Polarization mode dispersion and vectorial modulational instability in air silica microstructure fiber

The birefringence of an air-silica microstructure fiber has been studied by measurement of the fiber polarization mode dispersion (PMD) over the wavelength range 545-640 nm. The experimental results are shown to be in good agreement with vectorial numerical calculations, assuming an elliptical core with an eccentricity of 7%. We also report controlled experiments studying nonlinear vectorial modulation instability in the fiber, yielding 3.9-THz modulational instability sideband shifts that are in good agreement with theoretical predictions based on the calculated fiber dispersion and PMD characteristics.

Higher-order modulation instability in fiber optics

We report on analytical, numerical and experimental studies of higher-order modulation instability in fiber optics. This new form of instability arises from the nonlinear superposition of elementary instabilities and manifests as complex, yet deterministic temporal pulse break-up dynamics. We use the Darboux transformation to analytically describe the process and compare with experiments. In particular, we show how suitably low frequency modulation on a continuous wave field allows for the excitation of higher-order modulation instability through cascaded four-wave mixing.

Stealth dicing with Bessel beams and beyond

In the context of laser cutting of transparent materials, we investigate glass cleaving with Bessel beams and report that a modification of the beam with 3 main lobes drastically enhances cleavability and reduces defects.

Parabolic pulse generation and applications

Parabolic pulses in optical fibers have stimulated an increasing number of applications. We review here the physics underlying the generation of such pulses as well as the results obtained in a wide-range of experimental configurations.

Observation of Kuznetsov-Ma soliton dynamics in optical fibre

International audience; The nonlinear Schro¨dinger equation (NLSE) is a central model of nonlinear science, applying to hydrodynamics, plasma physics, molecular biology and optics. The NLSE admits only few elementary analytic solutions, but one in particular describing a localized soliton on a finite background is of intense current interest in the context of understanding the physics of extreme waves. However, although the first solution of this type was the Kuznetzov-Ma (KM) soliton derived in 1977, there have in fact been no quantitative experiments confirming its validity. We report here novel experiments in optical fibre that confirm the KM soliton theory, completing an important serie…

Predicting ultrafast nonlinear dynamics in optical fiber using neural networks

We show how neural networks can be used to model complex and predict nonlinear propagation dynamics in optical fibres for a widerange of input conditions and fibre systems, including pulse compression, ultra-broadband supercontinuum generation, and multimode fiber systems. Our results open up novel perspectives to model and optimize complex nonlinear dynamics and systems.

The dynamics of a developing CW supercontinuum: Analytical predictions and experiments

International audience; We show that the development of the supercontinuum spectrum in the quasi-CW regime can be interpreted analytically in terms of Akhmediev Breathers. Theory and experiment are in excellent agreement.

Kuznetsov-Ma Soliton Dynamics in Nonlinear Fiber Optics

The Kuznetzov-Ma (KM) soliton is a solution of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation derived in 1977 but never observed experimentally. Here we report experiments showing KM soliton dynamics in nonlinear breather evolution in optical fiber.

Modulation instability, Akhmediev Breathers and continuous wave supercontinuum generation

Numerical simulations of the onset phase of continuous wave supercontinuum generation from modulation instability show that the structure of the field as it develops can be interpreted in terms of the properties of Akhmediev Breathers. Numerical and analytical results are compared with experimental measurements of spectral broadening in photonic crystal fiber using nanosecond pulses

Generation of parabolic pulses and applications for optical telecommunications

International audience; Parabolic pulses in optical fibers have stimulated an increasing number of applications. We review here the physics underlying the generation of such self-similar pulses as well as the results obtained in a wide-range of passive or active experimental configurations.

Ultrafast laser-induced micro-explosion: material modification tool

Femtosecond Bessel pulses with a needle-like intensity distribution were focused inside sapphire crystal to create voids and the shock-wave affected volume which is by more than two orders of magnitude larger as compared with that made by the Gaussian pulse.

The nonlinear Schrodinger equation and the propagation of weakly nonlinear waves in optical fibres and on the water surface

International audience; The dynamics of waves in weakly nonlinear dispersive media can be described by the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE). An important feature of the equation is that it can be derived in a number of different physical contexts; therefore, analogies between different fields, such as for example fiber optics, water waves, plasma waves and Bose–Einstein condensates, can be established. Here, we investigate the similarities between wave propagation in optical Kerr media and water waves. In particular, we discuss the modulation instability (MI) in both media. In analogy to the water wave problem, we derive for Kerr-media the Benjamin–Feir index, i.e. a nondimensional par…

Higher-order modulation instability in optical fibers

International audience; We report on theoretical, numerical and experimental study of a new form of instability in a nonlinear fiber. This process of higher-order modulation instability arises from the nonlinear superposition of elementary instability dynamics.

The cancellation of nonlinear and dispersive phase components on the fundamental optical fiber soliton: a pedagogical note

We consider the separate effects of nonlinear and dispersive propagation on a hyperbolic secant pulse propagating in an optical fiber. In particular, for small propagation distances, we present a straightforward derivation of the time-varying phase components developed across the pulse due to self-phase modulation (SPM) and group velocity dispersion (GVD). In this limit, we show that GVD is associated with a nonparabolic temporal phase which can exactly cancel the nonlinear phase component due to SPM across the entire pulse profile. The cancellation condition gives the launch condition for a fundamental optical fiber soliton.

Longitudinal phase evolution of Peregrine-like breathers

International audience; We report the first experimental study of the longitudinal evolution of breather pulses during nonlinear fiber propagation. Gerchberg-Saxton phase retrieval reveals a large phase shift across the point of maximum compression.

Hydrodynamics of periodic breathers

We report the first experimental observation of periodic breathers in water waves. One of them is Kuznetsov–Ma soliton and another one is Akhmediev breather. Each of them is a localized solution of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLS) on a constant background. The difference is in localization which is either in time or in space. The experiments conducted in a water wave flume show results that are in good agreement with the NLS theory. Basic features of the breathers that include the maximal amplitudes and spectra are consistent with the theoretical predictions.

Parabolic Pulse Amplifiers

International audience; Recent studies in nonlinear optics have led to the discovery of a new class of ultrashort pulse generated in fiber amplifiers by the self-similar propagation of an arbitrary input pulse. These pulses with a parabolic shape and linear chirp, called `optical similaritons,' represent asymptotic solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with gain, towards which any initial pulse of given energy converges, independently of its intensity profile. Parabolic pulse amplifiers can be easily developed with standard optical fibers and commercial devices. Our goal here is to emphasize the main properties of similaritons and to discuss a few of their numerous new application…

Asymptotic characteristics of parabolic similariton pulses in optical fiber amplifiers

The fundamental asymptotic nature of parabolic similariton pulses in normal-dispersion fiber amplifiers is experimentally demonstrated. With frequency-resolved optical gating characterization measurements with a fixed input pulse energy, the output parabolic pulse characteristics are shown to be invariant with the input pulse profile and duration and to be completely determined only by the amplifier parameters.

Generation and detection of optical rogue-wave-like fluctuations in fiber Raman amplifiers

Rogue wave-like statistics is reported in a fiber Raman amplifier. The pump-signal noise transfer leads to the development of large peak-power fluctuations following a powerlaw probability distribution. Discrimination of the rarest events is demonstrated.

Effects of structural irregularities on modulational instability phase matching in photonic crystal fibers

International audience; The effect of structural irregularities in photonic crystal fibers on scalar and vector modulational instability (MI) processes is studied by numerical simulations and experiments. For an anomalous-dispersion regime pump, variations in core ellipticity as small as 0.5% over length scales of the order of several meters are shown to have a negligible effect on scalar MI, yet they completely suppress vector MI. In contrast, for a normal-dispersion regime pump, vector MI is shown to be robust against such fluctuations.

Complete characterization of terahertz pulse trains generated from nonlinear processes in optical fibers

The measurement technique of frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) is used to characterize the intensity and phase of terahertz pulse trains generated from nonlinear and dispersive interactions in optical fibers. We show that existing FROG retrieval algorithms are easily adapted to allow the retrieval of periodic pulse characteristics and, using synthetic pulse trains generated from numerical simulations, we demonstrate how FROG can differentiate between periodic pulse trains with fundamentally different intensity and phase characteristics, yet qualitatively similar autocorrelation functions and spectra. Experimental results are presented for the FROG characterization of a 0.3-THz sinuso…

Universal spectral dynamics of modulation instability : theory, simulation, experiment

A central process of nonlinear fibre optics is modulation instability (MI), where weak perturbations on a continuous wave are amplified to generate a parametric cascade of spectral sidebands. Although studied for many years, it has only been recently appreciated that MI dynamics can be described analytically by Akhmediev breather (AB) solutions to the nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE) [1]. This has led to important results, including the first observation of the Peregrine Soliton [2]. AB theory has also shown that the spectral amplitudes at the peak of the MI gain curve yield a characteristic log-triangular spectrum, providing new insight into the initial phase of supercontinuum generat…

Supercontinuum to solitons: New nonlinear structures in fiber propagation

We review our recent work in the field of optical rogue wave physics and applications. Beginning from a brief survey of the well-known noise and incoherence processes in optical fiber supercontinuum generation, we trace the links to recent developments in studying the emergence of high contrast localised breather structures in both spontaneous and induced nonlinear instabilities. In the latter case, we discuss our recent measurements that have reported the experimental observation of the Peregrine soliton, a unique class of rational soliton predicted to exist over 25 years ago and never previously observed.

Single-shot ultrafast laser processing of high-aspect-ratio nanochannels using elliptical Bessel beams

Ultrafast lasers have revolutionized material processing, opening a wealth of new applications in many areas of science. A recent technology that allows the cleaving of transparent materials via non-ablative processes is based on focusing and translating a high-intensity laser beam within a material to induce a well-defined internal stress plane. This then enables material separation without debris generation. Here, we use a non-diffracting beam engineered to have a transverse elliptical spatial profile to generate high aspect ratio elliptical channels in glass of dimension 350 nm x 710 nm, and subsequent cleaved surface uniformity at the sub-micron level.

Generation and detection of optical rogue-wave like fluctuations in fiber Raman amplifiers

International audience; Rogue wave-like statistics is reported in a fiber Raman amplifier. The pump-signal noise transfer leads to the development of large peak-power fluctuations following a power-law probability distribution. Discrimination of the rarest events is demonstrated.

Tailored soliton statistics in supercontinuum generation

Supercontinuum (SC) generation in highly nonlinear photonic crystal fibers (PCF) has stimulated tremendous interest in recent years [1]. Particular results that have received recent widespread attention concern the observation of “optical rogue waves,” statistically rare extreme red-shifted Raman solitons appearing on the long wavelength edge of the SC spectrum [2]. Further numerical analysis of these fluctuations have showed explicitly that the rogue soliton statistics exhibit strongly non-Gaussian extreme-value characteristics [3]. The previous studies of optical rogue wave statistics in SC generation have been carried out considering PCF with only one zero dispersion wavelength (ZDW). It…

Random walks and random numbers from supercontinuum generation

International audience; We report a numerical study showing how the random intensity and phase fluctuations across the bandwidth of a broadband optical supercontinuum can be interpreted in terms of the random processes of random walks and L´evy flights. We also describe how the intensity fluctuations can be applied to physical random number generation. We conclude that the optical supercontinuum provides a highly versatile means of studying and generating a wide class of random processes at optical wavelengths.

Nonlinear spectral shaping and optical rogue events in fiber-based systems

International audience; We provide an overview of our recent work on the shaping and stability of optical continua in the long pulse regime. Fibers with normal group-velocity dispersion at all-wavelengths are shown to allow for highly coherent continua that can be nonlinearly shaped using appropriate initial conditions. In contrast, supercontinua generated in the anomalous dispersion regime are shown to exhibit large fluctuations in the temporal and spectral domains that can be controlled using a carefully chosen seed. A particular example of this is the first experimental observation of the Peregrine soliton which constitutes a prototype of optical rogue-waves.

Roadmap on optical rogue waves and extreme events

Nail Akhmediev et al. ; 38 págs.; 28 figs.

Broadband multiplex CARS micro-spectroscopy in the picosecond regime

International audience

Optical peregrine soliton generation in standard telecommunication fibers

By combining real time characterization with cut-back measurements, we provide the first direct observation of Peregrine-like soliton longitudinal evolution dynamics and report a new effect associated with the breakup of a Peregrine soliton into two subpulses, each providing similar characteristics of localization upon finite background. Experimental results are in good agreement with simulations.

Supercontinuum Generation and Intermodal Four-Wave Mixing in a Step-Index Few-Mode Fibre

International audience; The complex spatiotemporal dynamics of nonlinear light propagation in multimode fibers (MMFs) has recently witnessed a renewed interest because of their experimental realization in emerging key areas of laser physics and fiber optics [1]. Specifically, MMFs have a number of linear and nonlinear optical properties that make them very attractive to investigate new spatiotemporal effects fundamentally different from standard single-mode fibers. These include the observation of multimode solitons [2], intermodal four-wave mixing (FWM) [3], geometric parametric instabilities [4], spatial beam self-cleaning [5], and the generation of supercontinuum (SC) light when pumping …

Phase evolution of Peregrine-like solitons in nonlinear fiber optics

Optical fiber systems are well-known to provide convenient platforms in which one may investigate a large variety of fascinating fundamental nonlinear coherent structures such as solitons or self-similar patterns. Interestingly, one of the major conclusions of the studies dealing with extreme-value fluctuations is that the temporal and spectral characteristics of localization processes can be well described in terms of solitons over finite background and in particular in terms of Peregrine soliton (PS) [1]. Whereas the longitudinal evolution of the temporal and spectral intensity of the PS have been characterized in detail [2], much less attention has been experimentally devoted to the evol…

Stealth dicing with ultrafast Bessel beams with engineered transverse profiles

International audience; We investigate high-speed glass cleaving with ultrafast laser beams with engineered transverse intensity profile. We achieve accuracy of ~ 1 µm at 25 mm/s and drastically enhance cleavability compared to standard Bessel beams.

Higher-Order Modulation Instability in Nonlinear Fiber Optics

International audience; We report theoretical, numerical, and experimental studies of higher-order modulation instability in the focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation. This higher-order instability arises from the nonlinear superposition of elementary instabilities, associated with initial single breather evolution followed by a regime of complex, yet deterministic, pulse splitting. We analytically describe the process using the Darboux transformation and compare with experiments in optical fiber. We show how a suitably low frequency modulation on a continuous wave field induces higher-order modulation instability splitting with the pulse characteristics at different phases of evolution r…

Extreme events in fiber based amplifiers

International audience; We present experimental and theoretical results showing the emergence of rogue wave-like extreme intensity spikes during fiber-based amplification processes such as Raman effect or induced-modulational instability that rely on quasi-instantaneous gain. We outline that under certain circumstances, a partially incoherent pumping can induce large fluctuations of the amplified signal, and we propose various means to spectrally select the most extreme structures.

Experimental properties of parabolic pulses generated via Raman amplification in standard optical fibers

Parabolic pulses at 1550 nm have been generated in a standard telecommunications fiber using Raman amplification. The parabolic output pulse characteristics are studied as a function of input pulse energy and duration.

Nonlinear dynamics of modulated signals in optical fibers

International audience; The nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE) describes the nonlinear waves localization dynamics in weakly dispersive media, and it has been extensively studied in various contexts in nonlinear science. A particular class of solutions of the NLSE that has recently attracted considerable attention is that of the solitons on finite background as their localization dynamics have been proposed as an important mechanism underlying the formation of extreme amplitude waves on the surface of the ocean. Much of this work has also been motivated by an extensive parallel research effort research in optics that has shown how nonlinear optical fiber systems can be used to implement …

Transform-limited spectral compression by self-phase modulation of amplitude-shaped pulses with negative chirp

International audience; Spectral compression by self-phase modulation of amplitude- and phase-shaped pulses is demonstrated as superior compared to pulses that have only been phase shaped. We synthesize linearly negatively chirped parabolic pulses, which we send through a nonlinear photonic crystal fiber, in which self-phase modulation compresses the spectrum of the pulses to within 20% of the Fourier transform limit.

Seeded and spontaneous higher-order modulation instability

International audience; We report on the dynamics of the higher-order modulation instability in optical fibers and show that it is the very same phenomenon that underpins the emergence of rogue waves in the early stage of supercontinuum generation.

Machine learning for ultrafast nonlinear photonics

Recent years have seen the rapid growth of the field of smart photonics where the deployment of machine-learning strategies is the key to enhance the performance and expand the functionality of optical systems. Here, we review our recent results obtained in collaboration with the University of Aston (S. Boscolo) and the University of Franche-Comté (J.M. Dudley) by providing several examples of advances enabled by machine-learning tools such as neural networks (NNs).We describe the use of a supervised feedforward NN paradigm to solve the direct and inverse problems relating to nonlinear pulse shaping in optical fibres, bypassing the need for direct numerical solution of the governing propaga…

Nonlinear Pulse Shaping Using photonic Crystal fibers

Real-time measurements of spontaneous breathers and rogue wave events in optical fibre modulation instability

Modulation instability is a fundamental process of nonlinear science, leading to the unstable breakup of a constant amplitude solution of a physical system. There has been particular interest in studying modulation instability in the cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation, a generic model for a host of nonlinear systems including superfluids, fibre optics, plasmas and Bose–Einstein condensates. Modulation instability is also a significant area of study in the context of understanding the emergence of high amplitude events that satisfy rogue wave statistical criteria. Here, exploiting advances in ultrafast optical metrology, we perform real-time measurements in an optical fibre system of the u…

Four-wave mixing control in the filamentation of ultrafast Bessel beams via longitudinal intensity-shaping

International audience; Bessel beams exploit conical energy flow to yield near-uniform intensity along a line focus which has been shown to be extremely attractive for laser processing in dielectrics. At high power, however, the nonlinear Kerr effect is known to induce significant oscillations of the on-axis intensity which is deleterious for machining applications. Here, we show through theory and numerical modelling how this problem can be understood and overcome by appropriate spatial phase shaping of the input profile. Our results also solve the longstanding problem related to the nonlinear Bessel beam dynamics seen at an air-dielectric interface.

Real-Time Measurements of Ultrafast Instabilities in Nonlinear Fiber Optics: Recent Advances

Recent years have seen renewed interest in the study of nonlinear fibre laser and propagation dynamics through the use of real-time measurement techniques for non-repetitive ultrafast optical signals. In this paper we review our recent work in this field using dispersive Fourier Transform and Time Lens techniques.

Micron-precision in cleaving glass using ultrafast bessel beams with engineered transverse beam shapes

International audience; Ultrafast lasers in association to beam shaping have shown to be excellent candidates for transparent material processing. Non-diffractive solutions such as Bessel beams allows for precise energy deposition since they are robust to undesired non-linear effects and as they do not distort along the propagation. This offers important opportunities in laser-assisted cleaving, i.e. mechanical medium separation after single-pass laser illumination. Here we break the Bessel beam cylindrical symmetry using a novel anisotropic and non-diffractive solutions to investigate both lateral intensity contributions on material response and induced processing effect for non-cylindrica…

Les breathers d'Akhmediev comme source à très haut-débit ou à ultra large bande

Optical Peregrine soliton generation in standard telecommunications fiber

International audience; We present detailled experimental and numerical results showing the generation and breakup of the optical Peregrine soliton in standard telecommunications fiber. The impact of non-ideal initial conditions is studied through direct cut back measurements of the longitudinal evolution of the emerging soliton dynamics, and is shown to be associated with the splitting of the Peregrine soliton into two subpulses.

The Peregrine soliton in nonlinear fibre optics

International audience; The Peregrine soliton is a localized nonlinear structure predicted to exist over 25 years ago, but not so far experimentally observed in any physical system. It is of fundamental significance because it is localized in both time and space, and because it defines the limit of a wide class of solutions to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE). Here, we use an analytic description of NLSE breather propagation to implement experiments in optical fibre generating femtosecond pulses with strong temporal and spatial localization, and near-ideal temporal Peregrine soliton characteristics. In showing that Peregrine soliton characteristics appear with initial conditions th…

Source optique fibrée pour la microscopie CARS

Wavelength-multiplexed computational temporal ghost imaging

Ghost imaging is a novel imaging technique based on correlation measurements between a structured illumination pattern (the reference) and the total intensity transmitted or reflected by an object [1]. The reference illumination patterns may be either randomly generated by a spatially incoherent light source, or pre-programmed e.g. with a spatial light modulator. Light transmitted (or reflected) by the object is measured by a single-pixel “bucket” detector with null spatial resolution. A unique feature associated with ghost imaging is that (i) neither the bucket detector nor the reference measurement caries enough information to retrieve the object shape and (ii) it is insensitive to distor…

Control of nonlinear instabilities in Bessel beams using shaped longitudinal intensity profiles

International audience; We show that tailored longitudinal intensity shaping of a non-diffracting Bessel beam can strongly reduce four wave mixing induced oscillations and stabilize nonlinear propagation at ablation-level intensities

Self-similarity in ultrafast nonlinear optics

International audience; Recent developments in nonlinear optics have led to the discovery of a new class of ultrashort pulse, the `optical similariton'. Optical similaritons arise when the interaction of nonlinearity, dispersion and gain in a high-power fibre amplifier causes the shape of an arbitrary input pulse to converge asymptotically to a pulse whose shape is self-similar. In comparison with optical solitons, which rely on a delicate balance of nonlinearity and anomalous dispersion and which can become unstable with increasing intensity, similaritons are more robust at high pulse powers. The simplicity and widespread availability of the components needed to build a self-similar amplif…

Solitons sur fond continu en optique non-linéaire fibrée

National audience

Generation and characterization of 06-THz polarization domain-wall trains in an ultralow-birefringence spun fiber

Polarization domain-wall (PDW) trains have been generated at a repetition rate of 0.6 THz in an ultralow-birefringence spun optical fiber and measured by use of an adapted frequency-resolved optical gating technique. Characterization of the intensity and the phase of the PDW train shows complete switching between adjacent domains of counterrotating circular polarizations and directly confirms predictions based on numerical simulations of the incoherently coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations.

Experimental Study of Modulational Instability and Vector Solitons in Optical Fibers

This chapter brings forth the experimental study of modulational instability and vector solitons in optical fibers.

Supercontinuum spectral-domain ghost imaging

International audience; Ghost imaging is a technique that generates high-resolution images by correlating the intensity of two light beams, neither of which independently contains useful information about the shape of the object. Ghost imaging has been demonstrated in both the spatial and temporal domains, using incoherent classical light sources or entangled photon pairs. Here we exploit the recent progress in ultrafast real-time measurement techniques to demonstrate ultrafast, scan-free, ghost imaging in the frequency domain using a continuous spectrum from an incoherent supercontinuum light source with random spectral fluctuations. We demonstrate the application of this technique to broa…

Complete intensity and phase characterisation of optical pulse trains at terahertz repetition rates

Complete intensity and phase characterisation of optical pulse trains at terahertz repetition rates is carried out using an adapted frequency-resolved optical gating technique. The experimental characterisation of a 2.5 THz train of dark solitons in an optical fibre is in good agreement with numerical simulations.

Peregrine soliton generation and breakup in standard telecommunications fiber

International audience; We present experimental and numerical results showing the generation and breakup of the Peregrine soliton in standard telecommunications fiber. The impact of non-ideal initial conditions is studied through direct cut back measurements of the longitudinal evolution of the emerging soliton dynamics, and is shown to be associated with the splitting of the Peregrine soliton into two subpulses, with each subpulse itself exhibiting Peregrine soliton characteristics. Experimental results are in good agreement with simulations.

Supercontinuum generation by cascaded intermodal Raman and FWM processes in step-index few-mode fibers

International audience; This work shows that step-index few-mode fibers can be combined with a simple microchip picosecond laser to give a multi-octave spanning supercontinuum output by cascaded Raman scattering and intermodal FWM.

Phase-space topology of fiber four-wave mixing

Experimental control over soliton interaction in optical fiber by pre-shaped input field

Interactions between femtosecond solitons in a nonlinear photonic-crystal fiber are of fundamental interest. But many practical applications would abound if solitons could be arbitrarily superposed into multiples in the fiber. Here, we numerically and experimentally demonstrate a first step towards this aim, the creation of a soliton pair with arbitrary relative phase, delay, and frequency throughout almost the entire output parameter space with the aid of a pre-shaped fiber input field.

Spectral dynamics of modulation instability described using Akhmediev breather theory

International audience; The Akhmediev breather formalism of modulation instability is extended to describe the spectral dynamics of induced multiple sideband generation from a modulated continuous wave field. Exact theoretical results describing the frequency domain evolution are compared with experiments performed using single mode fiber around 1550 nm. The spectral theory is shown to reproduce the depletion dynamics of an injected modulated continuous wave pump and to describe the Fermi-Pasta Ulam recurrence and recovery towards the initial state. Realistic simulations including higher-order dispersion, loss and Raman scattering are used to identify that the primary physical factors that …

Polarized multiplex coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering using a picosecond laser and a fiber supercontinuum

International audience; We perform multiplex coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) micro-spectroscopy with a picosecond pulsed laser and a broadband supercontinuum (SC) generated in photonic crystal fiber. CARS signal stability is achieved using an active fiber coupler that avoids thermal and mechanical drifts. We obtain multiplex CARS spectra for test liquids in the 600–2000 cm−1 spectral range. In addition we investigate the polarization dependence of the CARS spectra when rotating the pump beam linear polarization state relative to the linearly polarized broad stokes SC. From these polarization measurements we deduce the Raman depolarization ratio, the resonant versus nonresonant …

Parabolic pulse formation and applications

Parabolic pulses in optical fibers have stimulated an increasing number of applications. We review here the physics underlying the generation of such pulses as well as the results obtained in a wide-range of experimental configurations.

Optimisation de la densité spectrale d'énergie obtenue par auto-décalage fréquentiel Raman dans une fibre microstructurée

National audience

Optical rogue waves: Physics and impact

International audience; We review our recent work in the field of optical rogue wave physics and applications. Beginning from a brief survey of the well-known instabilities in optical fiber supercontinuum generation, we trace the links to recent developments in studying the emergence of high contrast localized breather structures in both spontaneous and induced nonlinear instabilities. We also discuss the precise nature of optical rogue wave statistics and examine the dynamics leading to the formation of extreme events in the context of noise-driven supercontinuum generation.

Génération de similaritons optiques à 1550 nm par amplification Raman dans une fibre NZ-DSF

Nous presentons la premiere observation experimentale de similaritons optiques generes par amplification Raman a 1550 nm dans une fibre a dispersion decalee. Une caracterisation FROG des impulsions indique un profil d'intensite parabolique et un chirp lineaire conformes aux predictions theoriques.

Peregrine soliton in optical fiber-based systems

International audience; We report the first observation in optics of the Peregrine soliton, a novel class of nonlinear localized structure. Two experimental configurations are explored and the impact of non-ideal initial conditions is discussed.

Lumière sur les vagues scélérates : le soliton de Peregrine enfin observé !

National audience

Experimental generation of parabolic pulses via Raman amplification in optical fiber

Parabolic pulse generation via Raman amplification is experimentally demonstrated in 5.3 km of non-zero dispersion shifted fiber presenting normal group velocity dispersion at the injected signal pulse wavelength of 1550 nm. The fiber is pumped by a commercially-available continuous wave source at 1455 nm, and the intensity and chirp of the amplifier output are characterized using frequency-resolved optical gating. For 2.4 pJ input pulses of 10 ps duration, the output pulse characteristics are studied as a function of amplifier gain over the range 11-24 dB, allowing the evolution of the input pulse to a parabolic pulse to be clearly seen for amplifier gains exceeding 15 dB. Numerical compre…

Rediscovered dynamics of nonlinear fiber optics: from breathers to extreme localisation

International audience

Optical rogue-wave-like extreme value fluctuations in fiber Raman amplifiers

International audience; We report experimental observation and characterization of rogue wave-like extreme value statistics arising from pump-signal noise transfer in a fiber Raman amplifier. Specifically, by exploiting Raman amplification with an incoherent pump, the amplified signal is shown to develop a series of temporal intensity spikes whose peak power follows a power-law probability distribution. The results are interpreted using a numerical model of the Raman gain process using coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations, and the numerical model predicts results in good agreement with experiment.

Deviation from threshold model in ultrafast laser ablation of graphene at sub-micron scale

International audience; We investigate a method to measure ultrafast laser ablation threshold with respect to spot size. We use structured complex beams to generate a pattern of craters in CVD graphene with a single laser pulse. A direct comparison between beam profile and SEM characterization allows us to determine the dependence of ablation probability on spot-size, for crater diameters ranging between 700 nm and 2.5 μm. We report a drastic decrease of ablation probability when the crater diameter is below 1 μm which we interpret in terms of free-carrier diffusion.

Nonlinear pulse shaping by coherent addition of multiple redshifted solitons

International audience; The injection of a phase- and amplitude-shaped pulse into a photonic-crystal fiber provides additional degrees of freedom that can significantly influence the nature of nonlinear propagation and nonlinear and dispersive interactions. This strong sensitivity of nonlinear effects-particularly the Raman soliton self-frequency shift-greatly extends the parameter space available to generate tailored output fields for applications such as microscopic imaging. By numerical simulations, we identify the relevant interpulse interactions, and we experimentally demonstrate the additional capabilities of this nonlinear pulse-shaping method.

Suspended core tellurite glass optical fibers for infrared supercontinuum generation

International audience; We report the fabrication and characterization of tellurite TeO(2)-ZnO-Na(2)O (TZN) microstructured suspended core optical fibers (MOFs). These fibers are designed for infrared supercontinuum generation with zero dispersion wavelength (ZDW) at 1.451 mu m. The measured losses at this wavelength are approximately 6 dB/m for a MOF with a 2.2 mu m diameter core. The effective area of a particular fiber is 3.5 mu m(2) and the nonlinear coefficient is calculated to be 437 W(-1)km(-1). By pumping a 20 cm long fiber at 1.56 mu m with a sub-nj femtosecond laser source, we generate a supercontinuum (SC) spanning over 800 nm in the 1-2 mu m wavelength range.