Tuning four-wave mixing through temperature in ethanol-filled photonic crystal fiber

In this paper, continuous tuning of four-wave mixing bands in an ethanol-filled photonic crystal fiber is investigated. A wide tuning range of the parametric bands, from 745 nm to 920 nm (signal) and from 1260 nm to 1710 nm (idler), is achieved through the thermo-optic effect. This corresponds to a frequency tuning range higher than 2000 cm−1; such wide range can be particularly useful in applications that require broadband wavelength conversion, e.g., CARS microscopy. Numerical calculations are in good agreement with experimental measurements.

Accurate mode characterization of two-mode optical fibers by in-fiber acousto-optics.

Acousto-optic interaction in optical fibers is exploited for the accurate and broadband characterization of two-mode optical fibers. Coupling between LP01 and LP1m modes is produced in a broadband wavelength range. Difference in effective indices, group indices, and chromatic dispersions between the guided modes, are obtained from experimental measurements. Additionally, we show that the technique is suitable to investigate the fine modes structure of LP modes, and some other intriguing features related with modes' cut-off.

Cylindrical metal-coated optical fibre devices for filters and sensors

Novel fibre-optic components suitable for sensor applications and wavelength filters are reported. The devices consist of a tapered fibre whose uniform waist has been coated with a thin layer of gold. The operation principle is the resonant excitation of a surface plasma mode of the metal film.

Acousto-Optic Interaction for Accurate Two-Mode Optical Fibers Characterization

Accurate characterization of two-mode fibers by acousto-optic interaction is reported. Difference of modal index, group delay, and dispersion between the guided modes is obtained. Properties of the vector modes comprising the LP11 mode are investigated.

Fast response vibration sensor based on Bragg gratings written in tapered core fibres

Bragg gratings written in tapered core fibres permit a direct measure of mechanical vibrations with a time response better than 10 µs. The intrinsic properties of the sensors lead to a simple interrogation technique and wavelength multiplexing capacity. The sensor system is operated at 800 nm and is compact and low-cost.

Evaluation of all-optical demultiplexing in millimeter-wave subcarrier-system for wireless communication

In this paper, a scheme for multiplexing millimeter-wave carriers on a single optical carrier and using an all-optical millimeter-wave demultiplexer is presented. The optical demultiplexing of radio-over-fiber signals is based on dual sideband modulation with suppressed optical carrier combined with the filtering properties of dual over-written fiber Bragg gratings. The performance of the system is investigated using a single optical carrier and independent data modulated millimeter-wave signals at 20 and 40 GHz. The signals are transmitted over optical fiber, demultiplexed and wirelessly distributed to a mobile unit. It is found that performance of the demultiplexing using fiber Bragg grat…

Control of the chromatic dispersion of photonic crystal fibers for supercontinuum and photon pairs generation

The interplay between chromatic dispersion and nonlinear effects is crucial for an efficient exploitation of non linear propagation in photonic crystal fibers (PCF). Once a PCF preform has been prepared, changing the parameters that control the fabrication process it is possible to adjust the dispersion properties of the fiber. In addition, it is particularly useful to develop postprocessing techniques that enable a fine adjustment of the dispersion along a section of PCF. The tapering of PCF, using a fusion and pulling technique, has been established as a rather useful technique to engineer the dispersion properties along tens of centimeters. Some of our recent experiments demonstrate that…

Vector description of higher-order modes in photonic crystal fibers

We extensively study the propagation features of higher-order modes in a photonic crystal fiber (PCF). Our analysis is based on a full-vector modal technique specially adapted to accurately describe light propagation in PCF's. Unlike conventional fibers, PCF's exhibit a somewhat unusual mechanism for the generation of higher-order modes. Accordingly, PCF's are characterized by the constancy of the number of modes below a wavelength threshold. An explicit verification of this property is given through a complete analysis of the dispersion relations of higher-order modes in terms of the structural parameters of this kind of fiber. The transverse irradiance distributions for some of these high…

Actively mode-locked fibre ring laser based on in-fibre acousto-optic amplitude modulation

Recent advances in the development of all-fibre amplitude modulators have led to the implementation of a series of different actively mode-locked fibre lasers [1–4]. In-fibre acousto-optic modulation based on intermodal coupling induced my a standing flexural acoustic wave permits the implementation of broad bandwidth (1.5 nm), high modulation depth (0.72), low-insertion-loss (0.75 dB) all-fibre amplitude modulators that operate in the MHz frequency range. The experimental characterization of a laser with the configuration depicted in Fig. 1 (a) as a function of the radio frequency voltage that controls the modulator (see Fig. 1 (b)), the length of the Erbium doped fibre (EDF), and the opti…

Actively mode-locked all-fiber laser by 5 MHz transmittance modulation of an acousto-optic tunable bandpass filter

Active mode-locking of an all-fiber ring laser by transmittance modulation of an in-fiber acousto-optic tunable bandpass filter (AOTBF) is reported. Cavity loss modulation is achieved by full acousto-optic mode re-coupling cycle induced by standing flexural acoustic waves. The modulator permits the implementation of 28 dB of nonresonant light suppression, 1.4 nm of modulation bandwidth, 74% of modulation depth and 4.11 dB of optical loss in a 72.5 cm-long all-fiber configuration. The effects of the modulated AOTBF on the laser performance are investigated. Transform-limited optical pulses of 8.8 ps temporal width and 6.0 W peak power were obtained at 4.87 MHz repetition rate.

Q-switching of an erbium-doped fibre laser modulated by a Bragg grating fixed to a piezoelectric

The performance of the Q-switched erbium-doped fibre laser with two fibre Bragg gratings as cavity mirrors was theoretically analysed, employing a set of rate equations for the ion populations and the photon flux inside the cavity. The simulation considers a system where the pulsed laser emission is produced by the temporal modulation of a Bragg grating fixed to a piezoelectric and operating in the 1550 nm spectral region. The temporal evolution of different frequency components of the laser emission produced is governed by the instantaneous overlap between the two gratings. Theoretical results are in agreement with previously reported experimental values.

Characterization of fiber nonuniformities with ppm resolution using time-resolved in-fiber acousto-optics

Time-resolved acousto-optic interaction using flexural waves enables the characterization of fiber nonuniformities along sections of about 1-2 m. A resolution better than 10 ppm of fiber diameter and core refractive index is demonstrated.

Refractometric sensor based on whispering-gallery modes of thin capillarie.

Whispering-gallery modes resonances of submicron wall thickness capillaries exhibit very large wavelength shifts as a function of the refractive index of the medium that fills the inside. The sensitivity to refractive index changes is larger than in other optical microcavities as microspheres, microdisks and microrings. The outer surface where total internal reflection takes place remains always in air, enabling the measure of refractive index values higher than the refractive index of the capillary material. The fabrication of capillaries with submicron wall thickness has required the development of a specific technique. A refractometer with a response higher than 390 nm per refractive ind…

High-speed and high-resolution interrogation of FBG sensors using wavelength-to-time mapping and Gaussian filters

In this work we report a novel intensity-based technique for simultaneous high-speed and high-resolution interrogation of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. The method uses a couple of intensity Gaussian filters and the dispersion-induced wavelength-to-time mapping effect. The Bragg wavelength is retrieved by means of the amplitude comparison between the two filtered grating spectrums, which are mapped into a time-domain waveform. In this way, measurement distortions arising from residual power due to the grating sidelobes are completely avoided, and the wavelength measurement range is considerably extended with respect to the previously proposed schemes. We present the mathematical backgro…

Actively mode-locked fiber laser with an acousto-optic in-fiber superlattice modulator

All-fiber lasers permit the development of efficient, robust and compact coherent light sources. However, all-fiber active mode-locking is a challenging objective and very few all-fiber techniques have been published [1–3]. The development of a low-insertion-loss acoustically-induced superlattice modulator that works in the MHz range has demonstrated its suitability to perform active mode-locking of an all-fiber laser. While travelling extensional acoustic waves launched along a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) produce stationary side bands and a frequency shift [4,5], we found that the excitation of a standing extensional acoustic wave should produce no frequency shift, but the amplitude modulati…

Interrogation of whispering-gallery modes resonances in cylindrical microcavities by backreflection detection

The excitation of whispering-gallery-mode resonances of cylindrical microcavities, using narrow fiber tapers, produces simultaneously the excitation of spiral modes. The power coupled to the spiral modes leads to a significant broadening of the dips observed in the spectrum of light transmitted through the taper. We demonstrate that whispering-gallery modes resonances of cylindrical microcavities can also be interrogated by measuring the reflection spectrum. Unlike the dips observed in transmission, the peaks in the reflection spectrum are symmetric and narrower than the corresponding transmission dips.

Active Q-switched distributed feedback erbium-doped fiber lasers

This letter presents a distributed feedback fiber laser that operates in an actively controlled Q-switched regime. The laser is based on a Bragg grating made in an erbium-doped fiber. The grating has a defect induced by a magnetostrictive transducer that configures the distributed feedback laser structure. The phase shift generated by the defect can be dynamically modified by an electric current, permitting active Q-switching of the laser. The laser generates pulses of 75 ns duration and the repetition rate can be continuously adjusted from 0 to 10 kHz.

Variable delay line for phased-array antenna based on a chirped fiber grating

We present a theoretical and experimental analysis of the performance of phased-array antennas steered by a single chirped fiber grating. Two approaches consisting of conventional and single-sideband (SSB) modulation techniques of the optical signal are presented in order to compare their performance and suitability for beamforming applications in microwave antennas. By using a 40-cm-long chirped grating, we measure the phase and amplitude response and calculate the corresponding radiation patterns to demonstrate wide-band operation and continuous spatial scanning properties of both configurations. SSB modulation Is presented as a real alternative to the first one offering broader operation…

Passive compensation of the thermal drift of magnetostriction based Q-switched fiber lasers

Abstract The authors propose and demonstrate a method to compensate the thermal drift of magnetostriction based Q-switched fiber lasers, which is caused by the eddy currents induced in the Terfenol-D magnetostrictive actuators. The consequent wavelength detuning between the fiber gratings of the laser is passively compensated by the use of Monel 400 as thermal actuator of the non-modulated grating. A highly stable pulsed signal is achieved in the range of 1 Hz–5 kHz, with a wavelength detuning between gratings maintained below 10 pm. Furthermore, an optimization of the use of the pump power is proposed, utilizing part of it for simultaneously pumping a fiber optic based amplification stage.

Femtosecond parabolic pulse shaping in normally dispersive optical fibers

Formation of parabolic pulses at femtosecond time scale by means of passive nonlinear reshaping in normally dispersive optical fibers is analyzed. Two approaches are examined and compared: the parabolic waveform formation in transient propagation regime and parabolic waveform formation in the steady-state propagation regime. It is found that both approaches could produce parabolic pulses as short as few hundred femtoseconds applying commercially available fibers, specially designed all-normal dispersion photonic crystal fiber and modern femtosecond lasers for pumping. The ranges of parameters providing parabolic pulse formation at the femtosecond time scale are found depending on the initia…

Dynamics of thermally induced optical nonlinearity in GaSe thin slabs

A study of the nonlinear effects shown by thin slabs of GaSe metaled with Au is presented.

High Sensitivity Refractive Index Sensor Based on Highly Overcoupled Tapered Fiber Optic Couplers

In this paper, a simple and compact fiber-optic sensor based on an overcoupled tapered fiber coupler is studied. The coupler is fabricated to be operated well beyond the initial coupling cycles, where the rapid exchange of energy between outputs ports enable the fabrication of a highly sensitive device. The suitability and sensitivity of the proposed scheme is demonstrated by measuring refractive index (RI) variations of sugar concentrations in water. The device presents a linear response in terms of power transmission or wavelength shift versus RI changes. The best achieved sensitivity is 0.442 units of normalized transmission per unit of sugar concentration, with a noise detection limit o…

Novel in-line fiber-optic filters and polarisers

Novel in-line devices, based on a tapered fiber whose uniform waist has been metal-coated, are reported. The resonant excitation of a surface plasma mode of the metal film allows for the design of wavelength filters and polarisers

FILTER RESPONSE OF RESONANT WAVEGUIDE DIELECTRIC GRATINGS AT PLANE-WAVE CONICAL INCIDENCE

An accurate and efficient formulation is presented for the electromagnetic analysis of dielectric waveguide gratings under plane-wave conical incidence. An arbitrary number of dielectric bars can be placed inside each one-dimension periodic cell, including the effect of dielectric losses. The reflectance of a dielectric waveguide grating under conical incidence is compared with theoretical results presented by other authors, finding a very good agreement. A single-layer reflection filter has been designed centered at λ0=1.5 μm whose spectral and angular responses are shown. For this structure, the effect of the asymmetry of the distribution of the refraction index in the reflectance has bee…

Erbium-Doped-Silica Photonic Crystal Fiber Characterization Method: Description and Experimental Check

The present paper reports and discusses a characterization method for erbium-doped-silica photonic crystal fibers based on the measurement of pump power attenuation and gain together with the McCumber theory. The absorption and emission cross sections and the passive losses of the fiber were obtained from a fitting procedure of theoretical to experimental values. The method was checked by means of a home-made photonic crystal fiber to verify its reliability. Finally, it was found that the characteristic parameters obtained by this method can be used to accurately simulate the performance of the fiber and therefore to design devices based on it.

Study of upconversion in highly Er-doped photonic crystal fibers through laser-transient dynamics

The dynamic response after pump switch-on of a 980 nm pumped-ring laser based on an active photonic crystal fiber with an Er3+ ion concentration of ≈1020 ions cm−3 was registered. Then a numerical fitting procedure of a theoretical model was followed to the experimental values of the relaxation oscillation parameters as a function of the input pump power. Non-radiative energy-transfer mechanisms’ coefficients: homogeneous upconversion coefficient (Cup) and critical radii for upconversion (Ru) and migration (Rm) were determined. The calculated best-fit coefficients (Cup = 1.3  ×  10−24 m3 s−1, Ru = 9  ×  10−10 m, Rm = 13  ×  10−10 m) were compared to those obtained with other steady-state an…

A robust and efficient method for obtaining the complex modes in inhomogeneously filled waveguides

In this paper, we present a computational simulation of the complex wave propagation in inhomogeneously filled waveguides with lossless and lossy dielectrics. We use a biorthonormal-basis method as a numerical technique. The behavior of complex modes in different waveguides whose characterization with other methods involves some difficulties is analyzed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 37: 218–222, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10875

Fibre Bragg gratings tuned and chirped using magnetic fields

The authors report on the use of magnetic fields in conjunction with magnetostrictive materials for tuning and chirping optical fibre Bragg gratings. The Bragg wavelength shifts as a consequence of the strain induced in the fibre by a magnetostrictive rod when a magnetic field is applied. A tuning range of 1.1 nm has been achieved by a magnetic field of 103 mT and the grating has been chirped by applying non-uniform magnetic fields.

Fiber Characterization Using Whispering Gallery Modes(Invited)

Fiber whispering gallery modes (WGMs) are surface waves that propagate azimuthally along the outer surface of the fiber cladding. Those waves that are in phase every turn give rise to narrow resonances defined by the resonant wavelength and a high Q factor. The actual values of the resonant wavelengths depend on the radius and the refractive index of the fiber cladding, enabling the development of several fiber characterization techniques. In addition, the typical high Q factor of these resonances (Q > 106) provides the characterization techniques with a low detection limit. Here, we report the development of a technique for measuring temperature profiles along the optical fiber, which enab…

Doubly active Q switching and mode locking of an all-fiber laser

Simultaneous and independent active Q switching and active mode locking of an erbium-doped fiber laser is demonstrated using all-fiber modulation techniques. A magnetostrictive rod attached to the output fiber Bragg grating modulates the Q factor of the Fabry-Perot cavity, whereas active mode locking is achieved by amplitude modulation with a Bragg-grating-based acousto-optic device. Fully modulated Q-switched mode-locked trains of optical pulses were obtained for a wide range of pump powers and repetition rates. For a Q-switched repetition rate of 500 Hz and a pump power of 100 mW, the laser generates trains of 12-14 mode-locked pulses of about 1 ns each, within an envelope of 550 ns, an o…

Silicon resonator sensors: interrogation techniques and characteristics

Interferometric and noninterferometric optical-fibre sensing systems for resonator vibrations are described. The quality factor variation with pressure, the temperature dependence of resonant frequency and the acceleration sensitivity are given for a double-ended tuning-fork based acceleratometer.

Measurement of Pockels’ coefficients and demonstration of the anisotropy of the elasto-optic effect in optical fibers under axial strain

The elasto-optic effect in optical fibers under axial strain can be characterized by means of the whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonances of the fiber itself. This technique enables a direct measurement of the anisotropy, the determination of the individual Pockels' coefficients, and the study of the wavelength dependence. The method is based on a rigorous theoretical study of WGM resonances in cylindrical microresonators. The shift of the WGM resonances as a function of strain was measured for the TE and TM modes, showing a strong modal anisotropy. In particular, the shift rate for TE modes was 1.84 times the one for TM modes. From these measurements, experimental values for the Pockels' …

Theoretical and Experimental Study of Polarization Modulation Instability in All-Normal Dispersion Photonic Crystal Fibers

Experimental observation of polarization modulation instability in all-normal dispersion photonic crystal fibers is reported. Stokes and anti-Stokes sidebands with spectral shift of 40 nm were observed when the fiber was pumped at 1064 nm. Experimental results are baked by a vectorial four-wave mixing model.

Single-mode Bragg gratings in tapered few-modes and multimode fibers

We propose the implementation of fiber Bragg gratings in tapered few-mode and multimode fibers to accomplish single-mode operation by reducing the core diameter, while preserving the core-cladding structure. The gratings present a single reflection band, and the device shows low insertion losses after the taper fabrication and the fiber Bragg gratings inscription. The excitation of high-order odd modes in the core of the fiber has been identified as the main loss mechanism; it can be prevented by means of symmetric illumination of the fibers. We also demonstrate the excitation of high-order cladding modes (cladding-air modes) along the taper transitions; these modes can be removed without a…

Temperature Sensor Based on Ge-Doped Microstructured Fibers

The fundamental mode cutoff properties of Ge-doped microstructured fibers, filled with a liquid, permit the implementation of wavelength- and amplitude-encoded temperature sensors with an ultra-high sensitivity. The cutoff wavelength changes with temperature, and the thermo-optic coefficient of the liquid determines the sensitivity of the sensor. Sensitivity as high as 25 nm/∘Cis reported. In addition, simple amplitude interrogation techniques can be implemented using the same sensor heads.

Polarization Modulation Instability in All-Normal Dispersion Microstructured Optical Fibers with Quasi-Continuous 1064 nm Pump

Polarization modulation instability (PMI) is a form of modulation instability that can exist in weakly birefringent optical fibers [1]. Sidebands can be generated by this effect when a polarization mode of the birefringent fiber is excited with an intense optical pump. The polarization state of the sidebands is orthogonal to the polarization of the pump signal. PMI has been observed in microstructured optical fibers (MOFs). PMI was reported in a large-air-filling fraction MOF that was pumped in the normal dispersion regime with visible light [2]. The coherent degradation of femtosecond supercontinuum light generated in all-normal dispersion (ANDi) MOFs due to PMI was recently investigated […

Q-switched mode locking noise-like pulse generation from a thulium-doped all-fiber laser based on nonlinear polarization rotation

Abstract Q-switched mode locking (QML) noise-like pulse (NLP) emission from an all-fiber thulium-doped laser based on the nonlinear polarization rotation effect is reported. The QML emission is obtained in a cavity with net anomalous dispersion in a pump power interval in between the CW laser threshold and the threshold of the NLP regime. Highest-energy QML pulses were observed with a repetition rate of 812 kHz with a pump power of 520 mW at the optical wavelength of 1881.09 nm. A maximum overall energy of 460 nJ at an average output power of 6.4 mW was reached, which corresponds to a burst of mode-locked noise-like sub-pulses with 8.7 ns of pulse duration within a QML envelope of 11 µs. Th…

Sub-200-kHz single soliton generation in a long ring Er-fiber laser with strict polarization control by using twisted fiber

Abstract In the present work we demonstrate a novel single-soliton ultra-low pulse repetition frequency passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser. We mitigate the residual linear birefringence of fiber by fiber twist to achieve a strict control of polarization. For mode-locking the nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) was used. Special technique was applied to reduce the overdriving of NPR that allows the generation of single soliton in ultra-long cavity. The strict control of polarization yields a stable relation between the polarization state of the pulses propagating in the cavity and the regimes of generation. A 192.12-kHz train of soliton pulses was obtained with pulse duration o…

A magnetostrictive sensor interrogated by fiber gratings for DC-current and temperature discrimination

A magnetostrictive sensor head with temperature compensation has been developed for measurement of static magnetic fields. The device consists on two different alloys with similar thermal expansion coefficient one of which has a giant magnetostriction, the expansion of both materials produced by heat and magnetism is detected by two fiber gratings. One of the gratings measures the temperature of the sensor and the difference between the wavelengths reflected by the gratings is a measurement of the magnetically induced strain.

Numerical analysis of thermally induced optical nonlinearity in GaSe layered crystal

A numerical approach to studying thermally induced optical nonlinearity in semiconductors is presented. A transient finite difference algorithm is applied to solve the thermal diffusion equation coupled with the nonlinear absorbance-transmittance of Au/GaSe/Au samples with an applied electric field. The presented analysis can deal with any arbitrary axisymmetric dependence of the input power over the sample and external electric field, and provides information about the steady state and transitory effects in the transmittance.

Fiber laser with cladding-mode feedback based on intracavity long period grating

Cladding modes in fiber laser technology have considerable interest for dispersion compensation [1] and power scaling [2, 3]. A fiber laser with core-cladding conversion was made in convectional Erbium doped fiber by a combination of Bragg and external cavity mirrors and blocking the fundamental mode with a damaged core fiber [2]. Furthermore, the insertion of two long period gratings (LPG) in a fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) Fabry-Perot cavity has been proposed as a potential high-order-mode fiber laser [3]; however, no experimental demonstration has been reported yet because there are no ring-doped fibers available in the market. In this work, we present the first demonstration of an all-fibe…

A dual-wavelength tunable laser with superimposed fiber Bragg gratings

We report a dual-wavelength tunable fiber laser. The cavity is formed by two superimposed fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) and a temperature tunable high-birefringence fiber optical loop mirror (FOLM). FBGs with wavelengths of 1548.5 and 1538.5 nm were printed in the same section of a fiber using two different masks. The superimposed FBGs were placed on a mechanical mount that allows stretch or compression of the FBGs. As a result of the FBG strain both lines are shifted simultaneously. Dual-wavelength generation requires a fine adjustment of the cavity loss for both wavelengths.

Four Wave Mixing in Photonic Crystal Fibers:<br /> Tuning Techniques

We present an experimental and numerical study of four-wave mixing in photonic crystal fibers. Our objective is the development of tuning techniques based on tailoring de dispersion of the fibers. We demonstrate wide tuning ranges.

Instantaneous frequency measurement of dissipative soliton resonant light pulses

Fil: Cuadrado-Laborde, Christian. Universidad de Valencia. Departamento de Física Aplicada y Electromagnetismo. Instituto Universitario de Ciencia de los Materiales; España Fil: Cuadrado-Laborde, Christian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Física Rosario; Argentina Fil: Cuadrado-Laborde, Christian. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Química e Ingeniería del Rosario; Argentina Fil: Armas Rivera, I. Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas; Mexico Fil: Carrascosa, A. Universidad de Valencia. Departamento de Física Aplicada y Electromagnetismo. Instituto Universitario de Ciencia de los Materia…

Nonlinear vibrations and hysteresis of micromachined silicon resonators designed as frequency-out sensors

Experimental observation of nonlinear vibrations and hysteresis of micromachined silicon resonators is reported. The experimental results are explained using a simple model in which the restoring force acting in the resonator contains a small cubic term. The effects will impose a limit to the maximum amplitude which can be excited while still maintaining reliability of these devices as frequency-out sensors.

Experiencia de microondas para la observación del efecto Doppler

El estudio cualitativo y cuantitativo del efecto Doppler en ondas electromagnéticas puede realizarse mediante un montaje sencillo de microondas, midiendo a partir del mismo la velocidad de un móvil.

Comprehensive Theoretical and Experimental Study of Short- and Long-Term Stability in a Passively Mode-Locked Solitonic Fiber Laser

We demonstrate the short- and long-term stable operation of an all-polarization-maintained Fabry–Perot cavity passively mode-locked fiber laser. The laser operates in an all-anomalous-dispersion solitonic regime. Laser stability is studied by a variety of measurements, which confirm the high stability of the laser in the temporal and spectral–both optical and electrical-domains. Pulse durations of 540 fs, period-relative time jitters of $\sim$ 0.015‰, and long-term uninterrumped operation with 0.4% variation (standard deviation) in the average output power are obtained. The highly stable operation of the laser oscillator was maintained after amplifying the laser output with a conventional E…

Q switching and mode locking pulse generation from an all-fiber ring laser by intermodal acousto-optic bandpass modulation

Q-switched and mode-locked (QML) pulse generation from an all-fiber ring laser based on intermodal acousto-optic bandpass modulation is reported. The modulator relies on full-acousto-optic mode re-coupling cycle induced by a standing flexural acoustic wave, with a transmission response that is controlled by amplitude modulation of the acoustic wave signal. The Q factor of the cavity is controlled by a rectangular pulse wave with variable frequency and duty cycle, whereas mode locking is achieved by amplitude modulation derived from a standing flexural acoustic wave. The best QML pulses were obtained at 0.5 kHz repetition rate, with a pump power of 549.2 mW, at the optical wavelength of 1568…

Effects of refractive index changes on four-wave mixing bands in Er-doped photonic crystal fibers pumped at 976 nm.

An experimental study of the effects of an auxiliary 976 nm pump signal on the four-wave mixing parametric bands generated with a 1064 nm pump in a normal dispersion Er-doped photonic crystal fiber is presented. The four-wave mixing signal and idler bands shift to shorter and longer wavelengths, respectively, with increasing 976 nm pump power. It is shown that the wavelength-dependent resonant refractive index change in the erbium-doped core under 976 nm pumping is at the origin of the effect.

Photonic microwave tunable single-bandpass filter based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer

The authors present the theoretical analysis and experimental demonstration of a novel single-bandpass tunable microwave filter. The filter is based on a broadband optical source and a fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer and shows a high Q factor over a tuning range of 5-17 GHz. A generalized analysis considering that the optical signal propagates along optical delay lines with a dispersion slope different from zero is presented.

Low repetition rate gain-switched double-clad thulium-doped fiber laser operating in the 2 µm wavelength region

Abstract The experimental demonstration of a gain-switched pulsed fiber laser with low repetition rate emission in the 2 µm wavelength region is presented. The laser cavity is based on the figure-9 shape, where the gain-switched operation of the laser is obtained by using a double-clad Tm-doped fiber (DCTDF) as gain medium and a commercial pulsed laser diode at 793-nm with configurable parameters as pump source. The pulse parameters of the pump source are optimized for efficient suppressing of unstable gain-switched laser oscillations. As a result, laser pulses with low repetition rate in a range from 10 to 20 kHz with laser emission at the wavelength of 1951 nm are obtained. The generated …

Highly sensitive optical hydrogen sensor using circular Pd-coated singlemode tapered fibre

A novel optical hydrogen sensor, based on the absorption change of the evanescent fields in a circular Pd-coated singlemode tapered fibre is presented. The proposed sensor is polarisation independent and its sensitivity is adjustable by means of the taper diameter, interaction length, and/or light wavelength. A simple light transmission measurement setup is used to test the sensor. The sensor is suitable for the detection of low hydrogen concentrations with high sensitivity and fast time response. Transmission changes as high as 60% are demonstrated.

The application of the photoacoustic transmittance oscillations for determining elastic constants in gallium and indium selenides

Transmittance periodic oscillations are observed in GaSe and InSe on excitation with optical pulses. Such oscillations are explained in terms of photoacoustic generation of dilatational waves, which become resonant within the crystal. Spectral analysis of those oscillations in samples of different thickness has led to an accurate determination of the longitudinal acoustic‐wave velocity along the crystallographic axis c. Julio.Pellicer@uv.es ; Chantal.Ferrer@uv.es ; Vicente.Munoz@uv.es

Ytterbium-doped fiber laser as pulsed source of narrowband amplified spontaneous emission

AbstractWe report random noise pulsed regime of an ytterbium-doped fiber laser arranged in common Fabry-Perot configuration. We show that the laser output obeys the photon statistics inherent to narrowband amplified spontaneous emission and that the noise pulsing is properly addressed in terms of probability density and autocorrelation functions. Our novel approach reveals, in particular, that the regime’s coherence time dramatically shortens, from few ns to tens ps, with increasing laser power.

Accurate modal characterization of optical fibers using acousto-optics

In-fiber acousto-optics enable accurate and broadband characterization of two mode optical fibers. Differential effective index, group index and dispersion are reported for two-mode optical fibers. Small phase differences between the quasi-degenerated vector modes comprising the LP 11 mode are also measured. In addition, a fine analysis of fiber axial non-uniformities can be performed using a time-resolved acousto-optic technique. In this case, sub-ppm changes of effective index are measured with few cm resolution along fiber sections of about 2 m.

Hybrid surface plasma modes in circular metal-coated tapered fibers

The theory of hybrid surface plasma modes in metal-coated dielectric cylinders has been developed in recent years. We demonstrate that tapered fibers with a uniform waist and a circular metal coating can be designed for an efficient excitation of the fundamental hybrid surface plasma mode. Our experimental results are in good agreement with the theory and give the basis for the development of a novel type of all-fiber polarization-independent refractive-index sensor and tunable broadband wavelength filter.

Fabrication of polarizing photonic crystal fibres and photonic crystal fibre tapers: Applications

We report the fabrication of an anisotropic photonic crystal fibre with polarization properties and photonic crystal fibre tapers for supercontinuum generation. The anisotropy of the fibre was created by enlarging four airholes next to the silica core. Different polarization regimes as a function of the geometric parameters, including polarizing behaviour at 1.55 mum, were obtained. In the second part of the paper, we report the fabrication of photonic crystal fibre tapers. We present experimental results on supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fibre tapers using quasi-continuous pump pulses of 7 ns duration at 532 nm and at 1064 nm.

Polarization Modulation Instability in All-Normal Dispersion Microstructured Optical Fibers with sub-ns Pumping

The advent of microstructured optical fiber (MOF) technology gave a significant boost to research in nonlinear optics. MOFs have the advantage of high nonlinearity and designable dispersion, which makes this type of fiber an excellent platform for efficient generation of nonlinear effects. In the last years, MOFs exhibiting normal dispersion at any guiding wavelength (ANDi fibers) aroused the interest because of the possibility of using them for the generation of coherent and recompressible supercontinuum (SC) light. In this contribution, we present our recent results regarding the generation of the polarization modulation instability (PMI) effect in ANDi MOFs in the quasi-CW pump regime at…

Polarimetric measurements of single-photon geometric phases

We report polarimetric measurements of geometric phases that are generated by evolving polarized photons along non-geodesic trajectories on the Poincar\'e sphere. The core of our polarimetric array consists of seven wave plates that are traversed by a single photon beam. With this array any SU(2) transformation can be realized. By exploiting the gauge invariance of geometric phases under U(1) local transformations, we nullify the dynamical contribution to the total phase, thereby making the latter coincide with the geometric phase. We demonstrate our arrangement to be insensitive to various sources of noise entering it. This makes the single-beam, polarimetric array a promising, versatile t…

Measurement of the soliton number in guiding media through continuum generation.

No general approach is available yet to measure directly the ratio between chromatic dispersion and the nonlinear coefficient, and hence the soliton number for a given optical pulse, in an arbitrary guiding medium. Here we solve this problem using continuum generation. We experimentally demonstrate our method in polarization-maintaining and single-mode fibers with positive and negative chromatic dispersion. Our technique also offers new opportunities to determine the chromatic dispersion of guiding media over a broad spectral range while pumping at a fixed wavelength. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America

All polarization-maintaining passively mode-locked fiber-ring ytterbium-doped laser; from net-normal to net-anomalous dispersion

We investigated the behavior of a fiber-ring polarization-maintaining passively modelocked ytterbium-doped laser in a broad range of dispersion values; i.e., from highly net-normal to net-anomalous, with a special emphasis near the zero of chromatic dispersion. Different lengths of an ad hoc polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber were used as intracavity dispersion compensator to shift the operation of this laser from net-normal to the net-anomalous regime. The laser generated the shortest light pulses around the zero of dispersion: 6 ps / 7ps for −0.023 ps2 / 0.045 ps2 ; in both cases, pulses were not transform-limited, being theoretically possible an out-of-cavity recompression d…

Determination of the position of defects generated within a chirped fiber Bragg grating by analyzing its reflection spectrum and group delay

We determinate the position of defects generated within a chirped fiber Bragg grating by analyzing its reflection spectrum and group delay. Simulations were performed by using the T-matrix method for different defect locations.

Tapering photonic crystal fibres for supercontinuum generation with nanosecond pulses at 532nm

Experimental results on supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fibre tapers using pump pulses of 7 ns duration at 532 nm are presented. Photonic crystal fibre tapers with the first wavelength of zero dispersion around 532 nm were fabricated. The generation of supercontinuum was investigated in normal and anomalous dispersion regimes. Supercontinuum spectra spanning more than 400 nm in the visible region are reported.

Tuning And Chirping Fiber Bragg Gratings By A Magnetic Field

Electrically tunable photonic true-time-delay line

We present a new application of the acousto-optic superlattice modulation of a fiber Bragg grating based on the dynamic phase and group delay properties of this fiber-optic component. We demonstrate a tunable photonic true-time-delay line based on the group delay change of the light reflected from the grating sidebands. The delay is electrically tuned by adjusting the voltage applied to a piezoelectric transducer that generates the acoustic wave propagating along the grating. In our experiments, a true-time delay of 400 ps is continuously adjusted (300 ps within the 3 dB amplitude range of the first sideband), using a 12 cm long uniform grating.

In-Fiber Acousto-Optics for the Broadband Measurement of the UV-Induced Refractive Index Change in Photosensitive Fibers

In fiber acousto-optics has been demonstrated to be a versatile, highly sensitive technique that allows characterizing different parameters of singlemode or few-mode fibers, such as dispersion curves, radius or core refractive index, in a broadband wavelength range. The working principle of the technique relies in the fact that a variation in a parameter of the fiber leads to a shift in the optical wavelength that fulfills the acousto-optic phase matching condition. Thus, by measuring this wavelength shift it is possible to evaluate the change in the parameter under study. The technique shows a low detection limit: for example, it is as low as 10-8 for the core refractive index, in singlemo…

Optical demultiplexing of millimeter-wave subcarriers for wireless channel distribution employing dual wavelength FBGs

An optical mm-wave demultiplexer is presented. Double sideband modulation with suppressed optical carrier and filtering properties of dual overwritten fiber Bragg gratings are the fundamentals for optical demultiplexing of mm-wave radio-on-fiber signals: using a single optical carrier, Millimeter-wave signals of 20 and 40 GHz frequencies carrying independent data are created, transmitted over fiber, demultiplexed and wireless distributed to be detected and data recovered in a mobile unit. Double sideband modulation with suppressed optical carrier yields no power penalty due to chromatic dispersion, while the filtering properties of the dual overwritten fiber Bragg gratings allow less than −…

Fiber-Optic Aqueous Dipping Sensor Based on Coaxial-Michelson Modal Interferometers

Fiber-optic modal interferometers with a coaxial-Michelson configuration can be used to monitor aqueous solutions by simple dipping of few centimeters of a fiber tip. The fabrication of these sensors to work around 850 nm enables the use of compact, robust, and low-cost optical spectrum analyzers. The use of this type of portable sensor system to monitor sewage treatment plants is shown.

Measurement of phase and group refractive indices and dispersion of thermo-optic and strain-optic coefficients of optical fibers using weak fiber Bragg gratings

In this work we report on the measurement, with record accuracy, of the absolute modal effective refraction index (phase index) of single-mode optical fibers by using Bragg gratings. We also demonstrate a new method to measure the group index of the fibers from the grating’s Bragg wavelength. We present as well the characterization of the thermo-optic and strain-optic coefficients as a function of the wavelength; the values we have obtained are the closest to those of pristine fiber measured with gratings technology so far. The phase index is measured with a set of gratings in the wavelength ranges from 1509 to 1563 nm, and the group index is obtained from the wavelength dependence of the p…

Self-referenced phase reconstruction proposal of Ghz bandwidth non-periodical optical pulses by in-fiber semi-differintegration

Abstract We propose two new techniques able to retrieve the phase profile of a given temporal optical pulse based on the use of in-fiber semi-differintegral operators, where by semi-differintegration we mean either a 0.5th-order differentiation or integration. In both cases, the signal's temporal phase can be obtained by simple dividing two temporal intensity profiles, namely the intensities of the input and output pulses of a spectrally shifted semi-differintegral operator. In both cases, we obtained simple analytical expressions for the phase profile. The techniques are self-referenced and well-suited for real-time applications. We numerically prove the viability of these proposals.

PhoXonic Whispering Gallery Mode Resonators: parametrical optomechanic oscillations and its applications

We report on the experimental analysis of parametrical optomechanical oscillations and photo-acoustical applications such as flow cytometers in hollow phoxonic whispering gallery mode resonators. Both phenomena can be enchanced or suppressed and showed chaotic behavior.

Passively Modelocked All-PM Thulium-Doped Fiber Laser at 2.07μm

Here we present a self-started passively mode-locked thulium-doped fiber laser with in-band pumping at 1561 nm that fully retains polarization and emits beyond 2 μm. We obtained a sequence of light pulses at 13.084 MHz, where the pulse and spectral widths were 94 ps and 70 pm, respectively, at 2069.5 nm. The measured instantaneous angular frequency shows that these light pulses are chirp-free.

Modulation of coaxial modal interferometers based on long period gratings in double cladding fibers

This paper reports on the dynamic modulation of coaxial interferometers based on two cascaded long period gratings written in double cladding fibers. The interferometer is modulated by a piezoelectric ceramic which stretches one the gratings at tens of kHz, the output light is intensity modulated with an efficiency of 97 %. The device operates at 1530nm, has more than 50nm bandwidth, insertion loss of 0.4 dB and a temperature drift of 0.11 nm/ degrees C.

Design of double-tapered fibers for tailoring the acousto-optic spectral response

A model to shape the spectral response of acousto-optic devices based on tapered fibers is reported. A double-tapered structure was designed in order to obtain a flat attenuation response with 34 nm bandwidth.

Fundamental-mode cutoff in liquid-filled Y-shaped microstructured fibers with Ge-doped core

We report on the cutoff characteristics of a Ge-doped Y-shaped microstructured fiber in which the holes are filled with a liquid of refractive index higher than silica but lower than the Ge-doped core. It is found that the cutoff wavelength was very sensitive to temperature variations as a result of the refractive index changes of the liquid. The basic properties of such a fiber permit the fabrication of wideband tunable short-pass filters, as well as temperature sensors with high sensitivity. A temperature sensitivity of 25 nm/degrees C is reported.

Development and analysis of a model based on chirped fiber Bragg gratings employed for cracks characterization in materials

In this work a model was developed that allows to understand the behavior of a chirped fiber Bragg grating for the detection and characterization of cracks in materials. In addition to the amplitude response, we show that the group delay of the grating provides useful information for the characterization of the crack. The position of the crack can be determined thanks to the linear chirp of the grating that fixes a correlation between the spatial position and both, the wavelength and the group delay. However, our analysis shows that this simple approach has a source of error, which can be overcome if a controllable external strain can be applied to the embedded grating, additional to the st…

Enhanced Q-switched distributed feedback fiber laser based on acoustic pulses

An acoustically Q-switched distributed feedback fiber laser with enhanced performance is presented. It is based on an FBG written in an erbium doped fiber, in which a dynamic defect is introduced by means of a short acoustic pulse. The performance of the laser depends on the reflectivity of the grating. In this work, we present two different Q-switched distributed feedback fiber lasers realized with active gratings of different reflectivities. Both lasers are characterized at different pump powers and repetition rates. It is shown that the performance of the laser based on the weaker grating was significantly improved with respect to the laser based on the stronger grating. In terms of peak…

Actively Q-switched and modelocked all-fiber lasers

Here we demonstrate active mode-locking (ML) and doubly-active Q-switching mode-locking (QML) of erbium-doped strictly all-fiber lasers. The active ML mechanism relies in the acoustooptic superlattice modulation (AOSLM) effect induced when longitudinal acoustic waves are launched along a fiber Bragg grating. In both regimes - ML as well as QML - we focus on the laser behavior when the AOSLM is driven by traveling acoustic waves, and next we compare these results with those obtained when the AOSLM is driven by standing acoustic waves. In the ML regime, optical pulses were obtained of 530 mW peak power, 700 ps temporal width, at a repetition rate of 4.1 MHz. On the other hand, in the QML regi…

Tunable dual-wavelength thulium-doped fiber laser in the range from 2067 to 2073.5 nm

A tunable dual-wavelength lineal cavity Tm-doped fiber laser is presented. The generation of the laser lines is based on the use of cascaded fiber Bragg gratings and a Hi-Bi fiber optic loop mirror.

Analysis of a microwave time delay line based on a perturbed uniform fiber Bragg grating operating at constant wavelength

This paper presents the modeling of a new microwave time delay line based on a uniform fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with a section which period has been perturbed. The time delay can be modified by changing the position of the perturbation along the grating. Theoretical results are presented for a 5-cm long uniform grating and optical signal is modulated up to 18 GHz. Experimental setup used magnetic fields to change the period locally along the grating and a 330 ps maximum time delay is shown. Comparison between calculations and measurements show a perfect agreement. Such a delay line offers many advantages for beamforming applications in phased array antennas where the operation at a fixed w…

Supercontinuum generation in Ge-doped Y-shaped microstructured tapered fiber

We have investigated the generation of supercontinuum in tapered Y-shaped fibers in the nanosecond pump regime. This fiber used to fabricate the tapers has, in addition, a Ge-doped core which enhances the nonlinearity of the material and the Raman gain. The fiber was pumped at 1064 nm in the ns pump regime (0.6 ns pulses and up to 3.2 kW peak power). The taper had a uniform waist of 0.9 μm diameter and 130 mm length, and the adiabatic transitions were 110 mm long. A flat spectrum spanning from 420 nm to 1870 nm was obtained using a single tapered fiber.

Photonic fractional Fourier transformer with a single dispersive device

In this work we used the temporal analog of spatial Fresnel diffraction to design a temporal fractional Fourier transformer with a single dispersive device, in this way avoiding the use of quadratic phase modulators. We demonstrate that a single dispersive passive device inherently provides the fractional Fourier transform of an incident optical pulse. The relationships linking the fractional Fourier transform order and scaling factor with the dispersion parameters are derived. We first provide some numerical results in order to prove the validity of our proposal, using a fiber Bragg grating as the dispersive device. Next, we experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of this proposal by us…

Strain and temperature measurement discrimination with forward Brillouin scattering in optical fibers

A novel method that enables simultaneous and discriminative measurement of strain and temperature using one single optical fiber is presented. The method is based on the properties of transverse acoustic mode resonances (TAMRs) of the optical fiber. In particular, it is based on the different sensitivity to temperature and strain that exhibit the radial modes R0,m and a family of torsional-radial modes denoted as T R 2 , m ( 1 ) . We show that the resonance frequencies of both types of resonances shift linearly with temperature and strain, but at different rates. By the combined use of the different sensitivities of the two families of TAMRs, we experimentally demonstrate discriminative mea…

Resonant and thermal changes of refractive index in a heavily doped erbium fiber pumped at wavelength 980 nm

We report a theoretical and experimental study of the refractive index variation in a heavily doped erbium silica fiber within the spectral range 1500-1580 nm under the pumping at the wavelength 980 nm. The two main contributions in the refractive index change are addressed the resonant part determined by the saturation effect in the fiber and the thermal part stemming from the fiber heating due to the excited-state absorption and Stokes losses. We demonstrate that the thermal contribution in the resultant refractive index change is a notable value, which is the feature of erbium fibers with a high concentration of erbium ions.

Waveguiding properties of a photonic crystal fiber with a solid core surrounded by four large air holes

The polarization-dependent guiding properties of a hexagonal-lattice photonic crystal fiber with a solid-core surrounded by four large air holes are investigated. The appearance of a polarization dependent cutoff frequency, together with several parameters as the birefringence, the modal effective area, the group velocity dispersion and the polarization dependent loss are analyzed. A collection of fibers with different structural parameters were fabricated and characterized. An effective anti-guide structure from at least 450 nm to 1750 nm, a polarizing fiber with a polarization dependent loss of 16 dB/m at 1550 nm, and an endlessly singlemode polarization-maintaining fiber with group biref…

Wide wavelength-tunable passive mode-locked Erbium-doped fiber laser with a SESAM

Abstract In this work we present a simple polarization-maintaining wavelength-tunable passive mode-locked Erbium-doped fiber laser with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) as a mode locker. The cavity includes a Sagnac interferometer-based fiber optical loop mirror (FOLM) as a wide wavelength-tunable filter. Tunable mode-locking was experimentally achieved in the range of 1543.2 nm to 1569.5 nm by thermally adjustment of FOLM wavelength reflection. The output pulses have a repetition rate of 11.16 MHz with pulse duration about 0.9 ps. The experimental results were confirmed by numerical simulations.

All polarization-maintaining assively mode-locked yb-doped fiber laser : pulse compression using an anomalous polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber

We report the generation of short pulses at 1 μm using an all-polarization-maintaining (PM) fiber configuration. The pulses are provided by an all normal-dispersion Fabry-Perot Yb-doped cavity and are compressed with an anomalous polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber (PM PCF). Opposed to standard configurations; here the filtering action is solely performed by the finite bandwidth of the gain medium. The laser generates 8 ps width sech 2 profile pulses at 1046.8 nm with a −10 dB bandwidth of 5.9 nm. After compression using the PM PCF, pulses with an FWHM of 3 ps were obtained, limited by the actual value of the available anomalous dispersion. We also report the changes in the outp…

Water Vapor Sensors Based on the Swelling of Relief Gelatin Gratings: Recent Advances and Development

We report on a novel device to measure relative humidity. Materials used in the measurement of relative humidity are of different kinds. The sensor is based on surface diffraction gratings made of gelatin. This material swells and shrinks according to the content of water vapor in air. By sending a light beam to the grating, diffracted orders appear. Due to the gelatin swelling or shrinking, first order intensity changes according to the relative humidity. Calibration curves relating intensity versus relative humidity have been found. The fabrication process of diffraction gratings and the testing of the prototype sensing devices are described.

Nonlinear optical effects and optomechanical oscillations in hollow Whispering Gallery Mode microresonators: coexistence, suppression, amplification and route to chaos

Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) hollow microcavities turn out to be the site of an extremely rich and complex phenomenological scenario when pumped with a continuous-wave laser source. The coexistence of numerous non-linear and optomechanical effects have been reviewed in this paper. In our previous works we have investigated and described non-linear emissions as the stimulated Brillouin and Raman scattering, the degenerated and non-degenerated Kerr effects, such as four wave mixing (FWM). These effects happened concomitantly to parametric optomechanical oscillations which are the consequence of the radiation pressure. We have confirmed the regenerative oscillation of acoustic eigenmodes of t…

Electronic tuning of delay lines based on chirped fiber gratings for phased arrays powered by a single optical carrier

We propose a variable delay line for phased arrays antennas based on a chirped fiber grating. The line operates with an optical carrier at constant wavelength and the time delay of the radiofrequency modulating signal is modified stretching the grating with a piezoelectric translator, the grating response can be tuned at a speed of 0.68 nm/ms.

Spectroscopic Properties of Holmium-Aluminum-Germanium Co-doped Silica Fiber

We report the basic spectroscopic properties of a home-made holmium-aluminum-germanium co-doped silica fiber, designed for laser applications. We present the ground-state and excited-state absorpti...

Oblique incidence and polarization effects in coupled gratings.

Oblique incidence and polarization orientation of the input beam have dramatic effects on the spectral response of coupled dielectric waveguide gratings. Coupled gratings with small periodic perturbations can be described as a problem of two coupled resonances at strictly normal incidence, but we find that the device involves four coupled resonances when oblique incidence and polarization effects are included in the analysis. Very small deviations from normal incidence change qualitatively the spectral response and four peaks are observed, whereas only two peaks are present at normal incidence. Polarization misalignments produce a decrease of the reflectance of the resonances at normal inci…

In-Fiber All-Optical Fractional Differentiator Using an Asymmetrical Moiré Fiber Grating

In this work, it is demonstrated numerically that an asymmetric Moiré fiber grating operated in reflection can provide the required spectral response to implement an all-optical fractional differentiator. In our case, the accumulated phase shift is not associated with a point phase shift, as when working with fiber Bragg gratings and long-period gratings with punctual defects, but is distributed all over the grating. The proposed device is supported by numerical simulations, and a dimensionless deviation factor is calculated to make quantitative analysis feasible. The performance of the proposed device is analyzed using numerical simulations by computing the fractional time derivatives of t…

Microwave experiments on electromagnetic evanescent waves and tunneling effect

A set of experiments is described to measure the decay of electromagnetic evanescent waves and the tunneling effect through an airgap. The experiments are performed using microwaves and have been designed to be carried out by third year students of physics. The proposed experimental setup can be regarded as a quantum mechanical simulator for the one‐dimensional motion of a particle.

Highly Efficient Holmium-Doped All-Fiber ∼2.07-μm Laser Pumped by Ytterbium-Doped Fiber Laser at ∼1.13 μm

We report a 2.07-μm Holmium-doped all-fiber laser (HDFL) pumped by a 1.13-μm Ytterbium-doped fiber laser (YDFL). Home-made alumino–germano–silicate holmium-doped fiber (HDF) served here as an active medium, optimized in terms of chemical composition and co-dopants’ concentrations. Laser action at 2.07 μm was assessed in simple Fabry–Perot cavity, formed by a couple of home-made fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs), inscribed directly in the HDF; this allowed notable diminishing of intracavity loss of the 2.07-μm laser. HDF was in-core pumped by the 1.13-μm double-clad YDFL with a power of ∼12.5 W, in turn pumped in-clad by a laser diode (LD) operated at 0.97 μm with ∼24.5-W output. Using optimal len…

Effective length of short Fabry-Perot cavity formed by uniform fiber Bragg gratings

In this paper, we describe the properties of Fabry-Perot fiber cavity formed by two fiber Bragg gratings in terms of the grating effective length. We show that the grating effective length is determined by the group delay of the grating, which depends on its diffraction efficiency and physical length. We present a simple analytical formula for calculation of the effective length of the uniform fiber Bragg grating and the frequency separation between consecutive resonances of a Fabry-Perot cavity. Experimental results on the cavity transmission spectra for different values of the gratings' reflectivity support the presented theory.

Fiber laser switched by a long period grating interferometer as an intra-cavity loss modulator

Abstract In this paper we present an actively switched fiber laser with an all-fiber long-period grating-based interferometer used as an intra-cavity loss modulator. The modulator consists of two equal long-period gratings written sequentially in the same piece of a double-clad optical fiber. One of the gratings is fixed onto a piezoceramic cylinder producing fast modulation of the interferometer transmission spectrum. The laser demonstrates a stable regime of pulsed emission at repetition rates in the range of tens of kHz.

Simple high-resolution wavelength monitor based on a fiber Bragg grating

A compact and low-cost device for monitoring the peak wavelength of single-peak spectral distributions is presented. The system is based on the transmission properties of a fiber Bragg grating when its period is modulated. Different types of optical signal, such as the emission of distributed-feedback lasers and the reflection of a broadband optical source produced by fiber gratings used in sensor systems, can be measured with this device. We demonstrate that a high wavelength resolution of micro 1 pm can be achieved and that our proposal can be used for real-time monitoring.

Near-IR-to-visible emission in ytterbium-doped silica fiber at in-core 488-nm pumping

We report near-IR-to-visible broadband emission in Ytterbium-doped silicate fiber (YF) at 488-nm in-core excitation. This emission is revealed to originate from Yb3+-Yb3+ pair clusters (900 – 1200-nm band), whose presence is proved by a separate study of cooperative processes in the fiber, and Yb2+ phototropic centers (600 – 900-nm band) provisionally accepted to be present in the YF.

BIO Bragg gratings on microfibers for label-free biosensing

[EN] Discovering nanoscale phenomena to sense biorecognition events introduces new perspectives to exploit nano science and nanotechnology for bioanalytical purposes. Here we present Bio Bragg Gratings (BBGs), a novel biosensing approach that consists of diffractive structures of protein bioreceptors patterned on the surface of optical waveguides, and tailored to transduce the magnitude of biorecognition assays into the intensity of single peaks in the reflection spectrum. This work addresses the design, fabrication, and optimization of this system by both theoretical and experimental studies to explore the fundamental physicochemical parameters involved. Functional biomolecular gratings ar…

Inverse photonic-crystal-fiber design through geometrical and material scalings

Geometrical and material - i.e., external and internal - scaling symmetries are exploited to obtain approximated analytical expressions for the mode effective index, group index, and chromatic dispersion of a scaled fiber. Our results include material refractive index scaling that changes the numerical aperture. First, the analytical expressions are successfully tested with a conventional step index fiber in a broadband range of wavelengths, from 1 to 2 mu m. Then, we establish a procedure to adapt the analytical expressions to photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) and illustrate its application in a triangular PCF with circular holes. These adapted analytical expressions show good agreement with …

Enhanced supercontinuum generation in the nanosecond pump regime using specialty microstructured fibers

Several alternatives have been investigated to achieve enhanced supercontinuum generation in the nanosecond pump regime using specialty silica-based microstructured optical fibers (MOFs). Among these alternatives we can point out the use of (a) MOF tapers, (b) highly Ge-doped core Y-shaped MOF and (c) Er-doped MOF. These specialty MOFs provide either an increased material nonlinear response or a rather small effective area, at the same time that the dispersion characteristics are adjusted to work at different excitation conditions. In our experiments, we have been using either a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (10 Hz repetition rate) or an Yb-doped fiber laser (2 kHz repetition rate), both emitting…

Direct Bragg grating writing in a hybrid PDMS/silica photonic crystal fiber

Infiltration of materials into the air holes of the PCFs can potentially manipulate their optical properties creating a new category of fibers termed as hybrid PCFs [1] and many devices based on hybrid PCFs have been developed [2–5]. Recently, a hybrid PCF with poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer inclusions has been demonstrated [6]. PDMS is widely used in the area of photonics and optofluidics. It is highly transparent with a refractive index ∼1.41, conserving the total internal reflection guiding mechanism of the hybrid PCF. When PDMS is irradiated with UV light its refractive index increases [7]. In this paper we present the first example of a Bragg grating directly written using UV l…

All-fiber actively Q-switched Yb-doped laser

Abstract An all-fiber actively Q-switched Yb-doped laser is presented. Q-switching is performed by modulating a fiber Bragg grating via a magnetostrictive rod which is fixed to the fiber at the position of the grating. By exposing the rod to a changing magnetic field, the rod is stretched and relaxed causing the Bragg wavelength of the grating to shift and thereby changes the Q-factor of the cavity. Using Yb-doped fiber, pulses at 1052 nm are obtained at repetition rates from 1 to 200 kHz. At 75 kHz, 0.5 μJ pulses with peak powers of 3 W can be produced when 180 mW of pump power is applied. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first all-fiber actively Q-switched Yb-doped laser prese…

Instantaneous frequency measurement by in-fiber 0.5th order fractional differentiation

We experimentally demonstrate the possibility to retrieve the instantaneous frequency profile of a given temporal light pulse by in-fiber fractional order differentiation of 0.5th-order. The signal's temporal instantaneous frequency profile is obtained by simple dividing two temporal intensity profiles, namely the intensities of the input and output pulses of a spectrally-shifted fractional order differentiation. The results are supported by the experimental measurement of the instantaneous frequency profile of a mode-locked laser. Fil: Poveda-Wong, L.. Universidad de Valencia; España Fil: Carrascosa, A.. Universidad de Valencia; España Fil: Cuadrado Laborde, Christian Ariel. Consejo Nacion…

Modeling spectral correlations of photon-pairs generated in liquid-filled photonic crystal fiber

The generation of photon-pairs with controllable spectral correlations is crucial in quantum photonics. Here we present the design of a photonic crystal fiber to generate widely-spaced four-wave mixing bands with spectral correlations that can be tuned through the thermo-optic effect after being infiltrated with heavy water. We present a theoretical study of the purity of the signal (idler) photon generated as a function of temperature, pump spectral linewidth and the length of the fiber. 511-6/18-8876 CIIC155/2019 APN-624 TEC2016- 76664-C2-1-R PROMETEO/2019/048

In-fiber time-resolved acousto-optics

Time-resolved in-fiber acousto-optics permit the measurement of sub-ppm perturbations of the modal dispersion curves along sections of fiber exceeding 1 m long, with a spatial resolution in the order of few cm.

ASE narrow‐band noise pulsing in erbium‐doped fiber amplifier and its effect on self‐phase modulation

In this paper, we report a study of the features of polarized and unpolarized narrow-band amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in a low-doped erbium fiber at 976-nm pumping. We demonstrate that ASE noise can be treated as a train of Gaussian-like pulses with random magnitudes, widths, and inter-pulse intervals. ASE noise can also provide a statistical analysis of these three parameters. We also present the data that reveal ASE noise’s role in optical spectrum broadening through self-phase modulation of light propagating in a communication fiber. In particular, the data show that the ASE noise derivative defines the broadening’s spectral shape.

Estudio de la Línea de Goubau Modificada

Threshold of a Symmetrically Pumped Distributed Feedback Fiber Laser With a Variable Phase Shift

In this paper, we study, both theoretically and experimentally, the threshold characteristics of a distributed feedback fiber laser that depend on the value of a phase shift introduced into the fiber Bragg grating structure. We show that as the phase shift possesses a noticeable birefringence, the laser oscillates at any phase shift value. We also reveal that the laser threshold is different for the cavity eigen polarizations and depends on the phase shift value. We derive a simple analytical formula to calculate the laser threshold in the case of pi phase shift; this formula can be utilized to estimate a minimal threshold value for the laser with certain active fiber and Bragg grating para…

High-efficiency Q-switched erbium fiber laser using a Bragg grating-based modulator

Abstract In this work we analyze the behavior of an erbium-doped fiber laser which is based on a simple scheme. Excitation of the active medium is performed in the 980 nm pump band with a CW semiconductor laser source. Two fiber Bragg gratings acting as mirrors of the Fabry–Perot laser cavity were used. One of these gratings was mounted over a piezoelectric (PZT) element. By applying voltage pulses to the piezoelectric, the laser cavity was temporally modulated and Q-switched laser pulses up to 530 mW peak powers at 3 kHz were obtained. Typical laser emission of 2–3 μs temporal widths and 0.1 nm of optical bandwidth have been achieved when the system was operated at 18.5 kHz repetition rate…

Dissipative soliton resonance in a full polarization-maintaining fiber ring laser at different values of dispersion

We investigated the dissipative solitons resonance in an ytterbium-doped fiber ring laser in which all the elements are polarization maintaining (PM). A semiconductor saturable absorber mirror was used as a mode-locker. The cavity included a normal dispersion single-mode fiber (SMF) and an anomalous dispersion photonic crystal fiber. The change of the length of the PM SMF allows the variation of the net-normal dispersion of the cavity in the range from 0.022 ps2 to 0.262 ps2. As the absolute value of the net-normal dispersion increases from 0.022 ps2 to 0.21 ps2, a square-shaped single pulse transformed to a single right-angle trapezoid-shaped pulse, and, at the dispersion of 0.262 ps2, to …

Uniform fibre Bragg gratings with an embedded perturbed section for multiple applications

The interest in fibre Bragg gratings has been increased with the development of flexible fabrication techniques which are able to make gratings with any non-uniform characteristic (chirped, apodised, sampled, phase-shifted, etc.) required for an specific application [1].

High frequency microwave signal generation using dual-wavelength emission of cascaded DFB fiber lasers with wavelength spacing tunability

[EN] A dual wavelength fiber laser source based on two cascaded phase-shifted fiber Bragg gratings is presented The gratings are written in an erbium-doped fiber each configuring the cavity of a distributed feedback fiber laser The spacing between lasing modes is controlled dynamically by the use of piezoelectric actuators A continuous tuning range of 5-724 pm of the wavelength difference which is equivalent to a photodetected 072-92 GHz range is obtained Efficient generation from the L to the W microwave and millimeter bands has been achieved by heterodyne photodetection of the dual-wavelength optical signal (C) 2010 Elsevier BV All rights reserved

Coexistence of quasi-CW and SBS-boosted selfQ-switched pulsing in ytterbium-doped fiber laser with low Q-factor cavity

We report the results of an experimental study of an ytterbium-doped fiber laser with low Q-factor cavity. We demonstrate that the laser operates in two randomly alternating sub-regimes, quasi-CW (QCW) and self-Q-switching (SQS), the latter ignited by stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). We show that probability of each sub-regime depends on pump power: QCW dominates slightly above the laser threshold while SQS pulsing prevails at higher pump powers. We also discuss the featuring details of QCW sub-regime and its role in instabilities (jittering) of SBS-boosted SQS pulsing as well as the statistical properties of the latter.

Improved time-resolved acousto-optic technique for optical fiber analysis of axial non-uniformities by using edge interrogation

The time-resolved acousto-optic technique demonstrated recently to be a very useful method for the analysis of fiber axial non-uniformities, able to detect variations of fiber diameter in the nanometric scale with a spatial resolution of few cm. An edge interrogation approach is proposed to improve further the performance of this technique. The detection of subnanometer fiber diameter changes or sub-ppm changes of the core refractive index is demonstrated.

In-Fiber Fractional Signal Processing: Recent Results and Applications

The implementation of mathematical operators using photonic signal processing –as for example, conventional differentiators and integrators– is particularly well suited to overcome the speed and bandwidth limitations of electronics. In the Laboratory of Fiber Optics of the University of Valencia we work on the development of in-fiber time-domain fractional operators and their applications. In the last years we have made some specific proposals to perform photonic fractional differentiation (PFD), photonic fractional integration (PFI), photonic fractional Hilbert transform (PFHT), and photonic fractional Fourier transform (PFFT), using fiber-based technologies. Recently, we have been able to…

Cylindrical optical microcavities: Basic properties and sensor applications

Abstract A detailed theoretical analysis of the basic properties of whispering-gallery modes (WGM) of thin capillaries is presented. The sensitivity of the resonances, as well as the Q factor is analyzed as a function of the structural parameters of the capillary and the refractive index inside the capillary. A practical application where thin capillaries are used for the measurement of glucose concentration in water is presented as a chemical sensor demonstrator. A best sensitivity of 1.24 nm/% of glucose concentration in water is reported, which corresponds to more than 850 nm/RIU. Additionally, different experimental approaches are discussed to improve the sensitivity and the detection l…

PON Monitoring Technique Based on 2D Encoders and Wavelength-to-Time Mapping

A PON monitoring technique is demonstrated based on an OTDR-like device and FBG-encoders having a unique combination of central wavelength and reflection bandwidth. This results in more compact and cost-efficient encoders than previous proposals.

All-Normal-Dispersion Photonic Crystal Fibers Under Prism of Supercontinuum Generation and Pulse Compression

We discuss properties of all-normal-dispersion photonic crystal fibers in context of supercontinuum generation and compression of ultrashort pulses. The application of pump pulses typical for the state of the art Ti:Sapphire lasers allows obtaining quite flat and broad spectra extending more than one octave in this fiber. The influence of initial pump pulse parameters such as pulse energy, duration, and pump wavelength on the SC generation was investigated. It was shown that compression of pulses with such SC spectra allows obtaining a few cycle pulses up to 8.1 fs, if a simple quadratic compressor is used and single cycle pulses up to 2.5 fs, if full phase compensation is provided.

Unrestricted generation of pure two-qubit states and entanglement diagnosis by single-qubit tomography.

We present an experimental proof-of-principle for the generation and detection of pure two-qubit states that have been encoded in degrees of freedom that are common to both classical-light beams and single photons. Our protocol requires performing polarization tomography on a single qubit from a qubit pair. The degree of entanglement in the qubit pair is measured by concurrence, which can be directly extracted from intensity measurements-or photon counting-entering single-qubit polarization tomography.

Modeling of photonic crystal fibers from the scalar wave equation with a purely transverse linearly polarized vector potential

In this work, we propose a new technique for modeling light propagation in photonic crystal fibers where the electric field is evaluated from a purely transverse linearly polarized vector potential. The vector potential in a nonuniform dielectric obeys a wave equation coupled to the scalar potential, but it can be reduced to a scalar wave equation when the coupling term is ignored to the lowest order approximation. We show that this method gives reliable results for photonic crystal fibers when the scalar analysis is improved by a perturbational correction.

Tunable and reconfigurable microwave filter by use of a Bragg-grating-based acousto-optic superlattice modulator

We present an all-optical novel configuration for implementing multitap transversal filters by use of a broadband source sliced by fiber Bragg grating arrays generated by propagating an acoustic wave along a strong uniform fiber Bragg grating. The tunability and reconfigurability of the microwave filter are demonstrated.

Mode-locked Yb-doped all-fiber laser based on in-fiber acoustooptic modulation

We show what we believe is the first demonstration of an ytterbium-doped strictly all-fiber active mode-locking laser. The active control of the laser is based on in-fiber amplitude modulation at 11 MHz, which is achieved by using an all-fiber acoustooptic superlattice modulator driven by standing acoustic waves. In our experiments, the laser was operated at 1091.3 nm and had two stable regimes producing either a train of mode-locked single pulses or a train of pulse pairs. Best results for the mode-locked train of single pulses were 740 ps of time width and 26 mW of average power, at a pump power of 480 mW.

Analysis of Inhomogeneously Dielectric Filled Cavities Coupled to Dielectric-Loaded Waveguides: Application to the Study of NRD-Guide Components

In this paper, we present two contributions. First, we develop a computationally efficient technique for the full-wave characterization of inhomogeneously dielectric-filled cavities connected to inhomogeneously dielectric-loaded waveguides. This method is based on the expansion of the electromagnetic field within the cavity in terms of their solenoidal and irrotational modes. The presented formulation allows the treatment of hybrid modes in the waveguide ports, where the definition of a characteristic modal impedance or admittance is not possible. The multimode scattering matrix of the structure is computed throughout an efficient implementation of the orthonormal-basis method for the calcu…

Supercontinuum Q-switched Yb fiber laser using an intracavity microstructured fiber

We report on an intracavity configuration for supercontinuum generation in a Q-switched Yb fiber laser. The supercontinuum laser includes a section of microstructured fiber within the Q-switched laser cavity. With 380 mW of pump power, the supercontinuum laser can emit broadband pulses of 6 microJ energy and 10 ns temporal width, at repetition rates from few hertz up to 2 kHz. The supercontinuum spectrum spans over a wavelength range in excess of 1.4 microm.

High-repetition rate acoustic-induced Q-switched all-fiber laser

We report a high repetition rate actively Q switched all fiber laser. The acousto optic interaction controls the cou pling between co propagating core and cladding modes and is used to modulate the optical losses of the cavity, which permits to perform active Q-switching. Using 1.4 m of 300 ppm Er-doped fiber and a maximum pump power of 120 mW, we have obtained up to 1 W peak power pulses, with a pulse repetition rate that can be continuously varied from 1 Hz to 120 kHz and a pulse width that changes from 70 ns to 2.2 μs.

Analysis of Fiber Inhomogeneity Using Time-Resolved Acousto-Optic Interaction

Workshop on Specialty Optical Fibers and their Applications 2013, Sigtuna Sweden, 28–30 August 2013

Fast Response Vibration Sensor Based on Bragg Gratings Written on Tapered Core Fibers

Bragg gratings written in tapered core fibers are used to measure mechanical vibrations with a time response better than 10 μs. The system is compact, low-cost and can be wavelength multiplexed.

Influence of Cavity Loss Upon Performance of Q-Switched Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser

Performance of an actively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser in function of intracavity loss is discussed. We show experimentally and theoretically (employing a distributed model that takes into account two contra-propagating laser waves) that the laser performance strongly depends on the intracavity loss of different kinds. We reveal in particular that the dominant source of smaller than expected pulse energy is the loss via excited-state absorption, inherent in erbium-doped fibers. We also discuss the other important processes involved in active Q-switching, such as passive losses and residual active fiber charge, the impact of which is clarified by a straightforward comparison of the m…

Comparison of asymmetric and symmetric cavity configurations of erbium-doped fiber laser in active Q-switched regime

We present a comparative analysis of the dynamics of an actively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser assembled in two configurations of Fabry–Perot cavity, asymmetric and symmetric, specified by the location of an acousto-optic Q-switch modulator relative to the output couplers. In both configurations, the length of an active (Er3+-doped) fiber is chosen such that the laser does not spuriously emit at the moments when the modulator is blocked, which is important for the pulse-on-demand operation. We show experimentally that the symmetric cavity configuration permits enlarging of the active fiber length twice as compared to the asymmetric one, thereby increasing the energy and decreasing the…

Wavelength-codified fiber laser hydrogen detector

We report a scheme for an optical hydrogen detector that codifies the information in wavelength. The system is based on an erbium-doped fiber laser with two coupled cavities and a Palladium-coated tapered fiber within one of the laser cavities. The tapered fiber acts as the hydrogen-sensing element. When the sensing element is exposed to a hydrogen atmosphere, its attenuation decreases changing the cavity losses. This change leads the system to switch lasing from the wavelength of the auxiliary cavity to the characteristic wavelength of the cavity which contains the sensing element. The detection level can be shifted by adjusting the reflective elements of the cavity containing the sensing …

All-fiber noninterferometric narrow-transmission-bandpass filter

In-fiber mode engineering based on the combination of Bragg and long-period gratings (LPGs) permits the implementation of noninterferometric transmission filters with narrow passbands using standard single-mode fiber. The design of the bandpass filter is based on the coupling between propagating and counterpropagating cladding modes in two fiber Bragg gratings. A LPG located between the Bragg gratings transfers power from the input fundamental mode to a specific cladding mode and recouples the filtered signal to the output fundamental mode. The filter produces a series of narrow passbands of about 30 pm linewidth with a maximum transmittance above 60%, 20 dB isolation, and passband separati…

Diode-pumped self-Q-switched erbium-doped all-fibre laser

A diode-pumped self-Q-switched erbium-doped fibre laser is developed and studied. The laser has an all-fibre configuration containing a piece of an active heavily erbium-doped fibre and two fibre Bragg grating mirrors and does not require any additional intracavity elements to obtain short pulses. Analysis of the laser operation suggests that the most probable mechanism of passive Q-switching of the laser cavity is absorption from the excited state of erbium resulting in the thermally induced nonlinear change in the refractive index in the erbium-doped fibre.

Fully automatic simultaneous fibre grating amplitude and group delay characterization

We present a novel fiber grating measurement technique based on the direct modulation of a tunable laser source by an optical component analizer.

Group Delay and Spectral Phase Retrieval of Light Pulses by Spectral Intensity Measurements

We discuss a method to determine both the group delay and the phase of a given pulse in the Fourier optics domain. The proposal is based on the measurement of two intensity spectra, before and after a known quadratic phase modulation. A simple analytical equation is then used to determine the group delay in one step. If necessary, the spectral phase can be determined by simple spectral integration of the determined group delay. The proposal is supported by various numerical results and an experimental measurement to prove the concept.

Analog Photonic Fractional Signal Processing

Fil: Cuadrado Laborde, Christian. Universidad de Valencia. Instituto Universitario de Ciencia de los Materiales; España Fil: Cuadrado Laborde, Christian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Cuadrado Laborde, Christian. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Química e Ingeniería del Rosario; Argentina Fil: Poveda-Wong, Luis. Universidad de Valencia. Instituto Universitario de Ciencia de los Materiales; España Fil: Carrascosa, Antonio. Universidad de Valencia. Instituto Universitario de Ciencia de los Materiales ; España Fil: Diez, Antonio. Universidad de Valencia. Instituto Universitario de Ciencia de los Materiales; España Fil: Cruz, Jo…

Q-switched all-fibre laser using a fibre-optic resonant acousto-optic modulator

Abstract We report an actively Q-switched all-fibre laser using a fibre-optic resonant acousto-optic modulator as Q-switching element. The modulator consists of a short-length fibre Bragg grating modulated by a standing longitudinal elastic wave, being the grating length much shorter than the acoustic wavelength. Q-switch pulses were successfully obtained from an Er3+-doped fibre laser at repetition rates of 18 and 37 kHz.

Measurement of the Electrostriction-Induced Refractive Index Modulation Using Long Period Fiber Gratings

We report the measurement of the refractive index modulation in optical fibers generated by electrostrictively driven acoustic waves through the change in transmission in a long period fiber grating.

Tunable microwave photonic filter based on chirped fiber gratings working with a single optical carrier at constant wavelength

This paper presents a tunable transversal filter working with a single optical carrier at constant wavelength. The filter consists of a set of chirped gratings whose time delay is tuned with respect to the emission wavelength of a fiber laser by a piezoelectric actuator; extra lengths of fiber are inserted in the filter arms in order to avoid interferences between signals reflected in different gratings. Two and three taps filters are experimentally demonstrated, the filters transfer function is electronically tuned within the free spectral range.

BIO-Bragg gratings: structured molecular networks for on-fiber bioanalysis

The research on photonic biosensors is a scientific hot topic at the moment, with a significant potential impact on industry and medicine. Label-free, miniaturized, inexpensive and low-loss biosensors are developed based on optical fiber technology. Our approach is based on a Bio-Bragg-Grating (BBG) patterned on the surface of a microfiber. We present the design, fabrication and proof of concept of our device, as well as its multiplexing and tunability perspectives [1] .

Transform-limited pulses generated by an actively Q-switched distributed fiber laser.

A single-mode, transform-limited, actively Q-switched distributed-feedback fiber laser is presented, based on a new in-line acoustic pulse generator. Our technique permits a continuous adjustment of the repetition rate that modulates the Q factor of the cavity. Optical pulses of 800 mW peak power, 32 ns temporal width, and up to 20 kHz repetition rates were obtained. The measured linewidth demonstrates that these pulses are transform limited: 6 MHz for a train of pulses of 10 kHz repetition rate, 80 ns temporal width, and 60 mW peak power. Efficient excitation of spontaneous Brillouin scattering is demonstrated.

Actively Q-switched DFB fiber laser for Brillouin sensor applications

Q-switching of distributed feedback (DFB) fiber lasers permits to achieve high peak powers, preserving an ultra narrow linewidth [1,2]. The development of a new in-line acousto-optic modulator based on a magnetostrictive actuator, instead of a piezoelectric-based device, permits an efficient excitation of elastic pulses propagating along the optical fiber and an easy access to both emission outputs of the laser. The repetition rate can be continuously adjusted, as well as the amplitude of the elastic pulses. The interaction of these elastic pulses with a fiber Bragg grating written in an erbium-doped fiber permits an actively Q-switched operation of the DFB fiber laser [3]. The birefringenc…

Investigation of nitrogen-related acceptor centers in indium selenide by means of photoluminescence: Determination of the hole effective mass

In this work we report on steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) measurements in nitrogen-doped p-type indium selenide in the 33--210-K temperature range. In samples with low nitrogen concentration the photoluminescence spectrum consists of exciton-related peaks and a band-to-acceptor recombination peak (2.1-\ensuremath{\mu}s lifetime) with LO-phonon replica. An ionization energy of 65.5 meV is proposed for the nitrogen-related acceptor. A long-lived (18 \ensuremath{\mu}s) component, which consists of an asymmetric broadband centered around the acceptor peak, has been also detected by means of time-resolved PL. Samples with a higher nitrogen concentration show a PL spectrum t…

Tunable dispersion device based on a tapered fiber Bragg grating and nonuniform magnetic fields

We present a new variable dispersion device based on tuning the chirp of a tapered fiber Bragg grating by means of a magnetic transducer. By using a nonuniform magnetic field, we demonstrate a 188-472-ps/nm dispersion tuning range, suitable for tunable radio-frequency filters and dispersion compensation, among others.

Real-time and low-cost sensing technique based on photonic bandgap structures

[EN] A technique for the development of low-cost and high-sensitivity photonic biosensing devices is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. In this technique, a photonic bandgap structure is used as transducer, but its readout is performed by simply using a broadband source, an optical filter, and a power meter, without the need of obtaining the transmission spectrum of the structure; thus, a really low-cost system and real-time results are achieved. Experimental results show that it is possible to detect very low refractive index variations, achieving a detection limit below 2 x 10(-6) refractive index units using this low-cost measuring technique. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America[

Generation of supercontinuum in erbium-doped microstructured optical fibers

We present experimental results on supercontinuum (SC) generation in Er-doped microstructured optical fibers (MOF) pumped with nanosecond pulses at 1064 nm. The Er doping increases the effective nonlinear refractive index [1]. As a result, nonlinear interactions are enhanced and broad supercontinuum spectra are generated with relatively low pump power. Supercontinuum spectra generated in two fibers with the zero dispersion wavelengths (ZDW) close to the pump wavelength are presented. The first MOF is an endlessly singlemode fiber with normal dispersion at the pump wavelength, while the second fiber is a large air-filling fraction MOF with anomalous dispersion at 1064 nm.

Fabrication of long period fiber gratings of subnanometric bandwidth.

This paper reports on the fabrication of long period fiber gratings having subnanometric bandwidth in the 1500 nm spectral region. Large gratings have been photo-inscribed in a high NA fiber, the grating pitch and the order of the HE cladding mode are optimized to produce gratings with a large number of periods and preventing the coupling to TE, TM or EH modes. Resonances with a FWHM of 0.83 nm and 0.68 nm have been achieved for gratings 15 and 20 cm long respectively, the free spectral range between transmission notches is 125 nm. The polarization effects and the sensitivity of the gratings to temperature and to strain variations are presented as well. © 2015 Optical Society of America Thi…

All-Optical Tuning of WGMs in Microspheres Made of Er/Yb Codoped Optical Fiber

All-optical, pump-assisted, thermal tuning of high-Q whispering-gallery mode (WGM) resonances of microspheres is demonstrated. The microspheres were made of an Er/Yb codoped single-mode silica optical fiber. The pump light absorbed by the active ions heats the microsphere, which leads to the shift of the resonances. A tuning range in excess of 2 nm in the C-band is achieved. The presence of active ions is restricted to the core of the microsphere. The WGM fields, which are confined in a region close to the surface of the microsphere, do not overlap with the dopant. Thus, high-Q resonances (>10 7 ) are achieved, as in pure silica microspheres, even at optical wavelengths within the absorptio…

Tunable Dual-Wavelength Thulium-Doped Fiber Laser Based on FBGs and a Hi-Bi FOLM

A tunable dual-wavelength thulium doped fiber laser is demonstrated experimentally. For the first time for the 2- $\mu \text{m}$ wavelength band we propose the independent tuning of the generated laser lines based on fiber Bragg gratings and the use of a Hi-Bi fiber optic loop mirror for the fine adjustment of the cavity losses to obtain stable dual-wavelength operation. Dual-wavelength laser generation with the laser lines separation in the range from 0.3 to 6.5 nm is obtained. The laser emission exhibits an optical signal-to-noise ratio better than 56 dB. Improved stability with output power fluctuations less than 1 dB is observed in dual-wavelength generation with equal power of lines.

An all-fiber RF modulation technique: frequency response calibration of optical detectors

Two all-fiber Mach-Zender interferometers have been designed to generate RF modulated light at 633 nm and 830 nm. The interferometers are scanned with a piezoelectric tube driven at its fundamental frequency of resonance. The actual experimental arrangement covers the frequency range 1 kHz to 1 GHz. The technique combines several interesting features such as the simplicity, the stability and reliability of all-fiber systems and the use of low-frequency electronics to control and generate the RF modulated light. >

Manufacturing of All-Fiber Q-Switch lasers for supercontinuum generation

This work exposes the fabrication process of an All-Fiber Q-Switch laser and its use as a pump source for the generation of supercontinuum (SCG) with tapered microstructured fiber devices (tapers).

Fabrication of chirped fiber Bragg gratings by simple combination of stretching movements

Abstract A new stretching technique to fabricate chirped fiber Bragg gratings using a nonchirped phase mask is presented. It is based on continuous stretching and continuous UV beam scanning, which ensures phase matching between periods along the grating. Simple combinations of the fiber stretching movements of a pair of piezoelectric transducers are used to avoid unwanted period blurring and wavelength shifting. A third piezoelectric transducer can be easily added to the system to provide independent apodization through phase mask dithering. Successful fabrication of apodized and nonapodized chirped fiber gratings has been performed with this technique.

Experiments on optical fiber interferometers and laser modes

Three experiments on optical fiber interferometers, suitable for a teaching laboratory, are described. The guiding characteristics of single mode optical fibers enable simple interferometry experiments with large path differences to be carried out easily. These experiments show that the fringe visibility exhibits a periodic dependence on the path difference when using a multilongitudinal mode HeNe laser. A simple model can be used to explain this dependence in terms of the mode spectrum of the laser.

Sloped-wall thin-film photonic crystal waveguides

The effect of the slope of the groove walls in the behavior of thin-film one-dimensional photonic crystal waveguides is extensively studied. In this respect, we point out its influence on the modal dispersion relations and then on the bandgap structure in general. Likewise, we also prove the lack of accuracy in the evaluation of the bandgap edges when material dispersion is ignored. The extreme importance of both facts, the wall slope and the material dispersion, in the analysis and design of realistic photonic crystal devices is emphasized. In particular, we exploit the wall slope as a new design parameter. By suitably choosing the value of the above parameter, sloped-wall photonic crystal…

Two-dimensional photonic-crystal microwave waveguide

This paper reports on the use of 2D photonic crystals to design microwave waveguides. The waveguide consists of a periodic arrangement of holes, with a square or rectangular cross section, that extends along the waveguide with a central defect defined by the absence of a hole. The theoretical analysis of such a structure is based on a biorthogonal-basis method and provides a full-vector description of the modes guided by the defect. Our results show that such a waveguide can be designed to support only one mode at any operating frequency. This mode is a polarization doublet whose dispersion is controlled by the geometrical parameters, thus permitting the design of a novel polarization-maint…

Coupling between counterpropagating cladding modes in fiber Bragg gratings

We present an experimental demonstration of energy transfer between counterpropagating cladding modes in a fiber Bragg grating (FBG). A strong FBG written in a standard photosensitive optical fiber is illuminated with a single cladding mode, and the power transferred between the forward propagating cladding mode and different backward propagating cladding modes is measured by using two auxiliary long period gratings. Resonances between cladding modes having 30 pm bandwidth and 8 dB rejection have been observed.

Microwave phase shifter based on fibre Bragg grating

A variable delay line is presented for phased array antennas based on a fibre Bragg grating which has a uniform period and operates at constant optical wavelength. The Bragg wavelength of a localised part of the fibre grating is modified by straining the fibre, the optical carrier is reflected by the strained part of the grating and the time delay of the microwave modulating signal is determined by the position where the strain has been applied. In this initial experiment time delay variations up to 330 ps in the frequency range 1 – 14 GHz have been achieved.

Experimental demonstration of the physics of resonant cavities

We describe an undergraduate experiment that demonstrates the physics of cavity resonators. A mobile wall lets students alter the position of the nodes, thus changing the mode pattern. The nodal structure is made apparent by placing a metallic plate at different positions inside the cavity. A technique for dielectric characterization also is introduced, which helps students understand the boundary conditions in dielectrics, as well as highlighting the characteristics of fields in cavities.

Measurement of the strain-optic coefficients of PMMA from 800 to 2000 nm

The strain-optic coefficients of PMMA are measured in a broad wavelength range from 800 to 2000 nm. The sensitivity of the azimuthal whispering gallery mode resonances to the strain is exploited to measure the strain-optic coefficients of PMMA micro-rods. The technique is based on measuring the wavelength shift of the resonances of both polarizations states, the TE and TM, when an axial strain is applied to the polymer rods. This method enables the determination of the strain-optic coefficients of the material in a broad wavelength range. In particular, in the near-infrared range, the PMMA exhibits negligible dispersion and anisotropy, and the strain-optic coefficients show constant values …

Polarization Modulation Instability in Dispersion-Engineered Photonic Crystal Fibers

Generation of widely spaced polarization modulation instability (PMI) sidebands in a wide collection of photonic crystal fibers (PCF), including liquid-filled PCFs, is reported. The contribution of chromatic dispersion and birefringence to the net linear phase mismatch of PMI is investigated in all-normal dispersion PCFs and in PCFs with one (or two) zero dispersion wavelengths. Large frequency shift sidebands are demonstrated experimentally. Suitable fabrication parameters for air-filled and liquid-filled PCFs are proposed as guidelines for the development of dual-wavelength light sources based on PMI.

Sensor Applications Of Optical Fibre Resonant Rings Based On Polarisation Sensitive Couplers

Optical fibre resonant rings based on polarisation sensitive couplers give rise to a set of new resonant configurations. Two of them exhibit interesting sensor applications since small changes of the polarisation state produce large effects on the output, due to the resonant characteristics of the system. The sensor arrangements proposed have the advantage of requiring no drift compensation of the optical fibre interferometer against environmental fluctuations, since the parameters used to determine the measurand are the finesse and the visibility but not a phase change. Thus, the system can be used to sense low frequency measurands. Among the particular sensor applications that can be sugg…

General measurement technique of the ratio between chromatic dispersion and the nonlinear coefficient

Measuring the nonlinear coefficient γ of any guiding medium, regardless of the sign and magnitude of its group-velocity dispersion parameter β 2 , is challenging because of the lack of general solutions of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE). Indeed, existing approaches typically need to disregard chromatic-dispersion effects to determine γ [1] . Here we propose an all-encompassing approach to measure the ratio β 2 /γ and prove our method in polarization-maintaining (PM) and single-mode (SM) fibers with positive and negative β 2 .

Wideband tuning of four-wave mixing in solid-core liquid-filled photonic crystal fibers

We present an experimental study of parametric four-wave mixing generation in photonic crystal fibers that have been infiltrated with ethanol. A silica photonic crystal fiber was designed to have the proper dispersion properties after ethanol infiltration for the generation of widely spaced four-wave mixing (FWM) bands under 1064 nm pumping. We demonstrate that the FWM bands can be tuned in a wide wavelength range through the thermo-optic effect. Band shifts of 175 and over 500 nm for the signal and idler bands, respectively, are reported. The reported results can be of interest in many applications, such as CARS microscopy.

An optical pulse modulator based on an all-fibre mirror

In this article we present an all-fiber Sagnac interferometer modulated in a pulsed regime.

Conic optical fiber probe for generation and characterization of microbubbles in liquids

Abstract A novel optical fiber probe has been developed to provide mechanical stability to microbubbles generated in fluids, the tip of the fiber is etched with hydrofluoric acid to pierce a truncated horn that fastens the microbubbles to the fiber tip and prevents misalignment or detachment caused by convection currents, vibrations or shocks in the liquid. Microbubbles are photo-thermally generated on the etched fiber and used as Fabry-Perot cavity sensor. Two methods were used to interrogate the probe: the first one, in the wavelength domain, is suitable for calibration in static or quasi static situations; the second one, in the time domain, can be used in dynamic environments. Experimen…

Q-switching of an all-fiber laser by acousto-optic modulation of a fiber Bragg grating.

We report active Q-switching of an all-fiber laser using a Bragg grating based acousto-optic modulator. Q-switching is performed by modulating a fiber Bragg grating with an extensional acoustic wave. The acoustic wave modulates periodically the effective index profile of the FBG and changes its reflection features. This allows controlling the Q-factor of the cavity. Using 1 m of 300 ppm erbium-doped fiber and a maximum pump power of 180 mW, Q-switch pulses of 10 W of peak power and 82 ns wide were generated. The pulse repetition rate of the laser can be continuously varied from few Hz up to 62.5 kHz.

Anisotropic Elasto-optic Effect in Optical Fibers under Axial Strain: Experimental Observation by means of Whispering Gallery Modes Resonances

Experimental characterization of the refractive index anisotropy generated by the elasto optic effect in a conventional optical fiber under axial strain by using WGMs resonances and their tunability with strain.

Q-switching of an all-fiber ring laser based on in-fiber acousto-optic bandpass modulator2017

Active Q-switching of an all-fiber ring laser utilizing a novel in-fiber acousto-optic tunable bandpass filter (AOTBF) is reported. The transmission characteristics of the AOTBF are controlled by amplitude modulation of the acoustic wave; the device exhibits a 3-dB power insertion loss, 0.91-nm optical bandwidth, and 28-dB nonresonant light suppression. Cavity loss modulation is achieved by full acousto-optic mode re-coupling cycle induced by traveling flexural acoustic waves. When the acoustical signal is switched on, cavity losses are reduced, and then, laser emission is generated. In addition, by varying the acoustic wave frequency, a wide wavelength tuning range of 30.7 nm is achieved f…

Wavelength shift of four-wave mixing bands in photonic crystal fibers pumped in the normal dispersion regime

The generation of correlated photon pairs plays a central role in several quantum mechanics applications, such as quantum information, and cryptography [1]. Correlated photon pairs can be generated inside an optical fiber through the parametric process of degenerated four-wave mixing (FWM) [2]. In this paper we report the results of two different experiments where wavelength shift of FWM bands in normal dispersive PCFs is investigated.

Long-cavity all-fiber ring laser actively mode locked with an in-fiber bandpass acousto-optic modulator.

We demonstrate low-frequency active mode locking of an erbium-doped all-fiber ring laser. As the mode locker, we used a new in-fiber bandpass acousto-optic modulator showing 74% modulation depth, 3.7 dB power insertion losses, 4.5 nm of optical bandwidth, and 20 dB of nonresonant light suppression. The laser generates 330 ps mode-locked pulses over a 10 ns pedestal, at a 1.538 MHz frequency, with 130 mW of pump power. Fil: Cuadrado Laborde, Christian Ariel. Universidad de Valencia; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Opticas (i); Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de In…

Optical activation of a silicon vibrating sensor

The operation of a micromachined silicon vibrating sensor with both optical excitation and optical interrogation is reported. The proper locations at which the optical excitation should be applied for optimum excitation of different modes of resonance are described.

Acousto-optic Modulators Based on Flexural Acoustic Waves and its Application to Mode-locked Fiber Lasers

Acousto-optic modulators based on flexural acoustic waves and its application to implement active mode-locking in fiber lasers is reported. Optical pulses as short as 25 ps temporal width were obtained at 2.46 MHz repetition rate.

Long cavity ring fiber mode-locked laser with decreased net value of nonlinear polarization rotation

We investigate a new configuration of a mode-locked fiber laser by using a nonlinear polarization rotation-based design to generate soliton pulses with low repetition rate. Unlike with previously reported configurations, we introduce a Faraday mirror after the first half of the cavity length to counteract the nonlinear polarization rotation effects. The total cavity length is 437 m including a 400-m long twisted SMF-28 fiber. The fiber was twisted to cancel the linear birefringence and to ensure that the polarization ellipticity is not altered as the pulse travels along the fiber. The strict control of polarization yields a stable relation between the polarization state of the pulses propag…

Fiber Ring Laser Operated by Dynamic Local Phase Shifting of a Chirped Grating

An ultranarrow linewidth erbium-doped fiber ring laser is presented. It is based on the filtering properties of a phase-shifted chirped fiber Bragg grating, which is inserted inside the cavity of the laser. A dynamic control of the phase shifting, which is induced by a magnetostrictive transducer, permits both tunable continuous-wave and actively Q-switched operation. The use of a chirped grating overcomes the limitations imposed by the narrow spectra of uniform gratings observed in previously reported ring lasers based on intracavity transmission filters.

Designing a photonic crystal fibre with flattened chromatic dispersion

Using a full-vector modal method, the authors have identified a region of nearly zero flattened chromatic dispersion in a specially designed photonic crystal fibre. The approach permits an accurate control of the dispersion features of these fibres in terms of their structural parameters.

Recent Advances in Forward Brillouin Scattering: Sensor Applications

In-fiber opto-mechanics based on forward Brillouin scattering has received increasing attention because it enables sensing the surrounding of the optical fiber. Optical fiber transverse acoustic resonances are sensitive to both the inner properties of the optical fiber and the external medium. A particularly efficient pump and probe technique—assisted by a fiber grating—can be exploited for the development of point sensors of only a few centimeters in length. When measuring the acoustic resonances, this technique provides the narrowest reported linewidths and a signal-to-noise ratio better than 40 dB. The longitudinal and transverse acoustic velocities—normalized with the fiber radius—can b…

Faraday effect in standard optical fibers: dispersion of the effective Verdet constant

We have measured the Faraday effect in silica standard optical fibers in the wavelength range 458-1523 nm. An effective Verdet constant Vef that exhibits a linear dependence on the square of the optical frequency ν is defined: V(ef) = (0.142 ± 0.004) × 10(-28) ν(2) rad T(-1) m(-1). We demonstrate that the negative effects of a small linear birefringence can be minimized by adjustment of the input polarization to an optimum state.

Er-doped photonic crystal fibre characterization method based on McCumber theory

Characterization and modeling of Er-doped fibres [1] allowed in the past years fruitful developments of amplifiers and lasers. Since in a conventional fibre monomodal propagation of light is achieved in a very short length (once energy of other modes has been radiated) the cutback technique has been successfully used to determine absorption cross sections at the pump and gain band wavelengths. Emission cross sections have been usually determined instead from the measurement of gain or amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) spectrum together with the use of theoretical models. In a photonic crystal fibre (PCF) the limited size of the air-holes lattice originates energy radiation from the highe…

Actively Q-switched all-fiber lasers

Q-switching of fiber lasers using bulk elements has important drawbacks as reduced mechanical stability and high insertion losses. The development of efficient all-fiber modulation techniques is the key to obtain robust, compact and efficient Q-switched all-fiber lasers. Certainly, the development of fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) has been crucial to make progress on fiber lasers. FBGs permit a simple way to assemble all-fiber laser cavities and can be written in the active fiber itself. The Q-factor of this type of cavities is determined by the reflectivity of the FBGs and the losses of the fiber. Here, we focus on the use of magnetostrictive materials and the acousto-optic interaction to deve…

High accuracy measurement of Poisson's ratio of optical fibers and its temperature dependence using forward-stimulated Brillouin scattering

Transverse acoustic mode resonances enable a high accuracy determination of Poisson’s ratio and elastic properties of optical fibers. An all-optical pump and probe technique is used for efficient excitation and accurate characterization of both, radial and torsional-radial acoustic resonances of optical fibers. Simple and precise algebraic expressions for the frequencies of high order acoustic resonances are derived, enabling a rigorous analysis of the experimental data using standard least squares fitting. Following this approach, the determination of Poisson’s ratio does not require the measurement of any physical length, but only frequency measurements are required. An accuracy better th…

In-fiber all-optical fractional differentiator

We demonstrate that an asymmetrical pi phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating operated in reflection can provide the required spectral response for implementing an all-optical fractional differentiator. There are different (but equivalent) ways to design it, e.g., by using different gratings lengths and keeping the same index modulation depth at both sides of the pi phase shift, or vice versa. Analytical expressions were found relating the fractional differentiator order with the grating parameters. The device shows a good accuracy calculating the fractional time derivatives of the complex field of an arbitrary input optical waveform. The introduced concept is supported by numerical simulations.

Dispersion induced effects of high-order optical sidebands in the performance of millimeter-wave fiber-optic links

In this paper, chirped fiber Bragg gratings (CFBGs) are proposed as signal-phase controllers for microwave-photonic wireless downstream fiber links. The effect of high-order modulation optical sidebands that disturbs the output mm-wave signal due to the chromatic dispersion induced by the gratings is studied theoretically and experimentally. The 1st and 2nd mm-wave harmonics of the output signal have been measured for conventional intensity modulation and for intensity modulation with optical carrier suppression. In the last case, data transmission at 2.5 Gb/s is demonstrated through a chirped grating of 280 ps/nm dispersion in a 40-GHz modulated link.

Back-scattering of whispering-gallery-modes resonances of cylindrical microcavities: Refractometric applications

Whispering-gallery modes (WGM) resonances of microcapillaries are directly compatible with microfluidic systems and have demonstrated its suitability for refractometric applications [1]. Microcapillaries with a submicrometric wall exhibit very large wavelength shifts as a function of the refractive index of the liquids that fill the inside of the capillary [2]. The spatial separation between the surface where the total internal reflection takes place (the outer surface) and the sensing surface (the inner surface) where the wave interacts with the analyte is a unique property that can be exploited to deal with analytes with a refractive index higher than that of the capillary [2].

Dynamic Bragg gratings induced in erbium-doped fiber at phase-Modulated beams' coupling

We present the results of an experimental study of dynamic amplitude and phase Bragg gratings induced in a heavy-doped erbium fiber at the wavelengths 1532 and 1538 nm under the 980-nm pumping. The technique of two phase-modulated beams' coupling was applied for an experimental measurement of the changes in refractive index and gain accompanying the gratings' formation in the fiber, and an analysis based on the Kramers-Kronig Relations for the fiber absorption/gain spectra and two-pass amplifying was performed for modeling these changes.

Broadband Tuning of Polarization Modulation Instability in Microstructured Optical Fiber through Thermal Heating

Broadband tuning of polarization modulation instability in microstructured optical fibers is reported. Tunability is achieved by simultaneous birefringence-dispersion changes through thermal heating. 906 cm-1 frequency tunability range is attained.

In-line fiber-optic sensors based on the excitation of surface plasma modes in metal-coated tapered fibers

Abstract Metal-coated tapered fibers are reported as refractive index sensors based on the resonant excitation of surface plasma modes supported by the metal coating. The devices are easy to fabricate and constitute an alternative to metal-coated side-polished fibers and to other sensors made up of bulk components. We report the fabrication and power transmission properties of quasi-circular devices and asymmetric devices. Both sets of devices can be operated as wavelength output sensors, as well as amplitude output sensors. The transmittance of quasi-circular devices is polarization independent and it changes more than 30 dB as a function of external refractive index.

Denaturing for Nanoarchitectonics: Local and Periodic UV-Laser Photodeactivation of Protein Biolayers to Create Functional Patterns for Biosensing

[EN] The nanostructuration of biolayers has become a paradigm for exploiting nanoscopic light-matter phenomena for biosensing, among other biomedical purposes. In this work, we present a photopatterning method to create periodic structures of biomacromolecules based on a local and periodic mild denaturation of protein biolayers mediated by UV-laser irradiation. These nanostructures are constituted by a periodic modulation of the protein activity, so they are free of topographic and compositional changes along the pattern. Herein, we introduce the approach, explore the patterning parameters, characterize the resulting structures, and assess their overall homogeneity. This UV-based patterning…

Measurement of UV-induced absorption and scattering losses in photosensitive fibers

UV-assisted fabrication of gratings using photosensitive fibers is a well-established technique, based on the UV-induced permanent modification of the refractive index of the fiber material. As a result, the absorption coefficient is also changed. Here, we exploit the thermal sensitivity of whispering gallery mode resonances of the fiber itself to measure the profile of the heating along an irradiated fiber versus the input power and for different UV radiation intensities. Our technique allows discriminating between the absorption and scattering contributions to the overall losses, by comparing the results obtained with our technique with direct transmission measurements. Different photosen…

Biestabilidad óptica en GaSe combinando los efectos fototérmico, de fotoconductividad y Joule

La dependencia con la temperatura del coeficiente de absorción del GaSe a 633 nm convierte a este material en idóneo para el diseño de dispositivos biestables a temperatura ambiente.

Passive interferometric interrogation of a magnetic field sensor using an erbium doped fiber optic laser with magnetostrictive transducer

Abstract An erbium doped (Er3+) fiber optic laser is proposed for magnetic field measurement. A pair of FBGs glued onto a magnetostrictive material (Terfenol-D rod) modulates the laser wavelength operation when subject to a static or a time dependent magnetic field. A passive interferometer is employed to measure the laser wavelength changes due to the applied magnetic field. A data acquisition hardware and a LabVIEW software measure three phase-shifted signals at the output coupler of the interferometer and process them using two distinct demodulation algorithms. Results show that sensitivity to varying magnetic fields can be tuned by introducing a biasing magnetic field. A maximum error o…

All-Normal Dispersion Photonic-Crystal Fiber for Pulse-Preserving Supercontinuum Generation near 800 nm

All-normal dispersion photonic-crystal fiber is designed for pulse-preserving supercontinuum generation near 800 nm. Supercontinuum generation is analyzed numerically addressing the role of pump pulse energy and offset of the pump wavelength from the zero point of 3d-order dispersion.

Microbubble PhoXonic resonators: Chaos transition and transfer

We report the activation of optomechanical chaotic oscillations in microbubble resonators (MBRs) through a blue-side excitation of its optical resonances. We confirm the sequence of quasi-periodical oscillation, spectral continuum and aperiodic motion; as well as the transition to chaos without external feedback or modulation of the laser source. In particular, quasi periodic transitions and a spectral continuum are reported for MBRs with diameters up to 600 μm, whereas only an abrupt transition into a spectral con- tinuum is observed for larger microbubbles.

Polarization switchable Erbium-doped all-fiber laser

We report an experimental study of an erbium-doped all-fiber laser with electrically switchable output polarization. Fiber Bragg grating written in a polarization maintaining optical fiber and attached to a piezo-ceramic actuator is used to commute the polarization state of the laser emission. The laser oscillates at one of two orthogonal polarizations depending on voltage applied to the actuator.

Fiber Sensitivity Characterization near the Turning Point of the Acousto-Optic Interaction

In-fiber acoustic gratings exhibit a turning point in which the sensitivity of the coupling resonances to environment changes is extremely high. The frequency of the acoustic wave enables easy matching of the turning point.

Three-dimensional scattering of dielectric gratings under plane-wave excitation

The problem of scattering of electromagnetic plane waves by one-dimensional (1D) periodic dielectric gratings, under the most general condition of oblique incidence (3D incidence), is rigorously solved. A recently developed vectorial modal method for obtaining the modal spectrum of 1D dielectric periodic guiding media has been extended to consider 3D incidence. Polarization coupling effects are included in the analysis, just demonstrating the impossibility of the separation between the transverse electric and transverse magnetic polarizations traditionally employed in the two-dimensional (2D) case. A study of the scattering parameters of a multilayered dielectric periodic structure is accom…

Experimental and theoretical study of the nonlinear birefringence in the formation process of vector solitons in a total polarization control ring cavity bias twist fiber

Abstract In this work, we present the numerical and experimental investigation of the polarization dynamics in a free birefringence mode-locked fiber laser. The laser includes a double-pass Erbium-doped fiber amplifier and 20-m long bi-twisted fiber at a twist rate of ± 6 turns m−1 to mitigate both, linear and circular birefringence effects. We found ellipticity changes due to nonlinear birefringence in the 20-m long fiber during pulse formation and propagation. In contrast with previously reported works, the inclusion of bi-twisted fiber allows investigate the nonlinear effects independently from the linear ones. The experimental behavior was confirmed by numerical simulations based on spl…

Long- and short-term stability of all polarization-maintaining thulium doped passively mode-locked fiber lasers with emission wavelengths at 1.95 µm and 2.07 µm

In this work, we compare the operation of a passively modelocked polarization-maintaining emission in two thulium-doped fiber lasers pumped at 1561 nm, with emission at wavelengths of 1.951 μm in one case and 2.07 μm in the other. We obtained a sequence of light pulses at 15.6 MHz, whose temporal width was 81 ps at 1.95 μm, and a sequence of light pulses at 13.1 MHz, whose temporal width was 94 ps at 2.07 μm. Finally, we also measured the long-term stability of this setup during a 24-h operation, as well as the short-term stability in a simulated harsh environment. The results confirm the superior performance of fiber laser systems with a fully polarization-maintaining design.

Power-dependent effective reflection of fiber Bragg grating as output coupler of Ytterbium-doped fiber laser

In this paper, we discuss the effective reflection of a fiber Bragg grating and its dependence on laser power when it is used as an output coupler of an ytterbium-doped fiber laser (here the effective reflection is considered to be a part of intracavity laser power reflected by the grating back to the laser cavity). We propose and discuss an experimental technique based on spectral and power analysis and derive simple formulae that permits one to obtain the intra-cavity power and the grating effective reflection. We show that, due to spectral broadening, the effective reflection dramatically decreases with increasing laser power, the effect precisely fitted using the derived formulae descri…

The nonlinear optical loop mirror: soliton and noise-like pulse emission in a figure-eight fiber laser

In this article, a symmetrical nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) exhibiting a polarization-dependent transmission is evaluated to generate optical pulse emission in a figure-eight fiber laser in the soliton and noise-like pulse (NLP) regimes. The NOLM structure relies on a 50:50 fiber coupler, a loop with highly twisted single-mode optical fiber and a quarter-wave retarder (QWR) to break the polarization asymmetry. The pulse operation regime is determined by properly adjusting the NOLM low-power transmission, which is easily realized by the rotation of the QWR angle. Soliton pulses of 1.48 ps pulse duration and peak power of 18 W were observed with a peak to peak separation of 1.25 µs, c…

Designing the properties of dispersion-flattened photonic crystal fibers

We present a systematic study of group-velocity-dispersion properties in photonic crystal fibers (PCF's). This analysis includes a thorough description of the dependence of the fiber geometrical dispersion on the structural parameters of a PCF. The interplay between material dispersion and geometrical dispersion allows us to established a well-defined procedure to design specific predetermined dispersion profiles. We focus on flattened, or even ultraflattened, dispersion behaviors both in the telecommunication window (around 1.55 microm) and in the Ti-Za laser wavelength range (around 0.8 microm}. We show the different possibilities of obtaining normal, anomalous, and zero dispersion curves…

Q-switched all-fiber laser based on magnetostriction modulation of a Bragg grating

We report an actively Q-switched all-fiber laser based on magnetostriction modulation of a Bragg grating. The laser employs a pair of Bragg gratings as reflective mirrors, one of which is bonded to a magnetostrictive element. Lengthening of the magnetostrictive element when a magnetic field is applied shifts the Bragg wavelength of the grating, allowing control of the Q-factor of the cavity and, thus, performing active Q-switching. The magnetostrictive modulator is small, compact and requires less than 300 mW electrical drive power. Using erbium-doped fiber and a maximum pump power of 120 mW, Q-switch pulses of more than 1 W peak power were obtained, with a pulse repetition rate that can be…

Experimental demonstration of fractional order differentiation using a long-period grating-based in-fiber modal interferometer

In this work we demonstrate both, experimentally and theoretically, that a long-period grating-based in-fiber modal interferometer can perform an all-optical arbitrary-order fractional differentiation. Experimentally, we fractionally differentiated to the 0.5th order a secant hyperbolic-like pulse of 23 ps time width provided by a 1039.5 nm emission wavelength modelocked fiber laser, with a chirp parameter of −30. An analytical expression relating the fractional order of differentiation n with the characteristics of the modal interferometer was also derived, with the purpose to simplify the design procedure. The proposal was corroborated also numerically. This device may find applications i…

Time-resolved acousto-optic interaction in single-mode optical fibers: characterization of axial nonuniformities at the nanometer scale.

We report on a time-resolved acousto-optic interaction technique for the detection of axial nonuniformities in single-mode fibers. It is based on the propagation of short packets of flexural acoustic waves. Small axial nonuniformities (of the order of nanometers) are detected by measuring the transmittance of the fundamental mode as a function of time. It is shown that the technique allows the detection of axial nonuniformities along sections of single-mode fiber exceeding 1 m long with spatial resolution of the order of a few centimeters.

Broadband tuning of a long-cavity all-fiber mode locked Thulium-doped fiber laser using an acousto-optic bandpass filter

A long-cavity passively mode-locked thulium-doped all-fiber laser is reported incorporating a tapered acousto-optic tunable bandpass filter (AOTBF). The operation of the AOTBF relies on the intermodal coupling between core and cladding modes when a flexural acoustic wave propagates along an 80-microm tapered fiber. The filter works in transmission and exhibits a 3-dB bandwidth of 9.02 nm with an insertion loss of 3.4 dB. The laser supports ultrashort pulse generation at a low repetition rate of 784.93 kHz. Optical pulses with 2.43 nm of optical bandwidth and 2.1 ps pulse duration were obtained in a broad tuning range from 1824.77 to 1905.16 nm.

Experimental analysis of distributed pump absorption and refractive index changes in Yb-doped fibers using acousto-optic interaction.

In-fiber acousto-optic interaction is used to characterize the refractive index changes at the C band in a single-mode ytterbium-doped optical fiber under 980 nm pumping. The transmission notch created by the acoustic-induced coupling between the core mode and a cladding mode shifts to longer wavelengths when the pump is delivered to the fiber. The electronic contribution to the refractive index change is quantified from the wavelength shift. Using a time-resolved acousto-optic method, we investigate the distribution of pump absorption, and the resulting refractive index change profile, along sections of ytterbium-doped fiber exceeding 1 m long under different pump power levels.

An approach to the measurement of the nonlinear refractive index of very short lengths of optical fibers

A method for the measurement of the nonlinear-refractive index coefficient in single-mode optical fibers is presented. It takes advantage of the high sensitivity of the acousto-optic interaction effect in optical fibers to the fiber properties. Direct measurement of the nonlinear-refractive index change resulting from cross-phase modulation between a probe and a pump signal is obtained from the fiber's acousto-optic interaction performance. It is a non-interferometric method in which a very short length of fiber (<0.25 m) is required.

Analog Photonic Fractional Signal Processing

In this work, we provide an up to date overview on the subject of photonic fractional signal processing, including both, in-fiber and waveguide on-chip technology. Thus, we discuss in detail fractional differentiation, fractional integration, fractional Hilbert transforms, and finally, fractional Fourier transforms. In each case, the underlying mathematical principles are explained for each operation, together with a short historical discussion in the context of classical optics. After that, the different proposals to perform these operations photonically on the complex field envelope of a given light pulse are presented, divided according to its working principle. Finally, current applicat…

Measurement technique for real-time and low-cost biosensing using photonic bandgap structures

We present a sensing technique based on using photonic bandgap structures where only the output power is monitored, without the need of tunable sources or spectrum analyzers, thus providing a real-time and low-cost system.

Fiber laser with combined feedback of core and cladding modes assisted by an intracavity long-period grating

We present a fiber laser made in a single piece of conventional doped-core fiber that operates by combined feedback of the fundamental core mode LP((0,1)) and the high-order cladding mode LP((0,10)). The laser is an all-fiber structure that uses two fiber Bragg gratings and a long-period grating to select the modes circulating in the cavity; the laser emits at the coupling wavelength between the core mode LP((0,1)) and the counterpropagating cladding mode LP((0,10)) in the Bragg gratings. This work demonstrates the feasibility of high-order mode fiber lasers assisted by long-period gratings.

All polarization-maintaining passively modelocked ytterbium-doped fiber lasers, behavior under two different cavity configurations

Fil: Cuadrado-Laborde, Christian. Universidad de Valencia. Departamento de Física Aplicada; España Fil: Cuadrado-Laborde, Christian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Física Rosario; Argentina Fil: Cuadrado-Laborde, Christian. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Química e Ingeniería del Rosario; Argentina Fil: Carrascosa, Antonio. Universidad de Valencia. Departamento de Física Aplicada; España Fil: Diez, Antonio. Universidad de Valencia. Departamento de Física Aplicada; España Fil: Cruz, J. L. Universidad de Valencia. Departamento de Física Aplicada; España Fil: Andrés, M. V. Universidad de Valencia. Departamento de Física Aplicada; España Abs…

Tunable chirp in Bragg gratings written in tapered core fibers

In this paper we present a technique to control the chirp of a fiber grating capable to produce positive or negative chirp in a single grating. The device is based on a uniform period grating written in a tapered core fiber, this grating has a positive chirp that can be reduced and removed by subjecting the fiber to mechanical stress, after some stress level the grating chirps to negative values. A chirp range of ±4 nm with respect to a central wavelength of 1546 nm has been experimentally achieved.

Mode locking of an all-fiber laser by acousto-optic superlattice modulation

Active mode locking of an erbium-doped all-fiber laser with a Bragg-grating-based acousto-optic modulator is demonstrated. The fiber Bragg grating was acoustically modulated by a standing longitudinal elastic wave, which periodically modulates the sidebands at twice the acoustic frequency. The laser has a Fabry-Perot configuration in which cavity loss modulation is achieved by tuning the output fiber Bragg grating to one of the acoustically induced sidebands. Optical pulses at 9 MHz repetition rate, 120 mW peak power, and 780 ps temporal width were obtained. The output results to be stable and has a timing jitter below 40 ps. The measured linewidth, 2.8 pm, demonstrates that these pulses ar…

Design of All-Normal Dispersion Microstructured Optical Fiber on Silica Platform for Generation of Pulse-Preserving Supercontinuum Under Excitation at 1550 nm

We investigated numerically the possibility of all normal dispersion fiber design for near-infrared supercontinuum generation based on a standard air-silica microstructure. The design procedure includes finding of target dispersion profile and subsequent finding of appropriate geometrical fiber design by inverse dispersion engineering. It was shown that the tailoring of dispersion profile could increase the spectral width of generated supercontinuum while maintaining perfect spectral flatness. Conditions necessary for wide and flat supercontinuum generation as well as restrictions imposed by chosen materials were discussed. As a result of design and optimization procedure, an air-silica des…

Highly tunable optically switched time delay line for transversal filtering

A novel tunable dispersion device, based on two chirped fibre gratings subjected to non-uniform magnetic fields, is presented. A large degree of tunability is achieved from 250 to 750 ps/nm. This is used to demonstrate RF filtering in the 3-11 GHz range.

Measurement of UV-induced losses and thermal effects in photosensitive fibers using whispering gallery modes

When a photosensitive (PS) fiber is exposed to UV-irradiation, a permanent refractive index change is induced in the core. As a result, according to Kramers-Kronig relations, the absorption coefficient (α) is also increased. This increment of the absorption can lead to a significant heating of the fiber when it is illuminated by a moderate optical power. Thermal effects may produce spectral changes in some fiber devices, as for example Long Period Gratings (LPGs) or Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) [1].

Corrections to “Light Modulation Based on Fiber Cladding Mode Coupling Between Concatenated Long-Period Gratings” [Feb 1 152-154]

In the above paper (ibid., vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 152-154, Feb. 1, 2011), there is an error in the eighth line of the abstract. The correct sentence is presented here.

Study of the use of methanol-filled Er-doped suspended-core fibres in a temperature-sensing ring laser system

We report on an experimental/numerical investigation into the use of methanol-filled Er-doped suspended-core fibres (SCFs) in temperature-sensing ring laser systems. We have adopted a ring laser configuration that includes an Er-doped SCF as a temperature-dependent attenuator (TDA) with a step-index Er-doped fibre (EDF) as the laser active medium. The laser performance dependence on the temperature was measured both in continuous wave (CW) and transient regimes. CW laser output power and build-up time values are compared with those of similar laser systems based on other types of Er-doped PCFs or using other laser configurations. A notable variation of 0.73% °C−1 was achieved in CW operatio…

Excited-state absorption in erbium-doped silica fiber with simultaneous excitation at 977 and 1531 nm

We report a study of the excited-state absorption (ESA) in erbium-doped silica fiber (EDF) pumped at 977 nm, when the fiber is simultaneously excited by signal radiation at 1531 nm. We show, both experimentally and theoretically, that ESA efficiency at 977 nm gets strongly enhanced only in the presence of signal power. Experimentally, this conclusion is supported through the detection of upconversion emission, a “fingerprint” of the ESA process, and through the measurements of the EDF nonlinear transmission coefficient for the pump wavelength, which is sensitive to the ESA value. It is shown that the experimental data are precisely modeled with an advanced five-level Er3+ model developed fo…

White light sources filtered with fiber Bragg gratings for RF-photonics applications

Abstract In this paper we demonstrate that broadband light emitters filtered with fiber Bragg gratings are a suitable light source for RF-photonics applications. A 0.075 nm bandwidth fiber grating illuminated by a light emitter of 40 nm bandwidth has been used as light source to feed a microwave phase shifter based on a chirped fiber Bragg grating. The device operates successfully in the tested frequency range (0.5–6) GHz and has been optically tuned in a range of 4 nm.

Efficient interrogation method of forward Brillouin scattering in optical fibers using a narrow bandwidth long-period grating

A new technique, to the best of our knowledge, for the characterization of the effective refractive index modulation in optical fibers due to transverse acoustic mode resonances excited by electrostriction is reported. The resonances excited by an optical pulse are probed by a narrow bandwidth long-period grating (LPG) inscribed in the fiber, which is interrogated by a continuous wave (CW) beam. The LPG used in this experiment has a narrow bandwidth and high sensitivity to small mode index perturbations, allowing the measurement of index variations from below 10 − 9 to 10 − 6 . Radial and torsional-radial acoustic modes were characterized up to 1.1 GHz. The linewidth of resonances was found…

Tunable narrowband fiber laser with feedback based on whispering gallery mode resonances of a cylindrical microresonator.

Narrowband filtering based on whispering gallery modes of a slightly tapered cylindrical optical microresonator was used to implement a tunable narrowband erbium-doped fiber laser. The laser can be set to emit a single longitudinal cavity mode (single frequency), although the laser cavity is a few meters long. In the single-frequency regime the laser can emit a maximum power of 0.380 mW with a linewidth <35 kHz and a signal-to-noise ratio exceeding 50 dB. Tunability is achieved by sliding the excitation point along the microcylinder. A tuning range of 1.16 nm is demonstrated.

Flat supercontinuum generation pumped by amplified noise-like pulses from a figure-eight erbium-doped fiber laser

The conditions to obtain noise-like pulses (NLPs) from a figure-eight fiber laser (F8L) and their application for supercontinuum (SC) generation in the anomalous dispersion regime are reported. The F8L is designed to remove the undesired low-intensity background radiation from pulse emission, generating NLPs with a 3 dB spectral bandwidth of 17.43 nm at the fundamental repetition frequency of 0.8 MHz. After amplification, NLPs reach a maximum average power of 9.2 mW and 123.32 nm spectral bandwidth. By controlling the amplifier pump power, flat SC generation is demonstrated through both a 800 m long spool of SMF-28 fiber and a piece of 5 m long highly nonlinear optical fiber. The results de…

Broadband tuning of polarization modulation instability in microstructured optical fibers

The wideband tuning of strong bands generated through polarization modulation instability (PMI) in microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) is reported. Tunability is achieved by exploiting the dependence of the phase-matching condition on the fiber’s chromatic dispersion and birefringence, which is particularly sensitive when the fiber is pumped near the zero-dispersion wavelength. MOFs designed to accomplish PMI phase-matching when they are infiltrated with ethanol and pumped at 1064 nm were designed and fabricated. Taking advantage of the large thermo-optic coefficient of ethanol, both chromatic dispersion and birefringence were varied through temperature. Wavelength shifts from 937 nm to 8…

Analysis of whispering gallery modes resonators: wave propagation and energy balance models

Electromagnetic whispering gallery modes (WGM) are surface waves guided by the curvature of an interface. Microspheres, microdisks and microcylinders –as for example standard optical fibers– are high quality microresonators for the WGM. In fact, they can be regarded as compact and small ring resonators. Here, we present a comparison between wave propagation and energy balance models, stablishing the equivalence and discussing the basic characteristics of these two complementary approaches.

Excitation and interrogation of whispering-gallery modes in optical microresonators using a single fused-tapered fiber tip

We show that whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) in optical microresonators can be excited and detected using a fused-tapered fiber tip (FTFT). The fabrication of FTFTs is simple and inexpensive; they are robust and allow the excitation and interrogation of the resonances with a single fiber. Excitation of high-Q WGMs in silica microcylinders and microspheres is demonstrated.

Hydrogen sensor based on a palladium-coated fibre-taper with improved time-response

Abstract We report an experimental study of the response of a hydrogen sensor, based on a palladium-coated tapered optical fibre, at different temperatures in the range −30 to 80 °C. We have studied the transmission, the time-response and the initial response velocity, being able to correlate these measurements with the pressure–composition isotherms of the Pd–H system and its phase transitions. Heating of the palladium layer optically with an auxiliary laser diode permits to improve the sensor's time-response at low temperatures.

Improved All-Fiber Acousto-Optic Tunable Bandpass Filter

An all-fiber acousto-optic tunable bandpass filter based on a 1.185-mm long coreless core mode blocker is reported. Experimental results demonstrate a minimal insertion loss of 1.2 dB at the optical resonant wavelength of 1527.7 nm with 3-dB optical bandwidth of 0.83 nm. The optimization of the device takes into account the attenuation of the acoustic wave and leads to an asymmetric configuration in which the coupling section is shorter than the recoupling part. Under the effect of a standing flexural wave the device can be operated as a bandpass modulator. The device exhibits a maximum modulation depth of 28%, 4 dB of insertion loss and 0.97 nm of optical bandwidth at 4.774 MHz.

All-fiber lasers actively modelocked by acousto-optic modulation

The development of all-fiber lasers is of high interest because of the intrinsic robustness, compactness and energy efficiency. In-fiber amplitude modulators based on acousto-optic modulation of fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) permit the implementation of novel all-fiber actively modelocked lasers. Using either traveling or standing longitudinal acoustic waves, optical pulses between 500 and 100 mW peak powers and ∼ 700 ps temporal width were obtained at 4.1 and 9 MHz repetition rates, respectively. Implementing a simultaneous active Q-switching, we have demonstrated a doubly active Q-switching and mode-locking of two different all-fiber laser configurations. In the case of the laser based on tr…

Tunable Dispersion Compensator Based on a Fiber Bragg Grating Written in a Tapered Fiber

We report a novel dispersion tunable device for first-order dispersion compensation. It is based on a fiber Bragg grating written in a tapered fiber with a specific profile. The taper profile allows tuning the dispersion of the grating by stretching the fiber while the linearity of the group delay is preserved. A device with 0.8 nm of useful bandwidth and dispersion value tunable over more than 400 ps/nm is reported.

Analysis of inhomogeneously filled waveguides using a bi-orthonormal-basis method

A general theoretical formulation to analyze inhomogeneously filled waveguides with lossy dielectrics is presented in this paper. The wave equations for the tranverse-field components are written in terms of a nonself-adjoint linear operator and its adjoint. The eigenvectors of this pair of linear operators define a biorthonormal-basis, allowing for a matrix representation of the wave equations in the basis of an auxiliary waveguide. Thus, the problem of solving a system of differential equations is transformed into a linear matrix eigenvalue problem. This formulation is applied to rectangular waveguides loaded with an arbitrary number of dielectric slabs centered at arbitrary points. The c…

Polarization properties of a fiber optic loop mirror

Abstract In this work, we present the spectral polarization properties of a fiber optic loop mirror (FOLM) which includes a 50/50 coupler and 25-cm long highly birefringent (hi-bi) fiber. The modulation depth of the reflection/transmission spectra can be adjusted by twisting the hi-bi fiber at the splices by means of two azimuth rotators (AR). The results show that the polarization properties of the reflection strongly depends on the angle rotation. We found that it is possible to obtain reflection spectral polarization independence for any modulation depth with the proper parameters. The experimental behavior was confirmed by numerical simulations based on the Jones matrix formulation.

Chromatic Dispersion Control in Mode-Locked Yb-Doped Fiber Lasers Based on a Microstructured Optical Fiber

We present an experimental study on the use of solid core microstructured optical fibers (MOF) for managing the chromatic dispersion in an Yb-doped fiber laser passively mode-locked by a saturable absorber. The performance of the laser, in terms of pulse width and repetition rate, was investigated as a function of the net cavity dispersion.

Measurement of temperature profile induced by the optical signal in fiber Bragg gratings using whispering-gallery modes.

The temperature sensitivity of whispering-gallery mode resonances of an optical fiber is exploited to measure thermal effects induced by an optical signal of moderate power along a fiber Bragg gating (FBG). The UV inscription technique used for the fabrication of FBG introduces a permanent change in the absorption coefficient of the fiber; thus, thermal effects are expected. The resonance wavelength shift of whispering-gallery modes provides information about the temperature change in the fiber, point to point. We present the experimental characterization of the thermal effects in FBG as a function of the wavelength and the power of the launched optical signal through the grating.

Nonlinear coefficient measurement in highly dispersive fibers

We present a novel approach for measuring nonlinear coefficients in fibers with significant pulse broadening. We perform a proof-of-concept demonstration for 200-m-long polarization-maintaining and single-mode fibers pumped at 1060 nm with ps pulses.

Formation of Femtosecond Parabolic Pulses in Normal-Dispersion Optical Fibers

We have shown through extensive numerical simulations that application of passive nonlinear reshaping in normal-dispersion optical fibers could produce femtosecond parabolic pulses (a few hundreds fs) modern femtosecond lasers and commercially available fibers.

Long-period grating assisted fractional differentiation of highly chirped light pulses

We experimentally demonstrate the possibility to perform a fractional differentiation of arbitrary order on a given light pulse by propagation through a single long-period grating. A simple analytical expression is obtained also, relating the fractional order of differentiation with the parameters of the long-period grating. A secant hyperbolic like pulse of 23 ps time width with a chirp parameter of -30 was successfully fractionally differentiated to the 0.5th order. The proposal was corroborated experimentally and numerically. The device may find applications in real time phase recovery. Fil: Poveda Wong, L.. Universidad de Valencia; España Fil: Carrascosa, A.. Universidad de Valencia; Es…

Conical Fiber Probe for Mechanical Stabilization of Microbubbles in Liquids

We demonstrate that a cone pierced in a fiber tip can stabilize microbubles photothermally generated in liquids. Bubbles can stand and monitor pressure shocks over 3.3 bar with a sensitivity below 7 mbar.

Tunable all-optical negative multitap microwave filters based on uniform fiber Bragg gratings.

We present a novel and simple technique for obtaining transversal filters with negative coefficients by using uniform fiber Bragg gratings. We demonstrate a wide tuning range, good performance, low cost, and easy implementation of multitap filters in an all-optical passive configuration in which negative taps are obtained by use of the transmission of a broadband source through uniform Bragg gratings.

White light supercontinuum generation in a Y-shaped microstructured tapered fiber pumped at 1064 nm.

We report the generation of supercontinuum in a Ge-doped Y-shape tapered fiber pumped at 1064 nm in the ns pump regime. The taper was designed to have long taper transitions and a taper waist with a core diameter of 0.9 mum. The large air-filling fraction and diameter of the air-hole microstructure reduces the confinement loss at long wavelengths so, enabling the extension of the spectrum to longer wavelengths. Along the taper transition the zero-dispersion wavelength decreases as the diameter of the taper becomes smaller. The spectral components generated along the taper transition pump the taper waist, enhancing the generation of short wavelengths. A flat spectrum spanning from 420 nm to …

Effects of Temperature and Axial Strain on Four-Wave Mixing Parametric Frequencies in Microstructured Optical Fibers Pumped in the Normal Dispersion Regime

A study of the effect of temperature and axial strain on the parametric wavelengths produced by four-wave mixing in microstructured optical fibers is presented. Degenerate four-wave mixing was generated in the fibers by pumping at normal dispersion, near the zero-dispersion wavelength, causing the appearance of two widely-spaced four-wave mixing spectral bands. Temperature changes, and/or axial strain applied to the fiber, affects the dispersion characteristics of the fiber, which can result in the shift of the parametric wavelengths. We show that the increase of temperature causes the signal and idler wavelengths to shift linearly towards shorter and longer wavelengths, respectively. For t…

Optomechanical oscillations in microbubble resonators: Enhancement, suppression and chaotic behaviour

We report on the experimental and theoretical analysis of parametrical optomechanical oscillations in hollow spherical PhoXonic whispering gallery mode resonators due to radiation pressure. The optically excited acoustic eigenmodes of the PhoXonic cavity oscillate regeneratively leading to parametric oscillation instabilities.

Widely Tunable Polarization Modulation Instability in D2O-Filled Microstructured Optical Fiber

Polarization modulation instability (PMI) is a nonlinear effect in which two pump photons with identical polarization propagating in a nonlinear medium give rise to two new photons of different frequency and orthogonal polarization with respect to the pump photons [1] . In this work, we report the experimental demonstration of broad spectral tuning of PMI generated in solid-core microstructured optical fibers (MOF) that were previously infiltrated with heavy water (D 2 O). MOFs were designed and fabricated with the appropriate dispersion characteristics to produce widely spaced PMI spectral bands when they were filled with D 2 O and pumped at 1064 nm. Heavy water was chosen due to suitable …

Temperature dependence of refractive index and absorption coefficient of GaSe at 633 nm

Abstract Measurements of the ordinary refractive index and the absorption coefficient ( E /t] to c axis ) of gallium selenide at 633 nm, in the temperature range [20,100] °C, are reported. Useful analytical approximations obtained after a least squares fitting process are provided, as well. These results are basic for any theoretical model of nonlinear and bistable optical devices based on GaSe.

Light-induced transmission nonlinearities in gallium selenide

The intensity of a He–Ne laser (633 nm, 5 mW) transmitted by different GaSe samples is observed to change in correlation with a Nd-yttrium–aluminum–garnet laser pulse (532 nm, 7.8 ns, 3 mJ) which excites them. Such time response has been attributed to a nonlinear optical effect, i.e., a decrease in the refractive index due to the exciton screening by the photogenerated carriers. A calculation of the absorption coefficient and refractive index at different carrier concentrations has led to a reconstruction of transmittance transients which fully agree with the experimental data at different incident intensities and temperatures. Chantal.Ferrer@uv.es ; Jaqueline.Bouvier@uv.es ; Miguel.Andres@…

Vector Description of a Realistic Photonic Crystal Fiber

Experimental study of an in-fiber acousto-optic tunable bandpass filter for single- and dual-wavelength operation in a thulium-doped fiber laser

A tunable single- and dual-wavelength thulium-doped all-fiber laser is demonstrated based on the implementation of an in-fiber acousto-optic tunable bandpass filter (AOTBF). The AOTBF is fabricated to be operated in the 1.9 µm region, and takes advantage of the intermodal coupling effect produced by traveling flexural acoustic waves in an optical fiber. It exhibits a 3-dB bandwidth of 2.04 nm with an insertion loss of 4.75 dB. The tuning properties of the AO device allows a continuous-wave operation with characteristics of wide tuning range (211.5 nm), narrow linewidth (50 pm) and high signal-to-noise ratio (60 dB). In the dual-wavelength regime, the laser is capable of independent tuning o…

Formation of ultrashort triangular pulses in optical fibers

Specialty shape ultrashort optical pulses, and triangular pulses in particular, are of great interest in optical signal processing. Compact fiber-based techniques for producing the special pulse waveforms from Gaussian or secant pulses delivered by modern ultrafast lasers are in demand in telecommunications. Using the nonlinear Schr¨odinger equation in an extended form the transformation of ultrashort pulses in a fiber towards triangular shape is characterized by the misfit parameter under variety of incident pulse shapes, energies, and chirps. It is shown that short (1-2 m) conventional single mode fiber can be used for triangular pulse formation in the steady-state regime without any pre-…

Analysis of an interferometric optical fibre detection technique applied to silicon vibrating sensors

A simple and accurate analysis of a single-mode optical fibre interferometric displacement detection technique is resented. This analysis is in good agreement with experimental measurements, and shows that angular alignment between the fibre and the sensor is the most critical parameter.

Chirped fibre Bragg gratings for phased-array antennas

A variable delay line for phased-array antennas based on a chirped fibre Bragg grating is demonstrated. The time delay of a microwave modulating signal is modified by scanning in wavelength a chirped grating. In this initial experiment, time delay variations up to 556 ps have been achieved using a grating of 0.4 nm bandwidth and 6 cm length and modulating in the frequency range 390 MHz-5.20 GHz.

In-fiber Fabry-Perot refractometer assisted by a long-period grating

We present an optical fiber refractometer based on a Fabry-Perot interferometer defined by two fiber Bragg gratings and an intracavity long-period grating that makes the light confined in the resonator interact with the surrounding medium. The external refractive index is monitored by the resonant frequencies of the Fabry-Perot interferometer, which can be measured either in transmission or in reflection. In this first experiment, wavelength shifts measured with a resolution of 0.1 pm have allowed one to establish a refractive index detection limit of 2.1x10(-5).

Wavelength multiplexed hydrogen sensor based on palladium-coated fibre-taper and Bragg grating

A novel configuration of a wavelength multiplexed hydrogen sensor based on a palladium-coated tapered fibre and a fibre Bragg grating is presented. This scheme allows cascading several sensors along a single fibre, which increases the capability of implementing multipoint sensor networks for volumetric detection. Moreover, in this configuration the light interacts twice with the palladium layer, thus enhancing the sensitivity of the sensor.

Accurate measurement of Poisson ratio in optical fibers based on forward-stimulated Brillouin scattering

The interaction between light and sound in optical fibers is a phenomenon that researchers have been investigated for many decades. Among all the opto-acoustic effects that occurs in optical fibers, forward-stimulated Brillouin scattering (FSBS) has become of great interest as sensing mechanism due to the dependence of the excited acoustic resonances on both internal parameters [1] , [2] and surroundings [3] of the optical fiber. The vibrational modes behind FSBS are transverse acoustic resonances, in particular, the radial modes R 0m and the torsional-radial modes TR 2m . Most of the experiments reported based on FSBS exploit the properties of either the radial or the torsional-radial mode…

Strong optical nonlinearities in gallium and indium selenides related to inter-valence-band transitions induced by light pulses

A nonlinear optical effect is shown to occur in gallium and indium selenides at photon energies of the order of 1.5 eV. It corresponds to transitions from a lower-energy valence band to the uppermost one when a nonequilibrium degenerate hole gas is created in the latter by a laser pulse. This inter-valence-band transition is allowed by crystal symmetry. Its oscillator strength is estimated through the $f$-sum rule and turns out to be about two orders of magnitude higher than that of the fundamental transition. The intensity of this effect is stronger when the pump pulse photon energy is close to that of the inter-valence-band transition; a condition that can be fulfilled only in indium sele…

Phase recovery by using optical fiber dispersion

We propose a simple and fast procedure to retrieve the phase profile of arbitrary light pulses. It combines a first experimental stage, followed by a one-step numerical stage. To this end, it is necessary to perform a Fresnel transform, which is obtained just by propagating the light pulses through an optical fiber. We experimentally test this proposal recovering the phase profile in the light pulses provided by a passively mode-locked laser. The proposal is then compared with a temporal variation of the Gerchberg–Saxton recursive algorithm, which is specially modified for this purpose. Fil: Cuadrado Laborde, Christian Ariel. Universidad de Valencia; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigacio…

Biorthonormal-basis method for the vector description of optical-fiber modes

This paper gives the theoretical basis for the development of real vector modal methods to describe optical-fiber modes. To this end, the vector wave equations, which determine the electromagnetic fields, are written in terms of a pair of linear, nonself-adjoint operators, whose eigenvectors satisfy biorthogonality relations. The key of our method is to obtain a matrix representation of the vector wave equations in a basis that is defined by the modes of an auxiliary system. Our proposed technique can be applied to fibers with any profile, even those with a complex refractive index. An example is discussed to illustrate our approach.

Acousto-optic interaction in polyimide coated optical fibers with flexural waves

Acousto-optic coupling in polyimide-coated single-mode optical fibers using flexural elastic waves is demonstrated. The effect of the polyimide coating on the acousto-optic interaction process is analyzed in detailed. Theoretical and experimental results are in good agreement. Although the elastic attenuation is significant, we show that acousto-optic coupling can be produced with a reasonably good efficiency. To our knowledge, it is the first experimental demonstration of acousto-optic coupling in optical fibers with robust protective coating.

Resonancias de ondas electromagnéticas

Este artículo describe un conjunto de experimentos diseñados para medir las resonancias electromagnéticas de varios sistemas sencillos.

Microstructured Optical Fiber on the Silica Platform for pulse-maintaining 2-octave supercontinuum in short-wavelength infra-red

Numerical design of all normal dispersion fiber for SWIR supercontinuum generation based on standard air-silica microstructure is presented. We increase the spectral width of generated supercontinuum up to 2 octaves while maintaining perfect spectral flatness by tailoring the dispersion profile.

Automatic tunable and reconfigurable fiberoptic microwave filters based on a broadband optical source sliced by uniform fiber Bragg gratings.

We demonstrate an automatic tunable transversal notch filter based on uniform fiber Bragg gratings and a broadband optical source. High tunability can be performed by stretching the fiber with the gratings written in series. Also, high sidelobe supression can be achieved by introducing tunable attenuators in a parallel configuration of the gratings.

Spectral properties of a variable period Bragg grating including a segment isolated of external deformations

In this work the behavior of a Bragg grating of variable period (usually called a linearly chirped fiber Bragg grating — CFBG) is analyzed when a small portion of it is fixed so that its properties remain unchanged, while the rest of the grating is affected by a longitudinal deformation. The system was simulated using the Transfer Matrix Method to obtain its behavior under different levels of deformation and it was observed the appearance of negative peaks in the spectral response (transmission peaks). The analysis allowed characterizing the system with different sizes of the fixed portion (defects) (0.5 to 6 mm), for a grating with 10 cm long and 3 nm spectral width.

Anisotropic elasto-optic effect in optical fibers under axial strain: a perturbative approach

We present a perturbative approximation to calculate the relative shift of the WGM resonances in a conventional optical fibers when an axial strain is applied. We consider the anisotropic character of the elasto-optic effect.

Donor and acceptor guided modes in photonic crystal fibers.

We present a triangular photonic-crystal-fiber structure that exhibits guided modes simultaneously above and below the first conduction band. We achieve this configuration by decreasing the size of one of the airholes (the defect) in a specific triangular lattice. More generally, we analyze the behavior of guided modes that depends on the size of the defect. Defects generated by decreasing or increasing the size of one of the holes produce donor or acceptor guided modes, respectively, in analogy with impurity levels in solid-state crystals. We conclude that the guiding mechanism for both donor and acceptor modes is produced by a unique phenomenon of multiple interference by a periodic struc…

Fully automatic simultaneous fiber grating amplitude and group delay characterization

Accurate and broadband characterization of few-mode optical fibers using acousto-optic coupling

Acousto-optic interaction in optical fibers is exploited for the accurate and broadband characterization of two-mode fibers. Differential modal index, group delay, and group-velocity dispersion is obtained. The technique is suitable for the characterization of few-mode fibers used in space-division multiplexing.

Statistical characterization of the internal structure of noiselike pulses using a nonlinear optical loop mirror

Abstract In this work we study statistically the internal structure of noiselike pulses generated by a passively mode-locked fiber laser. For this purpose, we use a technique that allows estimating the distribution of the amplitudes of the sub-pulses in the bunch. The technique takes advantage of the fast response of the optical Kerr effect in a fiber nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM). It requires the measurement of the energy transfer characteristic of the pulses through the NOLM, and the numerical resolution of a system of nonlinear algebraic equations. The results yield a strongly asymmetric distribution, with a high-amplitude tail that is compatible with the existence of extreme-inte…

Actively mode-locked fiber ring laser by intermodal acousto-optic modulation

We report an actively mode-locked fiber ring laser. A simple and low-insertion-loss acousto-optic modulator driven by standing flexural waves, which couples core-to-cladding modes in a standard single-mode optical fiber, is used as an active mechanism for mode locking. Among the remarkable features of the modulator, we mention its high modulation depth (72%), broad bandwidth (187 GHz), easy tunability in the optical wavelength, and low insertion losses (0.7 dB). The narrowest optical pulses obtained were of 95 ps time width, 21 mW peak power, repetition rate of 4.758 MHz, and 110 mW of pump power.

Polarization modulation instability in all-normal dispersion microstructured optical fibers with quasi-continuous pump

We report the experimental observation of the polarization modulation instability (PMI) effect in all-normal dispersion (ANDi)microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) with quasicontinuous pumping. The small unintentional birefringence (∼10−5), that any realistic nonpolarization maintaining MOF exhibits, contributes to this nonlinear effect. PMI can produce two sidebands whose polarization state is orthogonal to the polarization of the pump. In this work, only one type of PMI process is observed, i.e., when the pump is polarized along the slow axis of the fiber and sidebands are generated in the fast axis mode. This PMI process was studied experimentally in two ANDi fibers with different disper…

Demo 25. Movimiento de electrones en campos E y B: el ciclotrón

Objetivo:1.- Observar el proceso de generación de cargas libres. 2.- Observar el movimiento de cargas en campos eléctricos y magnéticos. Estudio experimental del movimiento de electrones en un campo magnético uniforme. Demostración de la Fuerza de Lorentz sobre electrones mediante la observación y medida de la trayectoria circular generada en un campo magnético uniforme, habiendo acelerado previamente los electrones con un campo eléctrico. Medida de la relación carga/masa de los electrones.