametric model of the fovea. Additionally, we provide several parameters of the foveal shape based on the proposed 3D parametric modeling. Our quantitative and visual results show that the proposed model is not only able to reconstruct important features from the foveal shape, but also produces less error compared to the state-of-the-art methods. Finally, we apply the model in a comparison of healthy control eyes and eyes from patients with neuroinflammatory central nervous system disorders and optic neuritis, and show that several derived model parameters show significant differences between the two groups. PMID:28966857

Stimulated Brillouin Scattering: its Generation and Applications in Optical Fibre

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Culverhouse, David

1992-01-01

Available from UMI in association with The British Library. In the work presented in this thesis, the generation of stimulated Brillouin scattering and its applications in optical fibres is theoretically and experimentally investigated. The study pursues three special cases: (i) Backward stimulated Brillouin scattering in long fibre lengths; (ii) Backward stimulated Brillouin scattering in high finesse all fibre ring resonators; (iii) Forward stimulated Brillouin scattering in dual moded single core fibres. Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) occurs for relatively low input powers in monomode optical fibres, as the power density is very high because of the relatively small core size. For applications such as optical communications, SBS is seen as a potentially deleterious effect because it can limit the maximum optical power transmitted by the fibre and hence decrease the distance between repeaters. SBS, however, can also be used to advantage in optical fibres, for example to produce amplification. In this thesis the comprehensive study of SBS in relation to other non-linear scattering mechanisms in optical fibres leads to the derivation of explicit definitions for the Brillouin gain and the Brillouin threshold. The study of SBS in high finesse all fibre ring resonators also demonstrates how threshold powers can be reduced, typically, from milliwatts observed in long fibre lengths to microwatts. Because Brillouin scattering is primarily a result of the interaction of the incident optical beam with spontaneously generated (thermal) fluctuations in the density of the medium, the spectral features show a considerable variation with temperature thus providing a mechanism with sufficient sensitivity to realise tunable microwave generation and frequency shifting devices. Finally, the observation of stimulated Brillouin scattering in a forward direction (FSBS) in dual moded single-core fibre is also reported. Frequency shifts in the order of 17MHz are observed in optical fibre supporting LP_ {01} and LP_{11} modes at 514.5nm. The phenomenon is examined here in detail and the governing differential equations of the three wave parametric process (involving pump/laser, Brillouin signal and acoustic flexural wave phonon) is derived and solved. FSBS is possible because, although the overlap integral between a fibre flexural mode and the light is small, the phonon lifetime is much longer than in conventional SBS. FSBS may also be the first example of a non-linear effect which is enhanced by increasing the optical mode area at constant pump power.

Range detection using entangled optical photons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandsema, Matthew J.; Narayanan, Ram M.; Lanzagorta, Marco

2015-05-01

Quantum radar is an emerging field that shows a lot of promise in providing significantly improved resolution compared to its classical radar counterpart. The key to this kind of resolution lies in the correlations created from the entanglement of the photons being used. Currently, the technology available only supports quantum radar implementation and validation in the optical regime, as opposed to the microwave regime, because microwave photons have very low energy compared to optical photons. Furthermore, there currently do not exist practical single photon detectors and generators in the microwave spectrum. Viable applications in the optical regime include deep sea target detection and high resolution detection in space. In this paper, we propose a conceptual architecture of a quantum radar which uses entangled optical photons based on Spontaneous Parametric Down Conversion (SPDC) methods. After the entangled photons are created and emerge from the crystal, the idler photon is detected very shortly thereafter. At the same time, the signal photon is sent out towards the target and upon its reflection will impinge on the detector of the radar. From these two measurements, correlation data processing is done to obtain the distance of the target away from the radar. Various simulations are then shown to display the resolution that is possible.

An optimized routing algorithm for the automated assembly of standard multimode ribbon fibers in a full-mesh optical backplane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basile, Vito; Guadagno, Gianluca; Ferrario, Maddalena; Fassi, Irene

2018-03-01

In this paper a parametric, modular and scalable algorithm allowing a fully automated assembly of a backplane fiber-optic interconnection circuit is presented. This approach guarantees the optimization of the optical fiber routing inside the backplane with respect to specific criteria (i.e. bending power losses), addressing both transmission performance and overall costs issues. Graph theory has been exploited to simplify the complexity of the NxN full-mesh backplane interconnection topology, firstly, into N independent sub-circuits and then, recursively, into a limited number of loops easier to be generated. Afterwards, the proposed algorithm selects a set of geometrical and architectural parameters whose optimization allows to identify the optimal fiber optic routing for each sub-circuit of the backplane. The topological and numerical information provided by the algorithm are then exploited to control a robot which performs the automated assembly of the backplane sub-circuits. The proposed routing algorithm can be extended to any array architecture and number of connections thanks to its modularity and scalability. Finally, the algorithm has been exploited for the automated assembly of an 8x8 optical backplane realized with standard multimode (MM) 12-fiber ribbons.

High-fidelity entanglement swapping and generation of three-qubit GHZ state using asynchronous telecom photon pair sources.

PubMed

Tsujimoto, Yoshiaki; Tanaka, Motoki; Iwasaki, Nobuo; Ikuta, Rikizo; Miki, Shigehito; Yamashita, Taro; Terai, Hirotaka; Yamamoto, Takashi; Koashi, Masato; Imoto, Nobuyuki

2018-01-23

We experimentally demonstrate a high-fidelity entanglement swapping and a generation of the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state using polarization-entangled photon pairs at telecommunication wavelength produced by spontaneous parametric down conversion with continuous-wave pump light. While spatially separated sources asynchronously emit photon pairs, the time-resolved photon detection guarantees the temporal indistinguishability of photons without active timing synchronizations of pump lasers and/or adjustment of optical paths. In the experiment, photons are sufficiently narrowed by fiber-based Bragg gratings with the central wavelengths of 1541 nm & 1580 nm, and detected by superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors with low timing jitters. The observed fidelities of the final states for entanglement swapping and the generated three-qubit state were 0.84 ± 0.04 and 0.70 ± 0.05, respectively.

Entropy generation in Gaussian quantum transformations: applying the replica method to continuous-variable quantum information theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagatsos, Christos N.; Karanikas, Alexandros I.; Kordas, Georgios; Cerf, Nicolas J.

2016-02-01

In spite of their simple description in terms of rotations or symplectic transformations in phase space, quadratic Hamiltonians such as those modelling the most common Gaussian operations on bosonic modes remain poorly understood in terms of entropy production. For instance, determining the quantum entropy generated by a Bogoliubov transformation is notably a hard problem, with generally no known analytical solution, while it is vital to the characterisation of quantum communication via bosonic channels. Here we overcome this difficulty by adapting the replica method, a tool borrowed from statistical physics and quantum field theory. We exhibit a first application of this method to continuous-variable quantum information theory, where it enables accessing entropies in an optical parametric amplifier. As an illustration, we determine the entropy generated by amplifying a binary superposition of the vacuum and a Fock state, which yields a surprisingly simple, yet unknown analytical expression.

Tailoring entanglement through domain engineering in a lithium niobate waveguide

PubMed Central

Ming, Yang; Tan, Ai-Hong; Wu, Zi-Jian; Chen, Zhao-Xian; Xu, Fei; Lu, Yan-Qing

2014-01-01

We propose to integrate the electro-optic (EO) tuning function into on-chip domain engineered lithium niobate (LN) waveguide. Due to the versatility of LN, both the spontaneously parametric down conversion (SPDC) and EO interaction could be realized simultaneously. Photon pairs are generated through SPDC, and the formation of entangled state is modulated by EO processes. An EO tunable polarization-entangled photon state is proposed. Orthogonally-polarized and parallel-polarized entanglements of photon pairs are instantly switchable by tuning the applied field. The characteristics of the source are theoretically investigated showing adjustable bandwidths and high entanglement degrees. Moreover, other kinds of reconfigurable entanglement are also achievable based on suitable domain-design. We believe tailoring entanglement based on domain engineering is a very promising solution for next generation function-integrated quantum circuits. PMID:24770555

Broad-spectrum neodymium-doped laser glasses for high-energy chirped-pulse amplification.

PubMed

Hays, Greg R; Gaul, Erhard W; Martinez, Mikael D; Ditmire, Todd

2007-07-20

We have investigated two novel laser glasses in an effort to generate high-energy, broad-spectrum pulses from a chirped-pulse amplification Nd:glass laser. Both glasses have significantly broader spectra (>38 nm FWHM) than currently available Nd:phosphate and Nd:silicate glasses. We present calculations for small signal pulse amplification to simulate spectral gain narrowing. The technique of spectral shaping using mixed-glass architecture with an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification front end is evaluated. Our modeling shows that amplified pulses with energies exceeding 10 kJ with sufficient bandwidth to achieve 120 fs pulsewidths are achievable with the use of the new laser glasses. With further development of current technologies, a laser system could be scaled to generate one exawatt in peak power.

Astigmatism transfer phenomena in the optical parametric amplification process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Wenkai; Chen, Yun; Li, Yanyan; Xu, Yi; Guo, Xiaoyang; Lu, Jun; Leng, Yuxin

2017-01-01

We numerically and experimentally investigate the astigmatism transfer phenomena in femtosecond optical parametric amplification (OPA). We model the OPA process based on the coupled second-order three-wave nonlinear propagation equations. The numerical and experimental results support that the input pump pulse astigmatism can be transferred into the idler pulse but not the signal pulse, and the idler pulse astigmatism originating from spatial walk-off is less than the idler pulse astigmatism received from the pump. Thus, we can provide a clear understanding of astigmatism transfer mechanisms in the OPA process, and make better use of broadband tunable OPA sources.

OPO performance with a long pulse length, single frequency Nd:YAG laser pump. [Optical Parametric Oscillators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kozlovsky, W. J.; Gustafson, E. K.; Eckardt, R. C.; Byer, R. L.

1988-01-01

With the advent of new nonlinear materials and single-frequency pump sources, there is renewed interest in optical parametric oscillators (OPOs). A single-mode diode-laser-pumped monolithic Nd:YAG nonplanar ring laser that is both amplified and frequency doubled is used to pump a monolithic MgO:LiNbO3 pulsed singly resonant OPO. The OPO signal output was temperature tuned from 834 to 958 nm, producing an idler tuning from 1.47 to 1.2 microns. Efforts toward a CW all-solid-state doubly resonant OPO are also described.

Molecular fingerprint-region spectroscopy from 5 to 12  μm using an orientation-patterned gallium phosphide optical parametric oscillator.

PubMed

Maidment, Luke; Schunemann, Peter G; Reid, Derryck T

2016-09-15

We report a femtosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on the new semiconductor gain material orientation-patterned gallium phosphide (OP-GaP), which enables the production of high-repetition-rate femtosecond pulses spanning 5-12 μm with average powers in the few to tens of milliwatts range. This is the first example of a broadband OPO operating across the molecular fingerprint region, and we demonstrate its potential by conducting broadband Fourier-transform spectroscopy using water vapor and a polystyrene reference standard.

Scalar limitations of diffractive optical elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Eric G.; Hochmuth, Diane; Moharam, M. G.; Pommet, Drew

1993-01-01

In this paper, scalar limitations of diffractive optic components are investigated using coupled wave analyses. Results are presented for linear phase gratings and fanout devices. In addition, a parametric curve is given which correlates feature size with scalar performance.

Characterization of Ultrafast Laser Pulses using a Low-dispersion Frequency Resolved Optical Grating Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitelock, Hope; Bishop, Michael; Khosravi, Soroush; Obaid, Razib; Berrah, Nora

2016-05-01

A low dispersion frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) spectrometer was designed to characterize ultrashort (<50 femtosecond) laser pulses from a commercial regenerative amplifier, optical parametric amplifier, and a home-built non-colinear optical parametric amplifier. This instrument splits a laser pulse into two replicas with a 90:10 intensity ratio using a thin pellicle beam-splitter and then recombines the pulses in a birefringent medium. The instrument detects a wavelength-sensitive change in polarization of the weak probe pulse in the presence of the stronger pump pulse inside the birefringent medium. Scanning the time delay between the two pulses and acquiring spectra allows for characterization of the frequency and time content of ultrafast laser pulses, that is needed for interpretation of experimental results obtained from these ultrafast laser systems. Funded by the DoE-BES, Grant No. DE-SC0012376.

Generic distortion model for metrology under optical microscopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xingjian; Li, Zhongwei; Zhong, Kai; Chao, YuhJin; Miraldo, Pedro; Shi, Yusheng

2018-04-01

For metrology under optical microscopes, lens distortion is the dominant source of error. Previous distortion models and correction methods mostly rely on the assumption that parametric distortion models require a priori knowledge of the microscopes' lens systems. However, because of the numerous optical elements in a microscope, distortions can be hardly represented by a simple parametric model. In this paper, a generic distortion model considering both symmetric and asymmetric distortions is developed. Such a model is obtained by using radial basis functions (RBFs) to interpolate the radius and distortion values of symmetric distortions (image coordinates and distortion rays for asymmetric distortions). An accurate and easy to implement distortion correction method is presented. With the proposed approach, quantitative measurement with better accuracy can be achieved, such as in Digital Image Correlation for deformation measurement when used with an optical microscope. The proposed technique is verified by both synthetic and real data experiments.

Parametric spectro-temporal analyzer (PASTA) for real-time optical spectrum observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chi; Xu, Jianbing; Chui, P. C.; Wong, Kenneth K. Y.

2013-06-01

Real-time optical spectrum analysis is an essential tool in observing ultrafast phenomena, such as the dynamic monitoring of spectrum evolution. However, conventional method such as optical spectrum analyzers disperse the spectrum in space and allocate it in time sequence by mechanical rotation of a grating, so are incapable of operating at high speed. A more recent method all-optically stretches the spectrum in time domain, but is limited by the allowable input condition. In view of these constraints, here we present a real-time spectrum analyzer called parametric spectro-temporal analyzer (PASTA), which is based on the time-lens focusing mechanism. It achieves a frame rate as high as 100 MHz and accommodates various input conditions. As a proof of concept and also for the first time, we verify its applications in observing the dynamic spectrum of a Fourier domain mode-locked laser, and the spectrum evolution of a laser cavity during its stabilizing process.

Parametric instability in the high power era of Advanced LIGO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardwick, Terra; Blair, Carl; Kennedy, Ross; Evans, Matthew; Fritschel, Peter; LIGO Virgo Scientific Collaboration

2017-01-01

After the first direct detections of gravitational waves, Advanced LIGO aims to increase its detection rate during the upcoming science runs through a series of detector improvements, including increased optical power. Higher circulating power increases the likelihood for three-mode parametric instabilities (PIs), in which mechanical modes of the mirrors scatter light into higher-order optical modes in the cavity and the resulting optical modes reinforce the mechanical modes via radiation pressure. Currently, LIGO uses two PI mitigation methods: thermal tuning to change the cavity g-factor and effectively decrease the frequency overlap between mechanical and optical modes, and active damping of mechanical modes with electrostatic actuation. While the combined methods provide stability at the current operating power, there is evidence that these will be insufficient for the next planned power increase; future suppression methods including acoustic mode dampers and dynamic g-factor modulation are discussed.

Microcavity morphology optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferdous, Fahmida; Demchenko, Alena A.; Vyatchanin, Sergey P.; Matsko, Andrey B.; Maleki, Lute

2014-09-01

High spectral mode density of conventional optical cavities is detrimental to the generation of broad optical frequency combs and to other linear and nonlinear applications. In this work we optimize the morphology of high-Q whispering gallery (WG) and Fabry-Perot (FP) cavities and find a set of parameters that allows treating them, essentially, as single-mode structures, thus removing limitations associated with a high density of cavity mode spectra. We show that both single-mode WGs and single-mode FP cavities have similar physical properties, in spite of their different loss mechanisms. The morphology optimization does not lead to a reduction of quality factors of modes belonging to the basic family. We study the parameter space numerically and find the region where the highest possible Q factor of the cavity modes can be realized while just having a single bound state in the cavity. The value of the Q factor is comparable with that achieved in conventional cavities. The proposed cavity structures will be beneficial for generation of octave spanning coherent frequency combs and will prevent undesirable effects of parametric instability in laser gravitational wave detectors.

Self-consistent projection operator theory in nonlinear quantum optical systems: A case study on degenerate optical parametric oscillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degenfeld-Schonburg, Peter; Navarrete-Benlloch, Carlos; Hartmann, Michael J.

2015-05-01

Nonlinear quantum optical systems are of paramount relevance for modern quantum technologies, as well as for the study of dissipative phase transitions. Their nonlinear nature makes their theoretical study very challenging and hence they have always served as great motivation to develop new techniques for the analysis of open quantum systems. We apply the recently developed self-consistent projection operator theory to the degenerate optical parametric oscillator to exemplify its general applicability to quantum optical systems. We show that this theory provides an efficient method to calculate the full quantum state of each mode with a high degree of accuracy, even at the critical point. It is equally successful in describing both the stationary limit and the dynamics, including regions of the parameter space where the numerical integration of the full problem is significantly less efficient. We further develop a Gaussian approach consistent with our theory, which yields sensibly better results than the previous Gaussian methods developed for this system, most notably standard linearization techniques.

Three-photon states in nonlinear crystal superlattices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Antonosyan, D. A.; Kryuchkyan, G. Yu.; Institute for Physical Researches, National Academy of Sciences Ashtarak-2, 0203 Ashtarak

2011-04-15

It has been a longstanding goal in quantum optics to realize controllable sources generating joint multiphoton states, particularly photon triplet with arbitrary spectral characteristics. We demonstrate that such sources can be realized via cascaded parametric down-conversion (PDC) in superlattice structures of nonlinear and linear segments. We consider a scheme that involves two parametric processes--{omega}{sub 0{yields}{omega}1}+{omega}{sub 2}, {omega}{sub 2{yields}{omega}1}+{omega}{sub 1} under pulsed pump--and investigate the spontaneous creation of a photon triplet as well as the generation of high-intensity mode in intracavity three-photon splitting. We show the preparation of Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger polarization-entangled states in cascaded type-II and type-I PDC in the framework ofmore » considering the dual-grid structure that involves two periodically poled crystals. We demonstrate the method of compensation of the dispersive effects in nonlinear segments by appropriately chosen linear dispersive segments of superlattice for preparation of the heralded joint states of two polarized photons. In the case of intracavity three-photon splitting, we concentrate on the investigation of photon-number distributions, third-order photon-number correlation function, as well as the Wigner functions. These quantities are observed both for short interaction time intervals and the over-transient regime, when dissipative effects are essential.« less

Thermal effects in high average power optical parametric amplifiers.

PubMed

Rothhardt, Jan; Demmler, Stefan; Hädrich, Steffen; Peschel, Thomas; Limpert, Jens; Tünnermann, Andreas

2013-03-01

Optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) have the reputation of being average power scalable due to the instantaneous nature of the parametric process (zero quantum defect). This Letter reveals serious challenges originating from thermal load in the nonlinear crystal caused by absorption. We investigate these thermal effects in high average power OPAs based on beta barium borate. Absorption of both pump and idler waves is identified to contribute significantly to heating of the nonlinear crystal. A temperature increase of up to 148 K with respect to the environment is observed and mechanical tensile stress up to 40 MPa is found, indicating a high risk of crystal fracture under such conditions. By restricting the idler to a wavelength range far from absorption bands and removing the crystal coating we reduce the peak temperature and the resulting temperature gradient significantly. Guidelines for further power scaling of OPAs and other nonlinear devices are given.

Parametric instabilities and their control in multidimensional nonuniform gain media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charbonneau-Lefort, Mathieu; Afeyan, Bedros; Fejer, Martin

2007-11-01

In order to control parametric instabilities in large scale long pulse laser produced plasmas, optical mixing techniques seem most promising [1]. We examine ways of controlling the growth of some modes while creating other unstable ones in nonuniform gain media, including the effects of transverse localization of the pump wave. We show that multidimensional effects are essential to understand laser-gain medium interactions [2] and that one dimensional models such as the celebrated Rosenbluth result [3] can be misleading [4]. These findings are verified in experiments carried out in a chirped quasi-phase-matched gratings in optical parametric amplifiers where thousands of shots can be taken and statistically significant and stable results obtained. [1] B. Afeyan, et al., IFSA Proceedings, 2003. [2] M. M. Sushchik and G. I. Freidman, Radiofizika 13, 1354 (1970). [3] M. N. Rosenbluth, Phys. Rev. Lett. 29, 565 (1972). [4] M. Charbonneau-Lefort, PhD thesis, Stanford University, 2007.

Broadband optical limiting and nonlinear optical absorption properties of a novel hyperbranched conjugated polymer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chao; Liu, Chunling; Li, Quanshui; Gong, Qihuang

2004-12-01

The nonlinear transmittance of a novel hyperbranched conjugated polymer named DMA-HPV has been measured in CHCl 3 solution using a nanosecond optical parametric oscillator. DMA-HPV shows excellent optical limiting performance in the visible region from 490 to 610 nm. An explanation based on the combination of two-photon absorption and reverse saturable absorption was proposed for its huge and broadband nonlinear optical absorption.

Multiple Frequency Parametric Sonar

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-28

300003 1 MULTIPLE FREQUENCY PARAMETRIC SONAR STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST [0001] The invention described herein may be manufactured and...a method for increasing the bandwidth of a parametric sonar system by using multiple primary frequencies rather than only two primary frequencies...2) Description of Prior Art [0004] Parametric sonar generates narrow beams at low frequencies by projecting sound at two distinct primary

Large-scale subject-specific cerebral arterial tree modeling using automated parametric mesh generation for blood flow simulation.

PubMed

Ghaffari, Mahsa; Tangen, Kevin; Alaraj, Ali; Du, Xinjian; Charbel, Fady T; Linninger, Andreas A

2017-12-01

In this paper, we present a novel technique for automatic parametric mesh generation of subject-specific cerebral arterial trees. This technique generates high-quality and anatomically accurate computational meshes for fast blood flow simulations extending the scope of 3D vascular modeling to a large portion of cerebral arterial trees. For this purpose, a parametric meshing procedure was developed to automatically decompose the vascular skeleton, extract geometric features and generate hexahedral meshes using a body-fitted coordinate system that optimally follows the vascular network topology. To validate the anatomical accuracy of the reconstructed vasculature, we performed statistical analysis to quantify the alignment between parametric meshes and raw vascular images using receiver operating characteristic curve. Geometric accuracy evaluation showed an agreement with area under the curves value of 0.87 between the constructed mesh and raw MRA data sets. Parametric meshing yielded on-average, 36.6% and 21.7% orthogonal and equiangular skew quality improvement over the unstructured tetrahedral meshes. The parametric meshing and processing pipeline constitutes an automated technique to reconstruct and simulate blood flow throughout a large portion of the cerebral arterial tree down to the level of pial vessels. This study is the first step towards fast large-scale subject-specific hemodynamic analysis for clinical applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Carrier-envelope phase-controlled quantum interference in optical poling.

PubMed

Adachi, Shunsuke; Kobayashi, Takayoshi

2005-04-22

We demonstrate the efficiency of the optical poling process that depends on the CE phase-controlled quantum interference. For the experiment we employed our noncollinear optical parametric amplifier system for the self-stabilization of the CE phase, with the f-to-2f spectral interferometry system to control the CE phase.

Properties and Frequency Conversion of High-Brightness Diode-Laser Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boller, Klaus-Jochen; Beier, Bernard; Wallenstein, Richard

An overview of recent developments in the field of high-power, high-brightness diode-lasers, and the optically nonlinear conversion of their output into other wavelength ranges, is given. We describe the generation of continuous-wave (CW) laser beams at power levels of several hundreds of milliwatts to several watts with near-perfect spatial and spectral properties using Master-Oscillator Power-Amplifier (MOPA) systems. With single- or double-stage systems, using amplifiers of tapered or rectangular geometry, up to 2.85 W high-brightness radiation is generated at wavelengths around 810nm with AlGaAs diodes. Even higher powers, up to 5.2W of single-frequency and high spatial quality beams at 925nm, are obtained with InGaAs diodes. We describe the basic properties of the oscillators and amplifiers used. A strict proof-of-quality for the diode radiation is provided by direct and efficient nonlinear optical conversion of the diode MOPA output into other wavelength ranges. We review recent experiments with the highest power levels obtained so far by direct frequency doubling of diode radiation. In these experiments, 100mW single-frequency ultraviolet light at 403nm was generated, as well as 1W of single-frequency blue radiation at 465nm. Nonlinear conversion of diode radiation into widely tunable infrared radiation has recently yielded record values. We review the efficient generation of widely tunable single-frequency radiation in the infrared with diode-pumped Optical Parametric Oscillators (OPOs). With this system, single-frequency output radiation with powers of more than 0.5W was generated, widely tunable around wavelengths of 2.1,m and 1.65,m and with excellent spectral and spatial quality. These developments are clear indicators of recent advances in the field of high-brightness diode-MOPA systems, and may emphasize their future central importance for applications within a vast range of optical wavelengths.

Localization of one-photon state in space and Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox in spontaneous parametric down conversion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Penin, A. N.; Reutova, T. A.; Sergienko, A. V.

1992-01-01

An experiment on one-photon state localization in space using a correlation technique in Spontaneous Parametric Down Conversion (SPDC) process is discussed. Results of measurements demonstrate an idea of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox for coordinate and momentum variables of photon states. Results of the experiment can be explained with the help of an advanced wave technique. The experiment is based on the idea that two-photon states of optical electromagnetic fields arising in the nonlinear process of the spontaneous parametric down conversion (spontaneous parametric light scattering) can be explained by quantum mechanical theory with the help of a single wave function.

Localization of one-photon state in space and Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox in spontaneous parametric down conversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penin, A. N.; Reutova, T. A.; Sergienko, A. V.

1992-02-01

An experiment on one-photon state localization in space using a correlation technique in Spontaneous Parametric Down Conversion (SPDC) process is discussed. Results of measurements demonstrate an idea of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox for coordinate and momentum variables of photon states. Results of the experiment can be explained with the help of an advanced wave technique. The experiment is based on the idea that two-photon states of optical electromagnetic fields arising in the nonlinear process of the spontaneous parametric down conversion (spontaneous parametric light scattering) can be explained by quantum mechanical theory with the help of a single wave function.

Generalized parametric down conversion, many particle interferometry, and Bell's theorem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Hyung Sup

1992-01-01

A new field of multi-particle interferometry is introduced using a nonlinear optical spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC) of a photon into more than two photons. The study of SPDC using a realistic Hamiltonian in a multi-mode shows that at least a low conversion rate limit is possible. The down converted field exhibits many stronger nonclassical phenomena than the usual two photon parametric down conversion. Application of the multi-particle interferometry to a recently proposed many particle Bell's theorem on the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen problem is given.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lai, C.-M.; Chang, K.-H.; Yang, Z.-Y.

Spectrally broad frequency comb generation over 510–555 nm range was reported on chirped quasi-phase-matching (QPM) χ{sup (2)} nonlinear photonic crystals of 12 mm length with periodicity stepwise increased from 5.9 μm to 7.1 μm. When pumped with nanosecond infrared (IR) frequency comb derived from a QPM optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and spanned over 1040 nm to 1090 nm wavelength range, the 520 nm to 545 nm up-converted green spectra were shown to consist of contributions from (a) second-harmonic generation among the signal or the idler modes, and (b) sum-frequency generation (SFG) from the neighboring pairs of the signal or the idler modes. These mechanisms led the up-converted greenmore » frequency comb to have the same mode spacing of 450 GHz as that in the IR-OPO pump comb. As the pump was further detuned from the aforementioned near-degeneracy point and moved toward the signal (1020–1040 nm) and the idler (1090–1110 nm) spectral range, the above QPM parametric processes were preserved in the chirped QPM devices to support up-converted green generation in the 510–520 nm and the 545–555 nm spectral regime. Additional 530–535 nm green spectral generation was also observed due to concurrence of multi-wavelength SFG processes between the (signal, idler) mode pairs. These mechanisms facilitate the chirped QPM device to support a single-pass up-conversion efficiency ∼10% when subject to an IR-OPO pump comb with 200 mW average power operated near- or off- the degeneracy point.« less

Experimental investigation of the intensity fluctuation joint probability and conditional distributions of the twin-beam quantum state.

PubMed

Zhang, Yun; Kasai, Katsuyuki; Watanabe, Masayoshi

2003-01-13

We give the intensity fluctuation joint probability of the twin-beam quantum state, which was generated with an optical parametric oscillator operating above threshold. Then we present what to our knowledge is the first measurement of the intensity fluctuation conditional probability distributions of twin beams. The measured inference variance of twin beams 0.62+/-0.02, which is less than the standard quantum limit of unity, indicates inference with a precision better than that of separable states. The measured photocurrent variance exhibits a quantum correlation of as much as -4.9+/-0.2 dB between the signal and the idler.

Spectral and temporal characterization of a fused-quartz-microresonator optical frequency comb

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Papp, Scott B.; Diddams, Scott A.

2011-11-15

We report on the fabrication of high-Q, fused-quartz microresonators and the parametric generation of a frequency comb with 36-GHz line spacing using them. We have characterized the intrinsic stability of the comb in both the time and frequency domains to assess its suitability for future precision metrology applications. Intensity autocorrelation measurements and line-by-line comb control reveal near-transform-limited picosecond pulse trains that are associated with good relative phase and amplitude stability of the comb lines. The comb's 36-GHz line spacing can be readily photodetected, which enables measurements of its intrinsic and absolute phase fluctuations.

Phase-Covariant Cloning and EPR Correlations in Entangled Macroscopic Quantum Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Martini, Francesco; Sciarrino, Fabio

2007-03-01

Theoretical and experimental results on the Quantum Injected Optical Parametric Amplification (QI-OPA) of optical qubits in the high gain regime are reported. The large size of the gain parameter in the collinear configuration, g = 4.5, allows the generation of EPR nonlocally correlated bunches containing about 4000 photons. The entanglement of the related Schroedinger Cat-State (SCS) is demonstrated as well as the establishment of Phase-Covariant quantum cloning. The cloning ``fidelity'' has been found to match the theoretical results. According to the original 1935 definition of the SCS, the overall apparatus establishes for the first time the nonlocal correlations between a microcopic spin (qubit) and a high J angular momentum i.e. a mesoscopic multiparticle system close to the classical limit. The results of the first experimental realization of the Herbert proposal for superluminal communication via nonlocality will be presented.

A frequency dependent preconditioned wavelet method for atmospheric tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yudytskiy, Mykhaylo; Helin, Tapio; Ramlau, Ronny

2013-12-01

Atmospheric tomography, i.e. the reconstruction of the turbulence in the atmosphere, is a main task for the adaptive optics systems of the next generation telescopes. For extremely large telescopes, such as the European Extremely Large Telescope, this problem becomes overly complex and an efficient algorithm is needed to reduce numerical costs. Recently, a conjugate gradient method based on wavelet parametrization of turbulence layers was introduced [5]. An iterative algorithm can only be numerically efficient when the number of iterations required for a sufficient reconstruction is low. A way to achieve this is to design an efficient preconditioner. In this paper we propose a new frequency-dependent preconditioner for the wavelet method. In the context of a multi conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) system simulated on the official end-to-end simulation tool OCTOPUS of the European Southern Observatory we demonstrate robustness and speed of the preconditioned algorithm. We show that three iterations are sufficient for a good reconstruction.

Detection of stably bright squeezed light with the quantum noise reduction of 12.6  dB by mutually compensating the phase fluctuations.

PubMed

Yang, Wenhai; Shi, Shaoping; Wang, Yajun; Ma, Weiguang; Zheng, Yaohui; Peng, Kunchi

2017-11-01

We present a mutual compensation scheme of three phase fluctuations, originating from the residual amplitude modulation (RAM) in the phase modulation process, in the bright squeezed light generation system. The influence of the RAM on each locking loop is harmonized by using one electro-optic modulator (EOM), and the direction of the phase fluctuation is manipulated by positioning the photodetector (PD) that extracts the error signal before or after the optical parametric amplifier (OPA). Therefore a bright squeezed light with non-classical noise reduction of π is obtained. By fitting the squeezing and antisqueezing measurement results, we confirm that the total phase fluctuation of the system is around 3.1 mrad. The fluctuation of the noise suppression is 0.2 dB for 3 h.

Noncritical generation of nonclassical frequency combs via spontaneous rotational symmetry breaking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navarrete-Benlloch, Carlos; Patera, Giuseppe; de Valcárcel, Germán J.

2017-10-01

Synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillators (SPOPOs) are optical cavities driven by mode-locked lasers, and containing a nonlinear crystal capable of down-converting a frequency comb to lower frequencies. SPOPOs have received a lot of attention lately because their intrinsic multimode nature makes them compact sources of quantum correlated light with promising applications in modern quantum information technologies. In this work we show that SPOPOs are also capable of accessing the challenging and interesting regime where spontaneous symmetry breaking confers strong nonclassical properties to the emitted light, which has eluded experimental observation so far. Apart from opening the possibility of studying experimentally this elusive regime of dissipative phase transitions, our predictions will have a practical impact, since we show that spontaneous symmetry breaking provides a specific spatiotemporal mode with large quadrature squeezing for any value of the system parameters, turning SPOPOs into robust sources of highly nonclassical light above threshold.

Direct measurement of the biphoton Wigner function through two-photon interference

PubMed Central

Douce, T.; Eckstein, A.; Walborn, S. P.; Khoury, A. Z.; Ducci, S.; Keller, A.; Coudreau, T.; Milman, P.

2013-01-01

The Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) experiment was a benchmark in quantum optics, evidencing the non–classical nature of photon pairs, later generalized to quantum systems with either bosonic or fermionic statistics. We show that a simple modification in the well-known and widely used HOM experiment provides the direct measurement of the Wigner function. We apply our results to one of the most reliable quantum systems, consisting of biphotons generated by parametric down conversion. A consequence of our results is that a negative value of the Wigner function is a sufficient condition for non-gaussian entanglement between two photons. In the general case, the Wigner function provides all the required information to infer entanglement using well known necessary and sufficient criteria. The present work offers a new vision of the HOM experiment that further develops its possibilities to realize fundamental tests of quantum mechanics using simple optical set-ups. PMID:24346262

New method to determine the refractive index and the absorption coefficient of organic nonlinear crystals in the ultra-wideband THz region.

PubMed

Ohno, Seigo; Miyamoto, Katsuhiko; Minamide, Hiroaki; Ito, Hiromasa

2010-08-02

A method for simultaneously measuring the refractive index and absorption coefficient of nonlinear optical crystals in the ultra-wideband terahertz (THz) region is described. This method is based on the analysis of a collinear difference frequency generation (DFG) process using a tunable, dual-wavelength, optical parametric oscillator. The refractive index and the absorption coefficient in the organic nonlinear crystal DAST were experimentally determined in the frequency range 2.5-26.2 THz by measuring the THz-wave output using DFG. The resultant refractive index in the x-direction was approximately 2.3, while the absorption spectrum was in good agreement with FT-IR measurements. The output of the DAST-DFG THz-wave source was optimized to the phase-matching condition using the measured refractive index spectrum in THz region, which resulted in an improvement in the output power of up to a factor of nine.

Ultrabright, narrow-band photon-pair source for atomic quantum memories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Pin-Ju; Chen, Ying-Cheng

2018-06-01

We demonstrate an ultrabright, narrow-band and frequency-tunable photon-pair source based on cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC) which is compatible with atomic transition of rubidium D 2-line (780 nm) or cesium D 2-line (852 nm). With the pump beam alternating between a high and a low power phase, the output is switching between the optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and photon-pair generation mode. We utilize the OPO output light to lock the cavity length to maintain the double resonances of signal and idler, as well as to lock the signal frequency to cesium atomic transition. With a type-II phase matching and a double-passed pump scheme such that the cluster frequency spacing is larger than the SPDC bandwidth, the photon-pair output is in a nearly single-mode operation as confirmed by a scanning Fabry–Perot interferometer with its output detected by a photomultiplier. The achieved generation and detection rates are 7.24× {10}5 and 6142 s‑1 mW‑1, respectively. The correlation time of the photon pair is 21.6(2.2) ns, corresponding to a bandwidth of 2π × 6.6(6) MHz. The spectral brightness is 1.06× {10}5 s‑1 mW‑1 MHz‑1. This is a relatively high value under a single-mode operation with the cavity-SPDC scheme. The generated single photons can be readily used in experiments related to atomic quantum memories.

Generation of squeezed microwave states by a dc-pumped degenerate parametric Josephson junction oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaertner, Franz X.; Russer, Peter

1990-11-01

The master equation for a dc-pumped degenerate Josephson parametric amplifier is derived. It is shown that the Wigner distribution representation of this master equation can be approximated by a Fokker-Planck equation. By using this equation, the dynamical behavior of this degenerate Josephson amplifier with respect to squeezing of the radiation field is investigated. It is shown that below threshold of parametric oscillation, a squeezed vacuum state can be generated, and above threshold a second bifurcation point exists, where the device generates amplitude squeezed radiation. Basic relations between the achievable amplitude squeezing, the output power, and the operation frequency are derived.

Parametric optimization of optical signal detectors employing the direct photodetection scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirakosiants, V. E.; Loginov, V. A.

1984-08-01

The problem of optimization of the optical signal detection scheme parameters is addressed using the concept of a receiver with direct photodetection. An expression is derived which accurately approximates the field of view (FOV) values obtained by a direct computer minimization of the probability of missing a signal; optimum values of the receiver FOV were found for different atmospheric conditions characterized by the number of coherence spots and the intensity fluctuations of a plane wave. It is further pointed out that the criterion presented can be possibly used for parametric optimization of detectors operating in accordance with the Neumann-Pearson criterion.

Fabrication and Testing of Microfluidic Optomechanical Oscillators

PubMed Central

Han, Kewen; Kim, Kyu Hyun; Kim, Junhwan; Lee, Wonsuk; Liu, Jing; Fan, Xudong; Carmon, Tal; Bahl, Gaurav

2014-01-01

Cavity optomechanics experiments that parametrically couple the phonon modes and photon modes have been investigated in various optical systems including microresonators. However, because of the increased acoustic radiative losses during direct liquid immersion of optomechanical devices, almost all published optomechanical experiments have been performed in solid phase. This paper discusses a recently introduced hollow microfluidic optomechanical resonator. Detailed methodology is provided to fabricate these ultra-high-Q microfluidic resonators, perform optomechanical testing, and measure radiation pressure-driven breathing mode and SBS-driven whispering gallery mode parametric vibrations. By confining liquids inside the capillary resonator, high mechanical- and optical- quality factors are simultaneously maintained. PMID:24962013

High power far-infrared optical parametric oscillator with high beam quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Chuan-Peng; Shen, Ying-Jie; Dai, Tong-Yu; Duan, Xiao-Ming; Yao, Bao-Quan

2016-11-01

A high power ZnGeP2 (ZGP) optical parametric oscillator (OPO) with good beam quality pumped by a Q-switched Ho:YAG laser was demonstrated. The maximum output power of the ZGP OPO with a four-mirror ring cavity was about 5.04 W around 8.1 μm with 83.9 W Ho incident pump power, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 9.2 %. The ZGP OPO produced 36.0 ns far-IR pulse laser in the 8.0-8.3 μm spectral regions. The beam quality was measured to be M2 1.6 at the highest output power.

Methane Measurements from Space: Technical Challenges and Solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riris, Haris; Numata, Kenji; Wu, Stewart; Gonzalez, Brayler; Rodriguez, Michael; Kawa, Stephan; Mao, Jianping

2017-01-01

We report on an airborne demonstration of atmospheric methane (CH4) measurements with an Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) lidar using an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and optical parametric amplifier (OPA) laser transmitter and a sensitive avalanche photo detector. The lidar measures the CH4 absorption at multiple, discrete wavelengths around 1650.9 nm. In September 2015, the instrument was deployed on NASAs DC-8 airborne laboratory and measured atmospheric methane over a wide range of topography and weather conditions from altitudes of 3 km to 13 km. In this paper, we will review the results from our flights, and identify areas of improvement.

CW seeded optical parametric amplifier providing wavelength and pulse duration tunable nearly transform limited pulses.

PubMed

Hädrich, S; Gottschall, T; Rothhardt, J; Limpert, J; Tünnermann, A

2010-02-01

An optical parametric amplifier that delivers nearly transform limited pulses is presented. The center wavelength of these pulses can be tuned between 993 nm and 1070 nm and, at the same time, the pulse duration is varied between 206 fs and 650 fs. At the shortest pulse duration the pulse energy was increased up to 7.2 microJ at 50 kHz repetition rate. Variation of the wavelength is achieved by applying a tunable cw seed while the pulse duration can be varied via altering the pump pulse duration. This scheme offers superior flexibility and scaling possibilities.

Theory and Simulation of Gain-Guided Noncollinear Modes in Chirped Quasi-Phase-Matched Optical Parametric Amplifiers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Charbonneau-Lefort, Mathieu; Afeyan, Bedros; Fejer, Martin

Chirped quasi-phase-matched (QPM) gratings offer essentially constant gain over wide bandwidths, making them promising candidates for short-pulse optical parametric amplifiers. However, experiments have shown that high-gain non-collinear processes exist in spite of the dephasing caused by the non-uniformity of the QPM grating and compete with the desired collinear broadband gain of the amplifier. In this paper, these non-collinear gain-guided modes are investigated numerically and analytically in a model that includes longitudinal non-uniformity of the phase-matching profile, lateral localization of the pump beam and non-collinear propagation of the interacting waves.

Laser-induced fluorescence microscopic system using an optical parametric oscillator for tunable detection in microchip analysis.

PubMed

Kumemura, Momoko; Odake, Tamao; Korenaga, Takashi

2005-06-01

A laser-induced fluorescence microscopic system based on optical parametric oscillation has been constructed as a tunable detector for microchip analysis. The detection limit of sulforhodamine B (Ex. 520 nm, Em. 570 nm) was 0.2 mumol, which was approximately eight orders of magnitude better than with a conventional fluorophotometer. The system was applied to the determination of fluorescence-labeled DNA (Ex. 494 nm, Em. 519 nm) in a microchannel and the detection limit reached a single molecule. These results showed the feasibility of this system as a highly sensitive and tunable fluorescence detector for microchip analysis.

Methane measurements from space: technical challenges and solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riris, Haris; Numata, Kenji; Wu, Stewart; Gonzalez, Brayler; Rodriguez, Michael; Kawa, Stephan; Mao, Jianping

2017-05-01

We report on an airborne demonstration of atmospheric methane (CH4) measurements with an Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) lidar using an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and optical parametric amplifier (OPA) laser transmitter and a sensitive avalanche photo detector. The lidar measures the CH4 absorption at multiple, discrete wavelengths around 1650.9 nm. In September 2015, the instrument was deployed on NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory and measured atmospheric methane over a wide range of topography and weather conditions from altitudes of 3 km to 13 km. In this paper, we will review the results from our flights, and identify areas of improvement.

Development of Corrections for Biomass Burning Effects in Version 2 of GEWEX/SRB Algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinker, Rachel T.; Laszlo, I.; Dicus, Dennis L. (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

The objectives of this project were: (1) To incorporate into an existing version of the University of Maryland Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) model, optical parameters of forest fire aerosols, using best available information, as well as optical properties of other aerosols, identified as significant. (2) To run the model on regional scales with the new parametrization and information on forest fire occurrence and plume advection, as available from NASA LARC, and test improvements in inferring surface fluxes against daily values of measured fluxes. (3) Develop strategy how to incorporate the new parametrization on global scale and how to transfer modified model to NASA LARC.

Mid-infrared source with 0.2 J pulse energy based on nonlinear conversion of Q-switched pulses in ZnGeP2.

PubMed

Haakestad, Magnus W; Fonnum, Helge; Lippert, Espen

2014-04-07

Mid-infrared (3-5 μm) pulses with high energy are produced using nonlinear conversion in a ZnGeP(2)-based master oscillator-power amplifier, pumped by a Q-switched cryogenic Ho:YLF oscillator. The master oscillator is based on an optical parametric oscillator with a V-shaped 3-mirror ring resonator, and the power amplifier is based on optical parametric amplification in large-aperture ZnGeP(2) crystals. Pulses with up to 212 mJ energy at 1 Hz repetition rate are obtained, with FWHM duration 15 ns and beam quality M(2) = 3.

Quantum Illumination-Based Target Detection and Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-30

amplifier (EDFA) was combined with the signal to simulate a high-noise environment, with a noise photon number per mode NB in the range 40–300. The...Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2211 quantum communication, target detection, entanglement , parametric downconversion, optical parametric amplifiers...laser system of the same average transmitted photon number, when the target return has random-amplitude behavior. Receiver operating characteristic

Tomographic measurement of joint photon statistics of the twin-beam quantum state

PubMed

Vasilyev; Choi; Kumar; D'Ariano

2000-03-13

We report the first measurement of the joint photon-number probability distribution for a two-mode quantum state created by a nondegenerate optical parametric amplifier. The measured distributions exhibit up to 1.9 dB of quantum correlation between the signal and idler photon numbers, whereas the marginal distributions are thermal as expected for parametric fluorescence.

Realization of an omnidirectional source of sound using parametric loudspeakers.

PubMed

Sayin, Umut; Artís, Pere; Guasch, Oriol

2013-09-01

Parametric loudspeakers are often used in beam forming applications where a high directivity is required. Withal, in this paper it is proposed to use such devices to build an omnidirectional source of sound. An initial prototype, the omnidirectional parametric loudspeaker (OPL), consisting of a sphere with hundreds of ultrasonic transducers placed on it has been constructed. The OPL emits audible sound thanks to the parametric acoustic array phenomenon, and the close proximity and the large number of transducers results in the generation of a highly omnidirectional sound field. Comparisons with conventional dodecahedron loudspeakers have been made in terms of directivity, frequency response, and in applications such as the generation of diffuse acoustic fields in reverberant chambers. The OPL prototype has performed better than the conventional loudspeaker especially for frequencies higher than 500 Hz, its main drawback being the difficulty to generate intense pressure levels at low frequencies.

Density Fluctuations in the Solar Wind Driven by Alfvén Wave Parametric Decay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowen, Trevor A.; Badman, Samuel; Hellinger, Petr; Bale, Stuart D.

2018-02-01

Measurements and simulations of inertial compressive turbulence in the solar wind are characterized by anti-correlated magnetic fluctuations parallel to the mean field and density structures. This signature has been interpreted as observational evidence for non-propagating pressure balanced structures, kinetic ion-acoustic waves, as well as the MHD slow-mode. Given the high damping rates of parallel propagating compressive fluctuations, their ubiquity in satellite observations is surprising and suggestive of a local driving process. One possible candidate for the generation of compressive fluctuations in the solar wind is the Alfvén wave parametric instability. Here, we test the parametric decay process as a source of compressive waves in the solar wind by comparing the collisionless damping rates of compressive fluctuations with growth rates of the parametric decay instability daughter waves. Our results suggest that generation of compressive waves through parametric decay is overdamped at 1 au, but that the presence of slow-mode-like density fluctuations is correlated with the parametric decay of Alfvén waves.

Integrated Photonic Comb Generation: Applications in Coherent Communication and Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, John S.

Integrated photonics combines many optical components including lasers, modulators, waveguides, and detectors in close proximity via homogeneous (monolithic) or heterogeneous (using multiple materials) integration. This improves stability for interferometers and lasers, reduces the occurrence of unwanted reflections, and it avoids coupling losses between different components as they are on the same chip. Thus, less power is needed to compensate for these added losses, and less heat needs to be removed due to these power savings. In addition, integration allows the many components that comprise a system to be fabricated together, thereby reducing the cost per system and allowing rapid scaling in production throughput. Integrated optical combs have many applications including: metrology, THz frequency generation, arbitrary waveform generation, optical clocks, photonic analog-to-digital converters, sensing (imaging), spectroscopy, and data communication. A comb is a set of optical sources evenly spaced in frequency. Several methods of comb generation including mode-locking and optical parametric oscillation produce phase-matched optical outputs with a fixed phase relationship between the frequency lines. When the absolute frequency of a single comb line is stabilized along with the frequency spacing between comb lines, absolute phase and frequency precision can be achieved over the entire comb bandwidth. This functionality provides tremendous benefits to many applications such as coherent communication and optical sensing. The goals for this work were achieving a broad comb bandwidth and noise reduction, i.e., frequency and phase stability. Integrated mode-locked lasers on the InGaAsP/InP material platform were chosen, as they could be monolithically integrated with the wide range of highly functional and versatile photonic integrated circuits (PICs) previously demonstrated on this platform at UCSB. Gain flattening filters were implemented to increase the comb bandwidths to 2.5 THz. Active mode-locking with an RF source was used to precisely set the frequency spacing between comb lines with better than 10 Hz accuracy. An integrated optical phase-locked loop (OPLL) for the comb was designed, built, and tested. The OPLL fixed a single comb line to a stable single linewidth laser, demonstrating a ˜430 Hz FWHM optical linewidth on the locked comb line and 20º RMS phase deviation between the comb and optical reference. The free-running linewidth is 50--100 MHz, demonstrating over 50 dB improvement in optical linewidth via locking. An integrated tunable laser (SG-DBR) with an OPLL was phase-locked to a comb source with a fixed offset frequency, thus showing the potential for using a comb with SG-DBRs as a compact frequency synthesizer.

Evaluation of grid generation technologies from an applied perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hufford, Gary S.; Harrand, Vincent J.; Patel, Bhavin C.; Mitchell, Curtis R.

1995-01-01

An analysis of the grid generation process from the point of view of an applied CFD engineer is given. Issues addressed include geometric modeling, structured grid generation, unstructured grid generation, hybrid grid generation and use of virtual parts libraries in large parametric analysis projects. The analysis is geared towards comparing the effective turn around time for specific grid generation and CFD projects. The conclusion was made that a single grid generation methodology is not universally suited for all CFD applications due to both limitations in grid generation and flow solver technology. A new geometric modeling and grid generation tool, CFD-GEOM, is introduced to effectively integrate the geometric modeling process to the various grid generation methodologies including structured, unstructured, and hybrid procedures. The full integration of the geometric modeling and grid generation allows implementation of extremely efficient updating procedures, a necessary requirement for large parametric analysis projects. The concept of using virtual parts libraries in conjunction with hybrid grids for large parametric analysis projects is also introduced to improve the efficiency of the applied CFD engineer.

Extended phase-matching properties of periodically poled potassium niobate crystals for mid-infrared polarization-entangled photon-pair generation.

PubMed

Lee, Kwang Jo; Lee, Sunmi; Shin, Heedeuk

2016-12-01

We report the extended phase-matching (EPM) properties of two kinds of periodically poled potassium niobate (KNbO₃ or KN) crystals (i.e., periodic 180°- and 90°-domain structures) that are highly useful for the generation of polarization-entangled photon pairs in the mid-infrared (IR) spectral region. Under the degenerate Type II spontaneous parametric downconversion process satisfying the EPM condition, an input single photon with a frequency of 2ω generates a pair of synchronized photons with identical frequencies of ω that are orthogonally polarized with respect to each other (i.e., the frequency-coincident, polarization-entangled biphoton states). Our simulation results illustrate that the EPM is achievable in the mid-IR spectral region: at the wavelengths of 3.80 μm and 4.03 μm for periodic 90°- and 180°-domain structures, respectively. We will describe in detail the EPM properties of both cases in terms of interaction types and the corresponding nonlinear optic coefficients, phase-matching bandwidths, and domain poling periods. The calculated EPM bandwidths are much broader than 200 nm in the mid-IR for both cases, exhibiting a great potential for nonlinear-optic signal processing in quantum communication systems operating in the mid-IR bands.

Taking advantage of acoustic inhomogeneities in photoacoustic measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Da Silva, Anabela; Handschin, Charles; Riedinger, Christophe; Piasecki, Julien; Mensah, Serge; Litman, Amélie; Akhouayri, Hassan

2016-03-01

Photoacoustic offers promising perspectives in probing and imaging subsurface optically absorbing structures in biological tissues. The optical uence absorbed is partly dissipated into heat accompanied with microdilatations that generate acoustic pressure waves, the intensity which is related to the amount of fluuence absorbed. Hence the photoacoustic signal measured offers access, at least potentially, to a local monitoring of the absorption coefficient, in 3D if tomographic measurements are considered. However, due to both the diffusing and absorbing nature of the surrounding tissues, the major part of the uence is deposited locally at the periphery of the tissue, generating an intense acoustic pressure wave that may hide relevant photoacoustic signals. Experimental strategies have been developed in order to measure exclusively the photoacoustic waves generated by the structure of interest (orthogonal illumination and detection). Temporal or more sophisticated filters (wavelets) can also be applied. However, the measurement of this primary acoustic wave carries a lot of information about the acoustically inhomogeneous nature of the medium. We propose a protocol that includes the processing of this primary intense acoustic wave, leading to the quantification of the surrounding medium sound speed, and, if appropriate to an acoustical parametric image of the heterogeneities. This information is then included as prior knowledge in the photoacoustic reconstruction scheme to improve the localization and quantification.

Machine learning-based dual-energy CT parametric mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Kuan-Hao; Kuo, Jung-Wen; Jordan, David W.; Van Hedent, Steven; Klahr, Paul; Wei, Zhouping; Helo, Rose Al; Liang, Fan; Qian, Pengjiang; Pereira, Gisele C.; Rassouli, Negin; Gilkeson, Robert C.; Traughber, Bryan J.; Cheng, Chee-Wai; Muzic, Raymond F., Jr.

2018-06-01

The aim is to develop and evaluate machine learning methods for generating quantitative parametric maps of effective atomic number (Zeff), relative electron density (ρ e), mean excitation energy (I x ), and relative stopping power (RSP) from clinical dual-energy CT data. The maps could be used for material identification and radiation dose calculation. Machine learning methods of historical centroid (HC), random forest (RF), and artificial neural networks (ANN) were used to learn the relationship between dual-energy CT input data and ideal output parametric maps calculated for phantoms from the known compositions of 13 tissue substitutes. After training and model selection steps, the machine learning predictors were used to generate parametric maps from independent phantom and patient input data. Precision and accuracy were evaluated using the ideal maps. This process was repeated for a range of exposure doses, and performance was compared to that of the clinically-used dual-energy, physics-based method which served as the reference. The machine learning methods generated more accurate and precise parametric maps than those obtained using the reference method. Their performance advantage was particularly evident when using data from the lowest exposure, one-fifth of a typical clinical abdomen CT acquisition. The RF method achieved the greatest accuracy. In comparison, the ANN method was only 1% less accurate but had much better computational efficiency than RF, being able to produce parametric maps in 15 s. Machine learning methods outperformed the reference method in terms of accuracy and noise tolerance when generating parametric maps, encouraging further exploration of the techniques. Among the methods we evaluated, ANN is the most suitable for clinical use due to its combination of accuracy, excellent low-noise performance, and computational efficiency.

Machine learning-based dual-energy CT parametric mapping.

PubMed

Su, Kuan-Hao; Kuo, Jung-Wen; Jordan, David W; Van Hedent, Steven; Klahr, Paul; Wei, Zhouping; Al Helo, Rose; Liang, Fan; Qian, Pengjiang; Pereira, Gisele C; Rassouli, Negin; Gilkeson, Robert C; Traughber, Bryan J; Cheng, Chee-Wai; Muzic, Raymond F

2018-06-08

The aim is to develop and evaluate machine learning methods for generating quantitative parametric maps of effective atomic number (Z eff ), relative electron density (ρ e ), mean excitation energy (I x ), and relative stopping power (RSP) from clinical dual-energy CT data. The maps could be used for material identification and radiation dose calculation. Machine learning methods of historical centroid (HC), random forest (RF), and artificial neural networks (ANN) were used to learn the relationship between dual-energy CT input data and ideal output parametric maps calculated for phantoms from the known compositions of 13 tissue substitutes. After training and model selection steps, the machine learning predictors were used to generate parametric maps from independent phantom and patient input data. Precision and accuracy were evaluated using the ideal maps. This process was repeated for a range of exposure doses, and performance was compared to that of the clinically-used dual-energy, physics-based method which served as the reference. The machine learning methods generated more accurate and precise parametric maps than those obtained using the reference method. Their performance advantage was particularly evident when using data from the lowest exposure, one-fifth of a typical clinical abdomen CT acquisition. The RF method achieved the greatest accuracy. In comparison, the ANN method was only 1% less accurate but had much better computational efficiency than RF, being able to produce parametric maps in 15 s. Machine learning methods outperformed the reference method in terms of accuracy and noise tolerance when generating parametric maps, encouraging further exploration of the techniques. Among the methods we evaluated, ANN is the most suitable for clinical use due to its combination of accuracy, excellent low-noise performance, and computational efficiency.

Idler-resonant intracavity KTA-based OPO pumped by a dual-loss modulated-Q-switched-laser with AOM and Cr4+:YAG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, Junpeng; Zhao, Shengzhi; Yang, Kejian; Zhao, Jia; Li, Guiqiu; Li, Dechun; Li, Tao; Qiao, Wenchao

2017-06-01

An idler-resonant KTiOAsO4 (KTA)-based intracavity optical parametric oscillator (IOPO) pumped by a dual-loss-modulated Q-switched laser with an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) and a Cr4+:YAG saturable absorber (Cr4+:YAG-SA) has been presented. By utilizing a type-II non-critically phase-matched KTA crystal, signal wave at 1535 nm and idler wave at 3467 nm have been generated. Under an incident pump power of 18.3 W, maximum output powers of 615 mW for signal wave and 228 mW for idler wave were obtained at an AOM modulation rate of 10 kHz, corresponding to a whole optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 4.6%. The shortest pulse widths of signal and idler wave were measured to be 898 ps and 2.9 ns, corresponding to the highest peak powers of 68.4 and 7.9 kW, respectively. In comparison with IOPO pumped by a singly Q-switched laser with an AOM, the IOPO pumped by a doubly Q-switched laser (DIOPO) with an AOM and a Cr4+:YAG-SA can generate signal wave and idler wave with shorter pulse width and higher peak power. By considering the spatial Gaussian distribution of intracavity photon density, a set of coupled rate equations for the idler-resonant DIOPO were built for the first time to the best of our knowledge. The simulation results agreed well with the experimental results.

Boltzmann sampling for an XY model using a non-degenerate optical parametric oscillator network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeda, Y.; Tamate, S.; Yamamoto, Y.; Takesue, H.; Inagaki, T.; Utsunomiya, S.

2018-01-01

We present an experimental scheme of implementing multiple spins in a classical XY model using a non-degenerate optical parametric oscillator (NOPO) network. We built an NOPO network to simulate a one-dimensional XY Hamiltonian with 5000 spins and externally controllable effective temperatures. The XY spin variables in our scheme are mapped onto the phases of multiple NOPO pulses in a single ring cavity and interactions between XY spins are implemented by mutual injections between NOPOs. We show the steady-state distribution of optical phases of such NOPO pulses is equivalent to the Boltzmann distribution of the corresponding XY model. Estimated effective temperatures converged to the setting values, and the estimated temperatures and the mean energy exhibited good agreement with the numerical simulations of the Langevin dynamics of NOPO phases.

Regularized linearization for quantum nonlinear optical cavities: application to degenerate optical parametric oscillators.

PubMed

Navarrete-Benlloch, Carlos; Roldán, Eugenio; Chang, Yue; Shi, Tao

2014-10-06

Nonlinear optical cavities are crucial both in classical and quantum optics; in particular, nowadays optical parametric oscillators are one of the most versatile and tunable sources of coherent light, as well as the sources of the highest quality quantum-correlated light in the continuous variable regime. Being nonlinear systems, they can be driven through critical points in which a solution ceases to exist in favour of a new one, and it is close to these points where quantum correlations are the strongest. The simplest description of such systems consists in writing the quantum fields as the classical part plus some quantum fluctuations, linearizing then the dynamical equations with respect to the latter; however, such an approach breaks down close to critical points, where it provides unphysical predictions such as infinite photon numbers. On the other hand, techniques going beyond the simple linear description become too complicated especially regarding the evaluation of two-time correlators, which are of major importance to compute observables outside the cavity. In this article we provide a regularized linear description of nonlinear cavities, that is, a linearization procedure yielding physical results, taking the degenerate optical parametric oscillator as the guiding example. The method, which we call self-consistent linearization, is shown to be equivalent to a general Gaussian ansatz for the state of the system, and we compare its predictions with those obtained with available exact (or quasi-exact) methods. Apart from its operational value, we believe that our work is valuable also from a fundamental point of view, especially in connection to the question of how far linearized or Gaussian theories can be pushed to describe nonlinear dissipative systems which have access to non-Gaussian states.

Deterministic quantum nonlinear optics with single atoms and virtual photons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kockum, Anton Frisk; Miranowicz, Adam; Macrı, Vincenzo; Savasta, Salvatore; Nori, Franco

2017-06-01

We show how analogs of a large number of well-known nonlinear-optics phenomena can be realized with one or more two-level atoms coupled to one or more resonator modes. Through higher-order processes, where virtual photons are created and annihilated, an effective deterministic coupling between two states of such a system can be created. In this way, analogs of three-wave mixing, four-wave mixing, higher-harmonic and -subharmonic generation (i.e., up- and down-conversion), multiphoton absorption, parametric amplification, Raman and hyper-Raman scattering, the Kerr effect, and other nonlinear processes can be realized. In contrast to most conventional implementations of nonlinear optics, these analogs can reach unit efficiency, only use a minimal number of photons (they do not require any strong external drive), and do not require more than two atomic levels. The strength of the effective coupling in our proposed setups becomes weaker the more intermediate transition steps are needed. However, given the recent experimental progress in ultrastrong light-matter coupling and improvement of coherence times for engineered quantum systems, especially in the field of circuit quantum electrodynamics, we estimate that many of these nonlinear-optics analogs can be realized with currently available technology.

Development of suspended core soft glass fibers for far-detuned parametric conversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rampur, Anupamaa; Ciąćka, Piotr; Cimek, Jarosław; Kasztelanic, Rafał; Buczyński, Ryszard; Klimczak, Mariusz

2018-04-01

Light sources utilizing χ (2) parametric conversion combine high brightness with attractive operation wavelengths in the near and mid-infrared. In optical fibers, it is possible to use χ (3) degenerate four-wave mixing in order to obtain signal-to-idler frequency detuning of over 100 THz. We report on a test series of nonlinear soft glass suspended core fibers intended for parametric conversion of 1000-1100 nm signal wavelengths available from an array of mature lasers into the near-to-mid-infrared range of 2700-3500 nm under pumping with an erbium sub-picosecond laser system. The presented discussion includes modelling of the fiber properties, details of their physical development and characterization, and experimental tests of parametric conversion.

Fiber optical parametric amplifiers in optical communication systems

PubMed Central

Marhic (†), Michel E; Andrekson, Peter A; Petropoulos, Periklis; Radic, Stojan; Peucheret, Christophe; Jazayerifar, Mahmoud

2015-01-01

The prospects for using fiber optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) in optical communication systems are reviewed. Phase-insensitive amplifiers (PIAs) and phase-sensitive amplifiers (PSAs) are considered. Low-penalty amplification at/or near 1 Tb/s has been achieved, for both wavelength- and time-division multiplexed formats. High-quality mid-span spectral inversion has been demonstrated at 0.64 Tb/s, avoiding electronic dispersion compensation. All-optical amplitude regeneration of amplitude-modulated signals has been performed, while PSAs have been used to demonstrate phase regeneration of phase-modulated signals. A PSA with 1.1-dB noise figure has been demonstrated, and preliminary wavelength-division multiplexing experiments have been performed with PSAs. 512 Gb/s have been transmitted over 6,000 km by periodic phase conjugation. Simulations indicate that PIAs could reach data rate x reach products in excess of 14,000 Tb/s × km in realistic wavelength-division multiplexed long-haul networks. Technical challenges remaining to be addressed in order for fiber OPAs to become useful for long-haul communication networks are discussed. PMID:25866588

Multiparametric, Longitudinal Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging Reveals Acute Injury and Chronic Recovery in Experimental Ischemic Stroke

PubMed Central

Srinivasan, Vivek J.; Mandeville, Emiri T.; Can, Anil; Blasi, Francesco; Climov, Mihail; Daneshmand, Ali; Lee, Jeong Hyun; Yu, Esther; Radhakrishnan, Harsha; Lo, Eng H.; Sakadžić, Sava; Eikermann-Haerter, Katharina; Ayata, Cenk

2013-01-01

Progress in experimental stroke and translational medicine could be accelerated by high-resolution in vivo imaging of disease progression in the mouse cortex. Here, we introduce optical microscopic methods that monitor brain injury progression using intrinsic optical scattering properties of cortical tissue. A multi-parametric Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) platform for longitudinal imaging of ischemic stroke in mice, through thinned-skull, reinforced cranial window surgical preparations, is described. In the acute stages, the spatiotemporal interplay between hemodynamics and cell viability, a key determinant of pathogenesis, was imaged. In acute stroke, microscopic biomarkers for eventual infarction, including capillary non-perfusion, cerebral blood flow deficiency, altered cellular scattering, and impaired autoregulation of cerebral blood flow, were quantified and correlated with histology. Additionally, longitudinal microscopy revealed remodeling and flow recovery after one week of chronic stroke. Intrinsic scattering properties serve as reporters of acute cellular and vascular injury and recovery in experimental stroke. Multi-parametric OCT represents a robust in vivo imaging platform to comprehensively investigate these properties. PMID:23940761

Cross-polarized wave generation (XPW) for ultrafast laser pulse characterization and intensity contrast enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iliev, Marin

Good pulse quality, high peak power and tunable central wavelength are amongst the most desired qualities in modern lasers. The nonlinear effect cross-polarized wave generation (XPW), can be used in ultrafast laser systems to achieve various pulse quality enhancements. The XPW yield depends on the cube of the input intensity and acts as a spatio-temporal filter. It is orthogonally polarized to the input pulse and highly Gaussian. If the input pulse is well compressed, the output spectrum is smoother and broader. These features make XPW an ideal reference signal in pulse characterization techniques. This thesis presents a detailed analysis of the XPW conversion process, and describes novel applications to pulse characterization and high-quality pulse cleaning. An extensive computer model was developed to describe XPW generation via solution of the full coupled non-linear differential equations. The model accounts for dispersion inside the nonlinear crystal and uses split-step Fourier optics beam propagation to simulate the evolution of the electro-magnetic fields of the pump and XPW through free-space and imaging systems. A novel extension to the self-referenced spectral interferometry (SRSI) pulse characterization technique allows the retrieval of the energy and spectral content of the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) present in ultrashort pulse amplifier systems. A novel double-pass XPW conversion scheme is presented. In it the beam passes through a single XPW crystal (BaF2) and is re-imaged with a curved mirror. The technique resulted in good (˜30%) efficiency without the spatial aberrations commonly seen in another arrangement that uses two crystals in succession. The modeling sheds light on the complicated nonlinear beam dynamics of the double-crystal conversion, including self- and cross-phase modulation, self-focusing, and the effects of, relative on-axis phase-difference, relative beam sizes, and wave-front curvature matching on seeded XPW conversion. Finally, a design is presented for exploiting the clean-up properties of XPW at the output of an optical parametric generation (OPA) setup in conjunction with an extremely compact prism compressor. The prisms material, separation and geometry are designed carefully to work at the correct wavelength of the OPA setup and are extrapolated to accommodate wavelengths, such as 2mum of parametric wave generation.

Localized parallel parametric generation of spin waves in a Ni{sub 81}Fe{sub 19} waveguide by spatial variation of the pumping field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brächer, T.; Graduate School Materials Science in Mainz, Gottlieb-Daimler-Strasse 47, D-67663 Kaiserslautern; Pirro, P.

2014-03-03

We present the experimental observation of localized parallel parametric generation of spin waves in a transversally in-plane magnetized Ni{sub 81}Fe{sub 19} magnonic waveguide. The localization is realized by combining the threshold character of parametric generation with a spatially confined enhancement of the amplifying microwave field. The latter is achieved by modulating the width of the microstrip transmission line which is used to provide the pumping field. By employing microfocussed Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy, we analyze the spatial distribution of the generated spin waves and compare it with numerical calculations of the field distribution along the Ni{sub 81}Fe{sub 19} waveguide. Thismore » provides a local spin-wave excitation in transversally in-plane magnetized waveguides for a wide wave-vector range which is not restricted by the size of the generation area.« less

Optical implementation of spin squeezing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ono, Takafumi; Sabines-Chesterking, Javier; Cable, Hugo; O'Brien, Jeremy L.; Matthews, Jonathan C. F.

2017-05-01

Quantum metrology enables estimation of optical phase shifts with precision beyond the shot-noise limit. One way to exceed this limit is to use squeezed states, where the quantum noise of one observable is reduced at the expense of increased quantum noise for its complementary partner. Because shot-noise limits the phase sensitivity of all classical states, reduced noise in the average value for the observable being measured allows for improved phase sensitivity. However, additional phase sensitivity can be achieved using phase estimation strategies that account for the full distribution of measurement outcomes. Here we experimentally investigate a model of optical spin-squeezing, which uses post-selection and photon subtraction from the state generated using a parametric downconversion photon source, and we investigate the phase sensitivity of this model. The Fisher information for all photon-number outcomes shows it is possible to obtain a quantum advantage of 1.58 compared to the shot-noise value for five-photon events, even though due to experimental imperfection, the average noise for the relevant spin-observable does not achieve sub-shot-noise precision. Our demonstration implies improved performance of spin squeezing for applications to quantum metrology.

5-fs, Multi-mJ, CEP-locked parametric chirped-pulse amplifier pumped by a 450-nm source at 1 kHz.

PubMed

Adachi, S; Ishii, N; Kanai, T; Kosuge, A; Itatani, J; Kobayashi, Y; Yoshitomi, D; Torizuka, K; Watanabe, S

2008-09-15

We report on the development of an optical parametric chirpedpulse amplifier at a 1-kHz repetition rate with a 5.5-fs pulse duration, a 2.7-mJ pulse energy and carrier-envelope phase-control. The amplifier is pumped by a 450-nm pulse from a frequency-doubled Ti:sapphire laser.

Bifurcation analysis of eight coupled degenerate optical parametric oscillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, Daisuke; Ueta, Tetsushi; Aihara, Kazuyuki

2018-06-01

A degenerate optical parametric oscillator (DOPO) network realized as a coherent Ising machine can be used to solve combinatorial optimization problems. Both theoretical and experimental investigations into the performance of DOPO networks have been presented previously. However a problem remains, namely that the dynamics of the DOPO network itself can lower the search success rates of globally optimal solutions for Ising problems. This paper shows that the problem is caused by pitchfork bifurcations due to the symmetry structure of coupled DOPOs. Some two-parameter bifurcation diagrams of equilibrium points express the performance deterioration. It is shown that the emergence of non-ground states regarding local minima hampers the system from reaching the ground states corresponding to the global minimum. We then describe a parametric strategy for leading a system to the ground state by actively utilizing the bifurcation phenomena. By adjusting the parameters to break particular symmetry, we find appropriate parameter sets that allow the coherent Ising machine to obtain the globally optimal solution alone.

1 kHz 3.3 μm Nd:YAG KTiOAsO₄ optical parametric oscillator system for laser ultrasound excitation of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics.

PubMed

Puncken, Oliver; Gandara, David Mendoza; Damjanic, Marcin; Mahnke, Peter; Bergmann, Ralf B; Kalms, Michael; Peuser, Peter; Wessels, Peter; Neumann, Jörg; Schnars, Ulf

2016-02-20

We present a new laser prototype for laser ultrasonics excitation. The fundamental wavelength of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with a repetition rate of 1 kHz is converted to 3.3 μm with a KTiOAsO4 optical parametric oscillator. The achieved pulse energy at 3.3 μm is 1.7 mJ, and the pulse duration at the fundamental wavelength of 1.06 μm has been measured to be 21 ns. The ultrasonic excitation efficiency is about 3.5 times better compared to the application of state-of-the-art CO2 lasers.

Time-dependent spatial intensity profiles of near-infrared idler pulses from nanosecond optical parametric oscillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olafsen, L. J.; Olafsen, J. S.; Eaves, I. K.

2018-06-01

We report on an experimental investigation of the time-dependent spatial intensity distribution of near-infrared idler pulses from an optical parametric oscillator measured using an infrared (IR) camera, in contrast to beam profiles obtained using traditional knife-edge techniques. Comparisons show the information gained by utilizing the thermal camera provides more detail than the spatially- or time-averaged measurements from a knife-edge profile. Synchronization, averaging, and thresholding techniques are applied to enhance the images acquired. The additional information obtained can improve the process by which semiconductor devices and other IR lasers are characterized for their beam quality and output response and thereby result in IR devices with higher performance.

High-average-power 2 μm few-cycle optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier at 100 kHz repetition rate.

PubMed

Shamir, Yariv; Rothhardt, Jan; Hädrich, Steffen; Demmler, Stefan; Tschernajew, Maxim; Limpert, Jens; Tünnermann, Andreas

2015-12-01

Sources of long wavelengths few-cycle high repetition rate pulses are becoming increasingly important for a plethora of applications, e.g., in high-field physics. Here, we report on the realization of a tunable optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier at 100 kHz repetition rate. At a central wavelength of 2 μm, the system delivered 33 fs pulses and a 6 W average power corresponding to 60 μJ pulse energy with gigawatt-level peak powers. Idler absorption and its crystal heating is experimentally investigated for a BBO. Strategies for further power scaling to several tens of watts of average power are discussed.

Parametric instabilities of rotor-support systems with application to industrial ventilators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parszewski, Z.; Krodkiemski, T.; Marynowski, K.

1980-01-01

Rotor support systems interaction with parametric excitation is considered for both unequal principal shaft stiffness (generators) and offset disc rotors (ventilators). Instability regions and types of instability are computed in the first case, and parametric resonances in the second case. Computed and experimental results are compared for laboratory machine models. A field case study of parametric vibrations in industrial ventilators is reported. Computed parametric resonances are confirmed in field measurements, and some industrial failures are explained. Also the dynamic influence and gyroscopic effect of supporting structures are shown and computed.

Multi-gigahertz, femtosecond Airy beam optical parametric oscillator pumped at 78 MHz

PubMed Central

Aadhi, A.; Sharma, Varun; Chaitanya, N. Apurv; Samanta, G. K.

2017-01-01

We report a high power ultrafast Airy beam source producing femtosecond pulses at multi-gigahertz (GHz) repetition rate (RR). Based on intra-cavity cubic phase modulation of an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) designed in high harmonic cavity configuration synchronous to a femtosecond Yb-fiber laser operating at 78 MHz, we have produced ultrafast 2D Airy beam at multi-GHz repetition rate through the fractional increment in the cavity length. While small (<1 mm) crystals are used in femtosecond OPOs to take the advantage of broad phase-matching bandwidth, here, we have exploited the extended phase-matching bandwidth of a 50-mm long Magnesium-oxide doped periodically poled LiNbO3 (MgO:PPLN) crystal for efficient generation of ultrafast Airy beam and broadband mid-IR radiation. Pumping the MgO:PPLN crystal of grating period, Λ = 30 μm and crystal temperature, T = 100 °C using a 5-W femtosecond laser centred at 1064 nm, we have produced Airy beam radiation of 684 mW in ~639 fs (transform limited) pulses at 1525 nm at a RR of ~2.5 GHz. Additionally, the source produces broadband idler radiation with maximum power of 510 mW and 94 nm bandwidth at 3548 nm in Gaussian beam profile. Using an indirect method (change in cavity length) we estimate maximum RR of the Airy beam source to be ~100 GHz. PMID:28262823

Electronically tunable femtosecond all-fiber optical parametric oscillator for multi-photon microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hellwig, Tim; Brinkmann, Maximilian; Fallnich, Carsten

2018-02-01

We present a femtosecond fiber-based optical parametric oscillator (FOPO) for multiphoton microscopy with wavelength tuning by electronic repetition rate tuning in combination with a dispersive filter in the FOPO cavity. The all-spliced, all-fiber FOPO cavity is based on polarization-maintaining fibers and a broadband output coupler, allowing to get access to the resonant signal pulses as well as the idler pulses simultaneously. The system was pumped by a gain-switched fiber-coupled laser diode emitting pulses at a central wavelength of 1030 nm and an electronically tunable repetition frequency of about 2 MHz. The pump pulses were amplified in an Ytterbium fiber amplifier system with a pulse duration after amplification of 13 ps. Tuning of the idler (1140 nm - 1300 nm) and signal wavelengths (850 nm - 940 nm) was achieved by changing the repetition frequency of the pump laser by about 4 kHz. The generated signal pulses reached a pulse energy of up to 9.2 nJ at 920 nm and were spectrally broadened to about 6 nm in the FOPO by a combination of self-phase and cross-phase modulation. We showed external compression of the idler pulses at 920 nm to about 430 fs and appleid them to two-photon excitation microscopy with green fluorescent dyes. The presented system constitutes an important step towards a fully fiber-integrated all-electronically tunable and, thereby, programmable light source and already embodies a versatile and flexible light source for applications, e.g., for smart microscopy.

1.5-μm band polarization entangled photon-pair source with variable Bell states.

PubMed

Arahira, Shin; Kishimoto, Tadashi; Murai, Hitoshi

2012-04-23

In this paper we report a polarization-entangled photon-pair source in a 1.5-μm band which can generate arbitrary entangled states including four maximum entangled states (Bell states) by using cascaded optical second nonlinearities (second-harmonic generation and the following spontaneous parametric down conversion) in a periodically poled LiNbO(3) (PPLN) ridge-waveguide device. Exchange among the Bell states was achieved by using an optical phase bias compensator (OPBC) in a Sagnac loop interferometer and a half-wave plate outside the loop for polarization conversion. Quantitative evaluation was made on the performance of the photon-pair source through the experiments of two-photon interferences, quantum state tomography, and test of violation of Bell inequality. We observed high visibilities of 96%, fidelities of 97%, and 2.71 of the S parameter in inequality of Clauser, Horne, Shimony, and Holt (CHSH). The experimental values, including peak coincidence counts in the two-photon interference (approximately 170 counts per second), remained almost unchanged in despite of the exchange among the Bell states. They were also in good agreement with the theoretical assumption from the mean number of the photon-pairs under the test (0.04 per pulse). More detailed experimental studies on the dependence of the mean number of the photon-pairs revealed that the quantum states were well understood as the Werner state. © 2012 Optical Society of America

Nanomaterial-enhanced frequency combs (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armani, Andrea M.; Castro-Beltran, Rigoberto; Diep, Vinh; Gungor, Eda; Shen, Xiaoqin; Soltani, Soheil

2017-02-01

Optical cavities are able to confine and store specific wavelengths of light, acting as optical amplifiers at those wavelengths. Because the amount of amplification is directly related to the cavity quality factor (Q) (or the cavity finesse), frequency comb research has focused on high-Q and ultra-high Q microcavities fabricated from a range of materials using a variety of methods. In all cases, the comb generation relies on a nonlinear process known as parametric frequency conversion which is based on a third order nonlinear interaction and which results in four wave mixing (FWM). Clearly, this approach requires significant optical power, which was the original motivation for using ultra-high-Q cavities. In fact, the majority of research to date has focused on pursuing increasingly high Q factors. However, another strategy is to improve the nonlinearity of the resonator through intelligently designing materials for this application. In the present work, a suite of nanomaterials (organic and inorganic) have been intelligently designed with the explicit purpose to enhance the nonlinearity of the resonator and reducing the threshold for frequency comb generation in the near-IR. The nanomaterials do not change the structure of the comb and only act to reduce the comb threshold. The silica microcavity is used as a testbed for initial demonstration and verification purposes. However, the fundamental strategy is translatable to other whispering gallery mode cavities.

Fast, precise, and widely tunable frequency control of an optical parametric oscillator referenced to a frequency comb.

PubMed

Prehn, Alexander; Glöckner, Rosa; Rempe, Gerhard; Zeppenfeld, Martin

2017-03-01

Optical frequency combs (OFCs) provide a convenient reference for the frequency stabilization of continuous-wave lasers. We demonstrate a frequency control method relying on tracking over a wide range and stabilizing the beat note between the laser and the OFC. The approach combines fast frequency ramps on a millisecond timescale in the entire mode-hop free tuning range of the laser and precise stabilization to single frequencies. We apply it to a commercially available optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and demonstrate tuning over more than 60 GHz with a ramping speed up to 3 GHz/ms. Frequency ramps spanning 15 GHz are performed in less than 10 ms, with the OPO instantly relocked to the OFC after the ramp at any desired frequency. The developed control hardware and software are able to stabilize the OPO to sub-MHz precision and to perform sequences of fast frequency ramps automatically.

Flat and ultra-broadband two-pump fiber optical parametric amplifiers based on photonic crystal fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Nan; Zhu, Hongna; Li, Peipei; Taccheo, Stefano; Zhu, Yuanna; Gao, Xiaorong; Wang, Zeyong

2018-06-01

A two-pump fiber optical parametric amplifier (FOPA) based on the photonic crystal fiber (PCF) in the telecommunication region is investigated numerically. The fiber loss and pump depletion are considered. The influences of the fiber length, input signal power, input pump power, and the center pump wavelength on the gain bandwidth, flatness, and peak gain are discussed. The 6-wave model-based analysis of two-pump FOPA is also achieved and compared with that based on the 4-wave model; furthermore, the gain properties of the FOPA based on the 6-wave model are optimized and investigated. The comparison results show that the PCF-based two-pump FOPA achieves flatter and wider gain spectra with less fiber length and input pump power compared to the two-pump FOPA based on the normal highly nonlinear fiber, where the obtained results show the great potential of the FOPA for the optical communication system.

Flat and ultra-broadband two-pump fiber optical parametric amplifiers based on photonic crystal fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Nan; Zhu, Hongna; Li, Peipei; Taccheo, Stefano; Zhu, Yuanna; Gao, Xiaorong; Wang, Zeyong

2018-03-01

A two-pump fiber optical parametric amplifier (FOPA) based on the photonic crystal fiber (PCF) in the telecommunication region is investigated numerically. The fiber loss and pump depletion are considered. The influences of the fiber length, input signal power, input pump power, and the center pump wavelength on the gain bandwidth, flatness, and peak gain are discussed. The 6-wave model-based analysis of two-pump FOPA is also achieved and compared with that based on the 4-wave model; furthermore, the gain properties of the FOPA based on the 6-wave model are optimized and investigated. The comparison results show that the PCF-based two-pump FOPA achieves flatter and wider gain spectra with less fiber length and input pump power compared to the two-pump FOPA based on the normal highly nonlinear fiber, where the obtained results show the great potential of the FOPA for the optical communication system.

Laser System for Photoelectron and X-Ray Production in the PLEIADES Compton Light Source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gibson, D J; Barty, C J; Betts, S M

2005-04-21

The PLEIADES (Picosecond Laser-Electron Interaction for the Dynamic Evaluation of Structures) facility provides tunable short x-ray pulses with energies of 30-140 keV and pulse durations of 0.3-5 ps by scattering an intense, ultrashort laser pulse off a 35-75 MeV electron beam. Synchronization of the laser and electron beam is obtained by using a photoinjector gun, and using the same laser system to generate the electrons and the scattering laser. The Ti Ti:Sapphire, chirped pulse amplification based 500 mJ, 50 fs, 810 nm scattering laser and the similar 300 {micro}J, 5 ps, 266 nm photoinjector laser systems are detailed. Additionally, anmore » optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) system is studied as a replacement for part of the scattering laser front end. Such a change would significantly simplify the set-up the laser system by removing the need for active switching optics, as well as increase the pre-pulse contrast ratio which will be important when part of the scattering laser is used as a pump beam in pump-probe diffraction experiments using the ultrashort tunable x-rays generated as the probe.« less

Parametric Method Performance for Dynamic 3'-Deoxy-3'-18F-Fluorothymidine PET/CT in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Patients Before and During Therapy.

PubMed

Kramer, Gerbrand Maria; Frings, Virginie; Heijtel, Dennis; Smit, E F; Hoekstra, Otto S; Boellaard, Ronald

2017-06-01

The objective of this study was to validate several parametric methods for quantification of 3'-deoxy-3'- 18 F-fluorothymidine ( 18 F-FLT) PET in advanced-stage non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients with an activating epidermal growth factor receptor mutation who were treated with gefitinib or erlotinib. Furthermore, we evaluated the impact of noise on accuracy and precision of the parametric analyses of dynamic 18 F-FLT PET/CT to assess the robustness of these methods. Methods : Ten NSCLC patients underwent dynamic 18 F-FLT PET/CT at baseline and 7 and 28 d after the start of treatment. Parametric images were generated using plasma input Logan graphic analysis and 2 basis functions-based methods: a 2-tissue-compartment basis function model (BFM) and spectral analysis (SA). Whole-tumor-averaged parametric pharmacokinetic parameters were compared with those obtained by nonlinear regression of the tumor time-activity curve using a reversible 2-tissue-compartment model with blood volume fraction. In addition, 2 statistically equivalent datasets were generated by countwise splitting the original list-mode data, each containing 50% of the total counts. Both new datasets were reconstructed, and parametric pharmacokinetic parameters were compared between the 2 replicates and the original data. Results: After the settings of each parametric method were optimized, distribution volumes (V T ) obtained with Logan graphic analysis, BFM, and SA all correlated well with those derived using nonlinear regression at baseline and during therapy ( R 2 ≥ 0.94; intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.97). SA-based V T images were most robust to increased noise on a voxel-level (repeatability coefficient, 16% vs. >26%). Yet BFM generated the most accurate K 1 values ( R 2 = 0.94; intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.96). Parametric K 1 data showed a larger variability in general; however, no differences were found in robustness between methods (repeatability coefficient, 80%-84%). Conclusion: Both BFM and SA can generate quantitatively accurate parametric 18 F-FLT V T images in NSCLC patients before and during therapy. SA was more robust to noise, yet BFM provided more accurate parametric K 1 data. We therefore recommend BFM as the preferred parametric method for analysis of dynamic 18 F-FLT PET/CT studies; however, SA can also be used. © 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

Phase noise suppression through parametric filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassella, Cristian; Strachan, Scott; Shaw, Steven W.; Piazza, Gianluca

2017-02-01

In this work, we introduce and experimentally demonstrate a parametric phase noise suppression technique, which we call "parametric phase noise filtering." This technique is based on the use of a solid-state parametric amplifier operating in its instability region and included in a non-autonomous feedback loop connected at the output of a noisy oscillator. We demonstrate that such a system behaves as a parametrically driven Duffing resonator and can operate at special points where it becomes largely immune to the phase fluctuations that affect the oscillator output signal. A prototype of a parametric phase noise filter (PFIL) was designed and fabricated to operate in the very-high-frequency range. The PFIL prototype allowed us to significantly reduce the phase noise at the output of a commercial signal generator operating around 220 MHz. Noise reduction of 16 dB (40×) and 13 dB (20×) were obtained, respectively, at 1 and 10 kHz offsets from the carrier frequency. The demonstration of this phase noise suppression technique opens up scenarios in the development of passive and low-cost phase noise cancellation circuits for any application demanding high quality frequency generation.

Sub-cycle light transients for attosecond, X-ray, four-dimensional imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fattahi, Hanieh

2016-10-01

This paper reviews the revolutionary development of ultra-short, multi-TW laser pulse generation made possible by current laser technology. The design of the unified laser architecture discussed in this paper, based on the synthesis of ultrabroadband optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers, promises to provide powerful light transients with electromagnetic forces engineerable on the electron time scale. By coherent combination of multiple amplifiers operating in different wavelength ranges, pulses with wavelength spectra extending from less than 1 ?m to more than 10 ?m, with sub-cycle duration at unprecedented peak and average power levels can be generated. It is shown theoretically that these light transients enable the efficient generation of attosecond X-ray pulses with photon flux sufficient to image, for the first time, picometre-attosecond trajectories of electrons, by means of X-ray diffraction and record the electron dynamics by attosecond spectroscopy. The proposed system leads to a tool with sub-atomic spatio-temporal resolution for studying different processes deep inside matter.

X-ray-generated heralded macroscopical quantum entanglement of two nuclear ensembles.

PubMed

Liao, Wen-Te; Keitel, Christoph H; Pálffy, Adriana

2016-09-19

Heralded entanglement between macroscopical samples is an important resource for present quantum technology protocols, allowing quantum communication over large distances. In such protocols, optical photons are typically used as information and entanglement carriers between macroscopic quantum memories placed in remote locations. Here we investigate theoretically a new implementation which employs more robust x-ray quanta to generate heralded entanglement between two crystal-hosted macroscopical nuclear ensembles. Mössbauer nuclei in the two crystals interact collectively with an x-ray spontaneous parametric down conversion photon that generates heralded macroscopical entanglement with coherence times of approximately 100 ns at room temperature. The quantum phase between the entangled crystals can be conveniently manipulated by magnetic field rotations at the samples. The inherent long nuclear coherence times allow also for mechanical manipulations of the samples, for instance to check the stability of entanglement in the x-ray setup. Our results pave the way for first quantum communication protocols that use x-ray qubits.

Efficient generation and characterization of spectrally factorable biphotons.

PubMed

Chen, Changchen; Bo, Cao; Niu, Murphy Yuezhen; Xu, Feihu; Zhang, Zheshen; Shapiro, Jeffrey H; Wong, Franco N C

2017-04-03

Spectrally unentangled biphotons with high single-spatiotemporal-mode purity are highly desirable for many quantum information processing tasks. We generate biphotons with an inferred heralded-state spectral purity of 99%, the highest to date without any spectral filtering, by pulsed spontaneous parametric downconversion in a custom-fabricated periodically-poled KTiOPO₄ crystal under extended Gaussian phase-matching conditions. To efficiently characterize the joint spectral intensity of the generated biphotons at high spectral resolution, we employ a commercially available dispersion compensation module (DCM) with a dispersion equivalent to 100 km of standard optical fiber and with an insertion loss of only 2.8 dB. Compared with the typical method of using two temperature-stabilized equal-length fibers that incurs an insertion loss of 20 dB per fiber, the DCM approach achieves high spectral resolution in a much shorter measurement time. Because the dispersion amount and center wavelengths of DCMs can be easily customized, spectral characterization in a wide range of quantum photonic applications should benefit significantly from this technique.

Intermodal Parametric Frequency Conversion in Optical Fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demas, Jeffrey D.

Lasers are an essential technology enabling countless fields of optics, however, their operation wavelengths are limited to isolated regions across the optical spectrum due to the need for suitable gain media. Parametric frequency conversion (PFC) is an attractive means to convert existing lasers to new colors using nonlinear optical interactions rather than the material properties of the host medium, allowing for the development of high power laser sources across the entire optical spectrum. PFC in bulk chi(2) crystals has led to the development of the optical parametric oscillator, which is currently the standard source for high power light at non-traditional wavelengths in the laboratory setting. Ideally, however, one could implement PFC in an optical fiber, thus leveraging the crucial benefits of a guided-wave geometry: alignment-free, compact, and robust operation. Four-wave mixing (FWM) is a nonlinear effect in optical fibers that can be used to convert frequencies, the major challenge being conservation of momentum, or phase matching, between the interacting light waves. Phase matching can be satisfied through the interaction of different spatial modes in a multi-mode fiber, however, previous demonstrations have been limited by mode stability and narrow-band FWM gain. Alternatively, phase matching within the fundamental mode can be realized in high-confinement waveguides (such as photonic crystal fibers), but achieving the anomalous waveguide dispersion necessary for phase matching at pump wavelengths near ˜1 mum (where the highest power fiber lasers emit) comes at the cost of reducing the effective area of the mode, thus limiting power-handling. Here, we specifically consider the class of Bessel-like LP0,m modes in step-index fibers. It has been shown that these modes can be selectively excited and guided stably for long lengths of fiber, and mode stability increases with mode order 'm'. The effective area of modes in these fibers can be very large (>6000 mum2 demonstrated) and is decoupled from dispersion, allowing for phase matching within a single mode in a power-scalable platform. Furthermore, step-index fibers can guide many different LP0,m modes, allowing access to a highly multi-moded basis set with which to study FWM interactions between different modes. In this thesis we develop techniques to excite, propagate, and characterize LP0,m modes in order to demonstrate FWM in two regimes: monomode interactions comprising waves all belonging to the same mode, and intermodal interactions between different modes. In the monomode regime we demonstrate parametric sources which operate at near-infrared wavelengths under-served by conventional fiber lasers, including 880, 974, 1173, and 1347 nm. The output pulses for these systems are ˜300 ps in duration and reach peak powers of ˜10 kW, representing, to the best our knowledge, the highest peak power fiber laser sources demonstrated at these wavelengths to date. In the intermodal regime, we demonstrate a cascade of FWM processes between different modes that lead to a series of discrete peaks in the visible portion of the spectrum, increasing monotonically in mode order from LP0,7 at 678 nm to LP0,16 at 443 nm. This cascade underscores the huge number of potential FWM interactions between different LP0,m modes available in a highly multi-mode fiber, which scale as N4 for N guided modes. Finally, we demonstrate a novel intermodal FWM process pumped between the LP0,4 and LP0,5 modes of a step-index fiber, which provides broadband FWM gain (63 nm at 1550 nm) while maintaining wavelength separations of nearly an octave (762 nm) - a result that cannot be replicated in the single-mode regime. We seed this process to generate a ˜10 kW, ˜300-ps pulsed fiber laser wavelength-tunable from 786-795 nm; representing a fiber analogue of the ubiquitous Ti:Sapphire laser.

Multimodal fiber source for nonlinear microscopy based on a dissipative soliton laser

PubMed Central

Lamb, Erin S.; Wise, Frank W.

2015-01-01

Recent developments in high energy femtosecond fiber lasers have enabled robust and lower-cost sources for multiphoton-fluorescence and harmonic-generation imaging. However, picosecond pulses are better suited for Raman scattering microscopy, so the ideal multimodal source for nonlinear microcopy needs to provide both durations. Here we present spectral compression of a high-power femtosecond fiber laser as a route to producing transform-limited picosecond pulses. These pulses pump a fiber optical parametric oscillator to yield a robust fiber source capable of providing the synchronized picosecond pulse trains needed for Raman scattering microscopy. Thus, this system can be used as a multimodal platform for nonlinear microscopy techniques. PMID:26417497

Ultra-stable high average power femtosecond laser system tunable from 1.33 to 20  μm.

PubMed

Steinle, Tobias; Mörz, Florian; Steinmann, Andy; Giessen, Harald

2016-11-01

A highly stable 350 fs laser system with a gap-free tunability from 1.33 to 2.0 μm and 2.13 to 20 μm is demonstrated. Nanojoule-level pulse energy is achieved in the mid-infrared at a 43 MHz repetition rate. The system utilizes a post-amplified fiber-feedback optical parametric oscillator followed by difference frequency generation between the signal and idler. No locking or synchronization electronics are required to achieve outstanding free-running output power and spectral stability of the whole system. Ultra-low intensity noise, close to the pump laser's noise figure, enables shot-noise limited measurements.

Storage and retrieval of THz-bandwidth single photons using a room-temperature diamond quantum memory.

PubMed

England, Duncan G; Fisher, Kent A G; MacLean, Jean-Philippe W; Bustard, Philip J; Lausten, Rune; Resch, Kevin J; Sussman, Benjamin J

2015-02-06

We report the storage and retrieval of single photons, via a quantum memory, in the optical phonons of a room-temperature bulk diamond. The THz-bandwidth heralded photons are generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion and mapped to phonons via a Raman transition, stored for a variable delay, and released on demand. The second-order correlation of the memory output is g((2))(0)=0.65±0.07, demonstrating a preservation of nonclassical photon statistics throughout storage and retrieval. The memory is low noise, high speed and broadly tunable; it therefore promises to be a versatile light-matter interface for local quantum processing applications.

Semi-Automatic Modelling of Building FAÇADES with Shape Grammars Using Historic Building Information Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dore, C.; Murphy, M.

2013-02-01

This paper outlines a new approach for generating digital heritage models from laser scan or photogrammetric data using Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM). HBIM is a plug-in for Building Information Modelling (BIM) software that uses parametric library objects and procedural modelling techniques to automate the modelling stage. The HBIM process involves a reverse engineering solution whereby parametric interactive objects representing architectural elements are mapped onto laser scan or photogrammetric survey data. A library of parametric architectural objects has been designed from historic manuscripts and architectural pattern books. These parametric objects were built using an embedded programming language within the ArchiCAD BIM software called Geometric Description Language (GDL). Procedural modelling techniques have been implemented with the same language to create a parametric building façade which automatically combines library objects based on architectural rules and proportions. Different configurations of the façade are controlled by user parameter adjustment. The automatically positioned elements of the façade can be subsequently refined using graphical editing while overlaying the model with orthographic imagery. Along with this semi-automatic method for generating façade models, manual plotting of library objects can also be used to generate a BIM model from survey data. After the 3D model has been completed conservation documents such as plans, sections, elevations and 3D views can be automatically generated for conservation projects.

Partially deuterated potassium dihydrogen phosphate optimized for ultra-broadband optical parametric amplification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujioka, K.; Fujimoto, Y.; Tsubakimoto, K.; Kawanaka, J.; Shoji, I.; Miyanaga, N.

2015-03-01

The refractive index of a potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystal strongly depends on the deuteration fraction of the crystal. The wavelength dependence of the phase-matching angle in the near-infrared optical parametric process shows convex and concave characteristics for pure KDP and pure deuterated KDP (DKDP), respectively, when pumped by the second harmonic of Nd- or Yb-doped solid state lasers. Using these characteristics, ultra-broadband phase matching can be realized by optimization of the deuteration fraction. The refractive index of DKDP that was grown with a different deuteration fraction (known as partially deuterated KDP or pDKDP) was measured over a wide wavelength range of 0.4-1.5 μm by the minimum deviation method. The wavelength dispersions of the measured refractive indices were fitted using a modified Sellmeier equation, and the deuteration fraction dependence was analyzed using the Lorentz-Lorenz equation. The wavelength-dependent phase-matching angle for an arbitrary deuteration fraction was then calculated for optical parametric amplification with pumping at a wavelength of 526.5 nm. The results revealed that a refractive index database with precision of more than 2 × 10-5 was necessary for exact evaluation of the phase-matching condition. An ultra-broad gain bandwidth of up to 490 nm will be feasible when using the 68% pDKDP crystal.

Nonlinear optics and crystalline whispering gallery mode resonators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matsko, Andrey B.; Savchenkov, Anatoliy A.; Ilchenko, Vladimir S.; Maleki, Lute

2004-01-01

We report on our recent results concerning fabrication of high-Q whispering gallery mode (WGM) crystalline resonators, and discuss some possible applications of lithium niobate WGM resonators in nonlinear optics and photonics. In particular, we demonstrate experimentally a tunable third-order optical filter fabricated from the three metalized resonators; and report observation of parametric frequency dobuling in a WGM resonator made of periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN).

Parametric second Stokes Raman laser output pulse shortening to 300 ps due to depletion of pumping of intracavity Raman conversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smetanin, S. N.; Jelínek, M.; Kubeček, V.; Jelínková, H.; Ivleva, L. I.

2016-10-01

A new effect of the pulse shortening of the parametrically generated radiation down to hundreds of picosecond via depletion of pumping of intracavity Raman conversion in the miniature passively Q-switched Nd: SrMoO4 parametric self-Raman laser with the increasing energy of the shortened pulse under pulsed pumping by a high-power laser diode bar is demonstrated. The theoretical estimation of the depletion stage duration of the convertible fundamental laser radiation via intracavity Raman conversion is in agreement with the experimentally demonstrated duration of the parametrically generated pulse. Using the mathematical modeling of the pulse shortening quality and quantity deterioration is disclosed, and the solution ways are found by the optimization of the laser parameters.

Phase-matching properties of yellow color HgGa₂S₄ for SHG and SFG in the 0.944-10.5910  μm range.

PubMed

Kato, Kiyoshi; Petrov, Valentin; Umemura, Nobuhiro

2016-04-20

We report new experimental results on the phase-matching properties of yellow color HgGa₂S₄ crystals for harmonic generation of an Nd:YAG laser-pumped KTiOPO₄ (KTP) optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and CO₂ lasers in the 0.944-10.5910 μm range. In addition, we present new Sellmeier equations that provide a good reproduction of the present experimental results as well as the published data points for second-harmonic generation of CO₂ laser radiation at 9.2197-9.6392 μm and Nd:YAG laser-pumped OPOs at 1.205-1.725 μm and 2.77-9.10 μm that were achieved with the orange and yellow color crystals.

Optomechanical frequency combs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miri, Mohammad-Ali; D’Aguanno, Giuseppe; Alù, Andrea

2018-04-01

We study the formation of frequency combs in a single-mode optomechanical cavity. The comb is composed of equidistant spectral lines centered at the pump laser frequency and located at different harmonics of the mechanical resonator. We investigate the classical nonlinear dynamics of such system and find analytically the onset of parametric instability resulting in the breakdown of a stationary continuous wave intracavity field into a periodic train of pulses, which in the Fourier domain gives rise to a broadband frequency comb. Different dynamical regimes, including a stationary state, frequency comb generation and chaos, and their dependence on the system parameters, are studied both analytically and numerically. Interestingly, the comb generation is found to be more robust in the poor cavity limit, where optical loss is equal or larger than the mechanical resonance frequency. Our results show that optomechanical resonators open exciting opportunities for microwave photonics as compact and robust sources of frequency combs with megahertz line spacing.

Coherent dynamics of a telecom-wavelength entangled photon source.

PubMed

Ward, M B; Dean, M C; Stevenson, R M; Bennett, A J; Ellis, D J P; Cooper, K; Farrer, I; Nicoll, C A; Ritchie, D A; Shields, A J

2014-01-01

Quantum networks can interconnect remote quantum information processors, allowing interaction between different architectures and increasing net computational power. Fibre-optic telecommunications technology offers a practical platform for routing weakly interacting photonic qubits, allowing quantum correlations and entanglement to be established between distant nodes. Although entangled photons have been produced at telecommunications wavelengths using spontaneous parametric downconversion in nonlinear media, as system complexity increases their inherent excess photon generation will become limiting. Here we demonstrate entangled photon pair generation from a semiconductor quantum dot at a telecommunications wavelength. Emitted photons are intrinsically anti-bunched and violate Bell's inequality by 17 standard deviations High-visibility oscillations of the biphoton polarization reveal the time evolution of the emitted state with exceptional clarity, exposing long coherence times. Furthermore, we introduce a method to evaluate the fidelity to a time-evolving Bell state, revealing entanglement between photons emitted up to 5 ns apart, exceeding the exciton lifetime.

Parametric Methods for Dynamic 11C-Phenytoin PET Studies.

PubMed

Mansor, Syahir; Yaqub, Maqsood; Boellaard, Ronald; Froklage, Femke E; de Vries, Anke; Bakker, Esther D M; Voskuyl, Rob A; Eriksson, Jonas; Schwarte, Lothar A; Verbeek, Joost; Windhorst, Albert D; Lammertsma, Adriaan A

2017-03-01

In this study, the performance of various methods for generating quantitative parametric images of dynamic 11 C-phenytoin PET studies was evaluated. Methods: Double-baseline 60-min dynamic 11 C-phenytoin PET studies, including online arterial sampling, were acquired for 6 healthy subjects. Parametric images were generated using Logan plot analysis, a basis function method, and spectral analysis. Parametric distribution volume (V T ) and influx rate ( K 1 ) were compared with those obtained from nonlinear regression analysis of time-activity curves. In addition, global and regional test-retest (TRT) variability was determined for parametric K 1 and V T values. Results: Biases in V T observed with all parametric methods were less than 5%. For K 1 , spectral analysis showed a negative bias of 16%. The mean TRT variabilities of V T and K 1 were less than 10% for all methods. Shortening the scan duration to 45 min provided similar V T and K 1 with comparable TRT performance compared with 60-min data. Conclusion: Among the various parametric methods tested, the basis function method provided parametric V T and K 1 values with the least bias compared with nonlinear regression data and showed TRT variabilities lower than 5%, also for smaller volume-of-interest sizes (i.e., higher noise levels) and shorter scan duration. © 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

Bim Automation: Advanced Modeling Generative Process for Complex Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banfi, F.; Fai, S.; Brumana, R.

2017-08-01

The new paradigm of the complexity of modern and historic structures, which are characterised by complex forms, morphological and typological variables, is one of the greatest challenges for building information modelling (BIM). Generation of complex parametric models needs new scientific knowledge concerning new digital technologies. These elements are helpful to store a vast quantity of information during the life cycle of buildings (LCB). The latest developments of parametric applications do not provide advanced tools, resulting in time-consuming work for the generation of models. This paper presents a method capable of processing and creating complex parametric Building Information Models (BIM) with Non-Uniform to NURBS) with multiple levels of details (Mixed and ReverseLoD) based on accurate 3D photogrammetric and laser scanning surveys. Complex 3D elements are converted into parametric BIM software and finite element applications (BIM to FEA) using specific exchange formats and new modelling tools. The proposed approach has been applied to different case studies: the BIM of modern structure for the courtyard of West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa (Ontario) and the BIM of Masegra Castel in Sondrio (Italy), encouraging the dissemination and interaction of scientific results without losing information during the generative process.

Generation of Mid-Infrared Frequency Combs for Spectroscopic Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maser, Daniel L.

Mid-infrared laser sources prove to be a valuable tool in exploring a vast array of phenomena, finding their way into applications ranging from trace gas detection to X-ray generation and carbon dating. Mid-infrared frequency combs, in particular, are well-suited for many of these applications, owing to their inherent low-noise and broadband nature. Frequency comb technology is well-developed in the near-infrared as a result of immense technological development by the telecommunication industry in silica fiber and the existence of readily-available glass dopants such as ytterbium and erbium that enable oscillators at 1 and 1.5 ?m. However, options become substantially more limited at longer wavelengths, as silica is no longer transparent and the components required in a mid-infrared frequency comb system (oscillators, fibers, and both fiber and free-space components) are far less technologically mature. This thesis explores several different approaches to generating frequency comb sources in the mid-infrared region, and the development of sources used in the nonlinear processes implemented to reach these wavelengths. An optical parametric oscillator, two approaches to difference frequency generation, and nonlinear spectral broadening in chip-scale waveguides are developed, characterized, and spectroscopic potential for these techniques is demonstrated. The source used for these nonlinear processes, the erbium-doped fiber amplifier, is also studied and discussed throughout the design and optimization process. The nonlinear optical processes critical to this work are numerically modeled and used to confirm and predict experimental behavior.

Generation of terahertz from ZnGeP2 crystal and its application to record the time-resolved photoacoustic spectra of nitromethane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, K. S.; Ganesh, D.; Chaudhary, A. K.

2018-07-01

This paper reports the generation of THz radiation through the optical rectification process from type-I cut Zinc germanium phosphate (ZnGeP2or ZGP) crystal using optical parametric amplifier pulses (tunable between 1.15-1.6 μm range, at 60 fs pulse duration and 1 kHz repetition rate) as pump wavelengths at an average power of 50 mW. Also, we have ascertained the conversion efficiency of the generated THz signal, which is of the order of 0.62% at 1.5 THz. Further, the generated radiation is employed for the recording of absorption bands (in terms of PA spectra) of nitromethane and methanol vapor at room temperature using bandpass filters having central frequencies of 0.5 and 1.5 THz. In addition, we have employed the UV-266 nm as an excitation wavelength to record the time domain photoacoustic (PA) spectra of nitromethane (CH3NO2). In case of UV and THz radiations, the excitation mechanisms follow strong electronic (π∗ ← n) and weak vibrational-rotational due to ultrafast transition, respectively. In case of UV-266 nm the characteristic PA spectra has been also presented as a function of vapor pressure and data acquisition time with two different PA cells. The current study reveals the effect of the nanoseconds and the ultrafast pulses on some of the common excited acoustic modes (due to similar functional group), which follow two different types of excitation mechanism.

Thermal-structural modeling of polymer Bragg grating waveguides illuminated by a light emitting diode.

PubMed

Joon Kim, Kyoung; Bar-Cohen, Avram; Han, Bongtae

2012-02-20

This study reports both analytical and numerical thermal-structural models of polymer Bragg grating (PBG) waveguides illuminated by a light emitting diode (LED). A polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) Bragg grating (BG) waveguide is chosen as an analysis vehicle to explore parametric effects of incident optical powers and substrate materials on the thermal-structural behavior of the BG. Analytical models are verified by comparing analytically predicted average excess temperatures, and thermally induced axial strains and stresses with numerical predictions. A parametric study demonstrates that the PMMA substrate induces more adverse effects, such as higher excess temperatures, complex axial temperature profiles, and greater and more complicated thermally induced strains in the BG compared with the Si substrate. © 2012 Optical Society of America

Compact high-pulse-energy passively Q-switched Nd:YLF laser with an ultra-low-magnification unstable resonator: application for efficient optical parametric oscillator.

PubMed

Cho, C Y; Huang, Y P; Huang, Y J; Chen, Y C; Su, K W; Chen, Y F

2013-01-28

We exploit an ultra-low-magnification unstable resonator to develop a high-pulse-energy side-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:YLF/Cr⁴⁺:YAG laser with improving beam quality. A wedged laser crystal is employed in the cavity to control the emissions at 1047 nm and 1053 nm independently through the cavity alignment. The pulse energies at 1047 nm and 1053 nm are found to be 19 mJ and 23 mJ, respectively. The peak powers for both wavelengths are higher than 2 MW. Furthermore, the developed Nd:YLF lasers are employed to pump a monolithic optical parametric oscillator for confirming the applicability in nonlinear wavelength conversions.

Thermal properties of borate crystals for high power optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification.

PubMed

Riedel, R; Rothhardt, J; Beil, K; Gronloh, B; Klenke, A; Höppner, H; Schulz, M; Teubner, U; Kränkel, C; Limpert, J; Tünnermann, A; Prandolini, M J; Tavella, F

2014-07-28

The potential of borate crystals, BBO, LBO and BiBO, for high average power scaling of optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers is investigated. Up-to-date measurements of the absorption coefficients at 515 nm and the thermal conductivities are presented. The measured absorption coefficients are a factor of 10-100 lower than reported by the literature for BBO and LBO. For BBO, a large variation of the absorption coefficients was found between crystals from different manufacturers. The linear and nonlinear absorption coefficients at 515 nm as well as thermal conductivities were determined for the first time for BiBO. Further, different crystal cooling methods are presented. In addition, the limits to power scaling of OPCPAs are discussed.

Beam patterns in an optical parametric oscillator set-up employing walk-off compensating beta barium borate crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaucikas, M.; Warren, M.; Michailovas, A.; Antanavicius, R.; van Thor, J. J.

2013-02-01

This paper describes the investigation of an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) set-up based on two beta barium borate (BBO) crystals, where the interplay between the crystal orientations, cut angles and air dispersion substantially influenced the OPO performance, and especially the angular spectrum of the output beam. Theory suggests that if two BBO crystals are used in this type of design, they should be of different cuts. This paper aims to provide an experimental manifestation of this fact. Furthermore, it has been shown that air dispersion produces similar effects and should be taken into account. An x-ray crystallographic indexing of the crystals was performed as an independent test of the above conclusions.

93% pump depletion, 3.5-W continuous-wave, singly resonant optical parametric oscillator.

PubMed

Bosenberg, W R; Drobshoff, A; Alexander, J I; Myers, L E; Byer, R L

1996-09-01

We report two cw, singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) configurations based on periodically poled lithium niobate that result in significantly higher efficiency and output power than in previous studies. Using four-mirror OPO cavities and pumping with a 1.064-microm Nd:YAG laser, we observe 93% pump depletion and obtain ~86% of the converted pump photons as useful idler output. The single-beam, in-the-bucket idler output power of 3.55 W at 3.25 microm corresponds to ~80% of quantum-limited performance. We measure and compare the amplitude noise and spectral bandwidth of the two configurations. We also demonstrate >1 W of tunable cw output over the 3.3-3.9-microm spectral range.

(2 + 1)-dimensional bright optical solitons in metamaterials with Kerr, power and parabolic law nonlinearities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boubir, Badreddine

2018-06-01

In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of bright optical solitons in nonlinear metamaterials governed by a (2 + 1)-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Three types of nonlinearities have been considered, Kerr law, power law and parabolic law. We based on the solitary wave ansatz method to find these optical soliton solutions. All necessary parametric conditions for their existence are driven.

Long Coherence Length 193 nm Laser for High-Resolution Nano-Fabrication

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-27

in the non-linear optical up-converter, as well as specifying their interaction lengths, phase -matching angles, coatings, temperatures of operation...when optical path differences between interfering beams become comparable to the temporal coherence length of the source, the fringe contrast diminishes...switched, intracavity frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser drives an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) running at 710 nm. A portion of the 532 nm light

Superconducting Qubit Optical Transducer (SQOT)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-05

2 2.2 Qubit- Photon Entanglement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.2.1 System...and a high Q will make this challenging. 3 2.2 QUBIT- PHOTON ENTANGLEMENT The parametric interaction enables interconversion between the microwave and...to observe entanglement between a qubit and optical photon and similar to experiments demonstrated solely in the microwave domain [4]: 1. Start with

Backscatter absorption gas imaging systems and light sources therefore

DOEpatents

Kulp, Thomas Jan [Livermore, CA; Kliner, Dahv A. V. [San Ramon, CA; Sommers, Ricky [Oakley, CA; Goers, Uta-Barbara [Campbell, NY; Armstrong, Karla M [Livermore, CA

2006-12-19

The location of gases that are not visible to the unaided human eye can be determined using tuned light sources that spectroscopically probe the gases and cameras that can provide images corresponding to the absorption of the gases. The present invention is a light source for a backscatter absorption gas imaging (BAGI) system, and a light source incorporating the light source, that can be used to remotely detect and produce images of "invisible" gases. The inventive light source has a light producing element, an optical amplifier, and an optical parametric oscillator to generate wavelength tunable light in the IR. By using a multi-mode light source and an amplifier that operates using 915 nm pump sources, the power consumption of the light source is reduced to a level that can be operated by batteries for long periods of time. In addition, the light source is tunable over the absorption bands of many hydrocarbons, making it useful for detecting hazardous gases.

Toolbox for the design of LiNbO3-based passive and active integrated quantum circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharapova, P. R.; Luo, K. H.; Herrmann, H.; Reichelt, M.; Meier, T.; Silberhorn, C.

2017-12-01

We present and discuss perspectives of current developments on advanced quantum optical circuits monolithically integrated in the lithium niobate platform. A set of basic components comprising photon pair sources based on parametric down conversion (PDC), passive routing elements and active electro-optically controllable switches and polarisation converters are building blocks of a toolbox which is the basis for a broad range of diverse quantum circuits. We review the state-of-the-art of these components and provide models that properly describe their performance in quantum circuits. As an example for applications of these models we discuss design issues for a circuit providing on-chip two-photon interference. The circuit comprises a PDC section for photon pair generation followed by an actively controllable modified mach-Zehnder structure for observing Hong-Ou-Mandel interference. The performance of such a chip is simulated theoretically by taking even imperfections of the properties of the individual components into account.

Higher-order stochastic differential equations and the positive Wigner function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drummond, P. D.

2017-12-01

General higher-order stochastic processes that correspond to any diffusion-type tensor of higher than second order are obtained. The relationship of multivariate higher-order stochastic differential equations with tensor decomposition theory and tensor rank is explained. Techniques for generating the requisite complex higher-order noise are proved to exist either using polar coordinates and γ distributions, or from products of Gaussian variates. This method is shown to allow the calculation of the dynamics of the Wigner function, after it is extended to a complex phase space. The results are illustrated physically through dynamical calculations of the positive Wigner distribution for three-mode parametric downconversion, widely used in quantum optics. The approach eliminates paradoxes arising from truncation of the higher derivative terms in Wigner function time evolution. Anomalous results of negative populations and vacuum scattering found in truncated Wigner quantum simulations in quantum optics and Bose-Einstein condensate dynamics are shown not to occur with this type of stochastic theory.

Quantum nonlinear optics without photons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stassi, Roberto; Macrı, Vincenzo; Kockum, Anton Frisk; Di Stefano, Omar; Miranowicz, Adam; Savasta, Salvatore; Nori, Franco

2017-08-01

Spontaneous parametric down-conversion is a well-known process in quantum nonlinear optics in which a photon incident on a nonlinear crystal spontaneously splits into two photons. Here we propose an analogous physical process where one excited atom directly transfers its excitation to a pair of spatially separated atoms with probability approaching 1. The interaction is mediated by the exchange of virtual rather than real photons. This nonlinear atomic process is coherent and reversible, so the pair of excited atoms can transfer the excitation back to the first one: the atomic analog of sum-frequency generation of light. The parameters used to investigate this process correspond to experimentally demonstrated values in ultrastrong circuit quantum electrodynamics. This approach can be extended to realize other nonlinear interatomic processes, such as four-atom mixing, and is an attractive architecture for the realization of quantum devices on a chip. We show that four-qubit mixing can efficiently implement quantum repetition codes and, thus, can be used for error-correction codes.

Two-mode squeezed light source for quantum illumination and quantum imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masada, Genta

2015-09-01

We started to research quantum illumination radar and quantum imaging by utilizing high quality continuous-wave two-mode squeezed light source as a quantum entanglement resource. Two-mode squeezed light is a macroscopic quantum entangled state of the electro-magnetic field and shows strong correlation between quadrature phase amplitudes of each optical field. One of the most effective methods to generate two-mode squeezed light is combining two independent single-mode squeezed lights by using a beam splitter with relative phase of 90 degrees between each optical field. As a first stage of our work we are developing two-mode squeezed light source for exploring the possibility of quantum illumination radar and quantum imaging. In this article we introduce current development of experimental investigation of single-mode squeezed light. We utilize a sub-threshold optical parametric oscillator with bow-tie configuration which includes a periodically-polled potassium titanyl phosphate crystal as a nonlinear optical medium. We observed the noise level of squeezed quadrature -3.08+/-0.13 dB and anti-squeezed quadrature at 9.29+/-0.13 dB, respectively. We also demonstrated the remote tuning of squeezing level of the light source which leads to the technology for tuning the quantum entanglement in order to adapt to the actual environmental condition.

Reconfigurable optical implementation of quantum complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nokkala, J.; Arzani, F.; Galve, F.; Zambrini, R.; Maniscalco, S.; Piilo, J.; Treps, N.; Parigi, V.

2018-05-01

Network theory has played a dominant role in understanding the structure of complex systems and their dynamics. Recently, quantum complex networks, i.e. collections of quantum systems arranged in a non-regular topology, have been theoretically explored leading to significant progress in a multitude of diverse contexts including, e.g., quantum transport, open quantum systems, quantum communication, extreme violation of local realism, and quantum gravity theories. Despite important progress in several quantum platforms, the implementation of complex networks with arbitrary topology in quantum experiments is still a demanding task, especially if we require both a significant size of the network and the capability of generating arbitrary topology—from regular to any kind of non-trivial structure—in a single setup. Here we propose an all optical and reconfigurable implementation of quantum complex networks. The experimental proposal is based on optical frequency combs, parametric processes, pulse shaping and multimode measurements allowing the arbitrary control of the number of the nodes (optical modes) and topology of the links (interactions between the modes) within the network. Moreover, we also show how to simulate quantum dynamics within the network combined with the ability to address its individual nodes. To demonstrate the versatility of these features, we discuss the implementation of two recently proposed probing techniques for quantum complex networks and structured environments.

Broadly tunable picosecond ir source

DOEpatents

Campillo, A.J.; Hyer, R.C.; Shapiro, S.L.

1980-04-23

A picosecond traveling-wave parametric device capable of controlled spectral bandwidth and wavelength in the infrared is reported. Intense 1.064 ..mu..m picosecond pulses (1) pass through a 4.5 cm long LiNbO/sub 3/ optical parametric oscillator crystal (2) set at its degeneracy angle. A broad band emerges, and a simple grating (3) and mirror (4) arrangement is used to inject a selected narrow-band into a 2 cm long LiNbO/sub 3/ optical parametric amplifier crystal (5) along a second pump line. Typical input energies at 1.064 ..mu..m along both pump lines are 6 to 8 mJ for the oscillator and 10 mJ for the amplifier. This yields 1 mJ of tunable output in the range 1.98 to 2.38 ..mu..m which when down-converted in a 1 cm long CdSe crystal mixer (6) gives 2 ..mu..J of tunable radiation over the 14.8 to 18.5 ..mu..m region. The bandwidth and wavelength of both the 2 and 16 ..mu..m radiation output are controlled solely by the diffraction grating.

Broadly tunable picosecond IR source

DOEpatents

Campillo, Anthony J.; Hyer, Ronald C.; Shapiro, Stanley J.

1982-01-01

A picosecond traveling-wave parametric device capable of controlled spectral bandwidth and wavelength in the infrared is reported. Intense 1.064 .mu.m picosecond pulses (1) pass through a 4.5 cm long LiNbO.sub.3 optical parametric oscillator crystal (2) set at its degeneracy angle. A broad band emerges, and a simple grating (3) and mirror (4) arrangement is used to inject a selected narrow-band into a 2 cm long LiNbO.sub.3 optical parametric amplifier crystal (5) along a second pump line. Typical input energies at 1.064 .mu.m along both pump lines are 6-8 mJ for the oscillator and 10 mJ for the amplifier. This yields 1 mJ of tunable output in the range 1.98 to 2.38 .mu.m which when down-converted in a 1 cm long CdSe crystal mixer (6) gives 2 .mu.J of tunable radiation over the 14.8 to 18.5 .mu.m region. The bandwidth and wavelength of both the 2 and 16 .mu.m radiation output are controlled solely by the diffraction grating.

The Halo Occupation Distribution of obscured quasars: revisiting the unification model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitra, Kaustav; Chatterjee, Suchetana; DiPompeo, Michael A.; Myers, Adam D.; Zheng, Zheng

2018-06-01

We model the projected angular two-point correlation function (2PCF) of obscured and unobscured quasars selected using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), at a median redshift of z ˜ 1 using a five parameter Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) parametrization, derived from a cosmological hydrodynamic simulation by Chatterjee et al. The HOD parametrization was previously used to model the 2PCF of optically selected quasars and X-ray bright active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z ˜ 1. The current work shows that a single HOD parametrization can be used to model the population of different kinds of AGN in dark matter haloes suggesting the universality of the relationship between AGN and their host dark matter haloes. Our results show that the median halo mass of central quasar hosts increases from optically selected (4.1^{+0.3}_{-0.4} × 10^{12} h^{-1} M_{⊙}) and infra-red (IR) bright unobscured populations (6.3^{+6.2}_{-2.3} × 10^{12} h^{-1} M_{⊙}) to obscured quasars (10.0^{+2.6}_{-3.7} × 10^{12} h^{-1} M_{⊙}), signifying an increase in the degree of clustering. The projected satellite fractions also increase from optically bright to obscured quasars and tend to disfavour a simple `orientation only' theory of active galactic nuclei unification. Our results also show that future measurements of the small-scale clustering of obscured quasars can constrain current theories of galaxy evolution where quasars evolve from an IR-bright obscured phase to the optically bright unobscured phase.

Geometric Model for a Parametric Study of the Blended-Wing-Body Airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mastin, C. Wayne; Smith, Robert E.; Sadrehaghighi, Ideen; Wiese, Micharl R.

1996-01-01

A parametric model is presented for the blended-wing-body airplane, one concept being proposed for the next generation of large subsonic transports. The model is defined in terms of a small set of parameters which facilitates analysis and optimization during the conceptual design process. The model is generated from a preliminary CAD geometry. From this geometry, airfoil cross sections are cut at selected locations and fitted with analytic curves. The airfoils are then used as boundaries for surfaces defined as the solution of partial differential equations. Both the airfoil curves and the surfaces are generated with free parameters selected to give a good representation of the original geometry. The original surface is compared with the parametric model, and solutions of the Euler equations for compressible flow are computed for both geometries. The parametric model is a good approximation of the CAD model and the computed solutions are qualitatively similar. An optimal NURBS approximation is constructed and can be used by a CAD model for further refinement or modification of the original geometry.

Diode Laser Pumped Alkali Vapor Lasers with Exciplex-Assisted Absorption

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-14

transfer agent that established the population inversion. The excitation source used in these initial studies was a pulsed optical parametric oscillator ...parametric oscillator . The lasers operated at 703.2 (Ne*), 912.5 (Ar*), 893.1 (Kr*) and 980.2 run (Xe*). Peak powers as high as 27kW/cm2 were observed...Larissa Glebova and Leonid B. Glebov. Ultra-low absorption and laser-induced heating of volume Bragg combiners recorded in photo-thermo- refractive

Multivariable Parametric Cost Model for Ground Optical Telescope Assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip; Rowell, Ginger Holmes; Reese, Gayle; Byberg, Alicia

2005-01-01

A parametric cost model for ground-based telescopes is developed using multivariable statistical analysis of both engineering and performance parameters. While diameter continues to be the dominant cost driver, diffraction-limited wavelength is found to be a secondary driver. Other parameters such as radius of curvature are examined. The model includes an explicit factor for primary mirror segmentation and/or duplication (i.e., multi-telescope phased-array systems). Additionally, single variable models Based on aperture diameter are derived.

Direct fluorescence characterisation of a picosecond seeded optical parametric amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stuart, N. H.; Bigourd, D.; Hill, R. W.; Robinson, T. S.; Mecseki, K.; Patankar, S.; New, G. H. C.; Smith, R. A.

2015-02-01

The temporal intensity contrast of high-power lasers based on optical parametric amplification (OPA) can be limited by parametric fluorescence from the non-linear gain stages. Here we present a spectroscopic method for direct measurement of unwanted parametric fluorescence widely applicable from unseeded to fully seeded and saturated OPA operation. Our technique employs simultaneous spectroscopy of fluorescence photons slightly outside the seed bandwidth and strongly attenuated light at the seed central wavelength. To demonstrate its applicability we have characterised the performance of a two-stage picosecond OPA pre-amplifier with 2.8×105 gain, delivering 335 μJ pulses at 1054 nm. We show that fluorescence from a strongly seeded OPA is reduced by ~500× from the undepleted to full pump depletion regimes. We also determine the vacuum fluctuation driven noise term seeding this OPA fluorescence to be 0.7±0.4 photons ps-1 nm-1 bandwidth. The resulting shot-to-shot statistics highlights a 1.5% probability of a five-fold and 0.3% probability of a ten-fold increase of fluorescence above the average value. Finally, we show that OPA fluorescence can be limited to a few-ps pedestal with 3×10-9 temporal intensity contrast 1.3 ps ahead of an intense laser pulse, a level highly attractive for large scale chirped-pulse OPA laser systems.

Parametric vs. non-parametric daily weather generator: validation and comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubrovsky, Martin

2016-04-01

As the climate models (GCMs and RCMs) fail to satisfactorily reproduce the real-world surface weather regime, various statistical methods are applied to downscale GCM/RCM outputs into site-specific weather series. The stochastic weather generators are among the most favourite downscaling methods capable to produce realistic (observed like) meteorological inputs for agrological, hydrological and other impact models used in assessing sensitivity of various ecosystems to climate change/variability. To name their advantages, the generators may (i) produce arbitrarily long multi-variate synthetic weather series representing both present and changed climates (in the latter case, the generators are commonly modified by GCM/RCM-based climate change scenarios), (ii) be run in various time steps and for multiple weather variables (the generators reproduce the correlations among variables), (iii) be interpolated (and run also for sites where no weather data are available to calibrate the generator). This contribution will compare two stochastic daily weather generators in terms of their ability to reproduce various features of the daily weather series. M&Rfi is a parametric generator: Markov chain model is used to model precipitation occurrence, precipitation amount is modelled by the Gamma distribution, and the 1st order autoregressive model is used to generate non-precipitation surface weather variables. The non-parametric GoMeZ generator is based on the nearest neighbours resampling technique making no assumption on the distribution of the variables being generated. Various settings of both weather generators will be assumed in the present validation tests. The generators will be validated in terms of (a) extreme temperature and precipitation characteristics (annual and 30 years extremes and maxima of duration of hot/cold/dry/wet spells); (b) selected validation statistics developed within the frame of VALUE project. The tests will be based on observational weather series from several European stations available from the ECA&D database.

Enhancement of optic cup detection through an improved vessel kink detection framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Damon W. K.; Liu, Jiang; Tan, Ngan Meng; Zhang, Zhuo; Lu, Shijian; Lim, Joo Hwee; Li, Huiqi; Wong, Tien Yin

2010-03-01

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness. The presence and extent of progression of glaucoma can be determined if the optic cup can be accurately segmented from retinal images. In this paper, we present a framework which improves the detection of the optic cup. First, a region of interest is obtained from the retinal fundus image, and a pallor-based preliminary cup contour estimate is determined. Patches are then extracted from the ROI along this contour. To improve the usability of the patches, adaptive methods are introduced to ensure the patches are within the optic disc and to minimize redundant information. The patches are then analyzed for vessels by an edge transform which generates pixel segments of likely vessel candidates. Wavelet, color and gradient information are used as input features for a SVM model to classify the candidates as vessel or non-vessel. Subsequently, a rigourous non-parametric method is adopted in which a bi-stage multi-resolution approach is used to probe and localize the location of kinks along the vessels. Finally, contenxtual information is used to fuse pallor and kink information to obtain an enhanced optic cup segmentation. Using a batch of 21 images obtained from the Singapore Eye Research Institute, the new method results in a 12.64% reduction in the average overlap error against a pallor only cup, indicating viable improvements in the segmentation and supporting the use of kinks for optic cup detection.

2 W quasi-white-light based on idler-resonant optical parametric oscillation cascading sum-frequency generation with PPSLT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, L. N.; Liu, J.; Yuan, Y.; Hu, X. P.; Zhao, G.; Gao, Z. D.; Zhu, S. N.

2012-03-01

We present a high power red-green-blue (RGB) laser light source based on cascaded quasi-phasematched wavelength conversions in a single stoichiometric lithium tantalate. The superiority of the experimental setup is: the facula of the incident beam is elliptical to increase interaction volume, and the cavity was an idler resonant configuration for realizing more efficient red and blue light output. An average power of 2 W of quasi-white-light was obtained by proper combination of the RGB three colors. The conversion efficiency for the power of the quasi-white-light over pump power reached 36%. This efficiency and powerful RGB laser light source has potential applications in laser-based projection display et al.