Nonlinear propagation of ultraslow pulses in media with electromagnetically induced transparency

The nonlinear behavior of a probe pulse propagating in a medium with electromagnetically induced transparency is studied both numerically and analytically. A new type of nonlinear wave equation is proposed in which the noninstantaneous response of nonlinear polarization is treated properly. The resulting nonlinear behavior of the propagating probe pulse is shown to be fundamentally different from that predicted by the simple nonlinear Schrodinger-like wave equation that considers only instantaneous Kerr nonlinearity. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America.

Manipulating spectral anomalies of focused pulses in a medium with electromagnetically induced transparency

We study the possibility of manipulating the focusing properties of a medium with electromagnetically induced transparency. In the focal region of focused ultraslow light pulses, the spectral anomalous behaviors can be actively modified by varying the control field intensity. Unlike the case in free space, we find in slow light focusing that the spectrum bandwidth of the incident field needed to produce observable spectral changes can be reduced by several orders. Numerical simulations with accessible parameters clearly show that spectral anomalies of focused mu s pulses are observable.

Ultrafast temporal pattern generation and recognition

Ultrafast temporal pattern generation and recognition with femtosecond laser technology is presented, analyzed, and experimentally implemented. Ultrafast temporal pattern generation and recognition are realized by taking advantage of two well-known techniques: the space-time conversion technique and the ultrafast pulse measurement technique. Here the temporal pattern for the designed multiple pulses, optimized with a preassumed Gaussian spectral distribution of an ultrashort pulse, is described. With the simulation of a Gaussian spectral distribution, we realize that the uniformity of the generated multiple ultrafast temporal pulses is relevant to the repeated number of modulation periods in the mask in the spectral plane. Moreover, the change of Gaussian spectral phases with the wavelengths in the modulated phase plate is considered. Experiments of ultrafast temporal pattern recognition by the frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) characterization technique are also given. (C) 2004 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

Microoptical research in Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics

This paper summarized the recent research results of Changhe Zhou's group of Information Optics Lab in Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM). The first is about the Talbot self-imaging research. We have found the symmetry rule, the regular-rearranged neighboring phase difference rule and the prime-number decamping rule, which is briefly summarized in a recent educational publication of Optics and Photonics News, pp.46-50, November 2004. The second is about four novel microoptical gratings designed and fabricated in SIOM. The third is about the design and fabrication of novel supperresolution phase plates for beam shaping and possible use in optical storage. The fourth is to develop novel femtosecond laser information processing techniques by incorporating microoptical elements, for example, use of a pair of reflective Dammann gratings for splitting the femtosecond laser pulses. The most attractive feature of this approach is that the conventional beam splitter is avoided. The conventional beam splitter would introduce the unequal dispersion due to the broadband spectrum of ultrashort laser pulses, which will affect the splitting result. We implemented the Dammann splitting apparatus by using two-layered reflective Dammann gratings, which generates the almost same array without angular dispersion. We believe that our device is highly interesting for splitting femtosecond laser pulses.

Diffraction of an ultrashort pulsed beam with arbitrary polarization state from a volume holographic grating in LiNbO3 crystals

Based on a modified coupled wave theory of Kogelnik, we have studied the diffraction of an ultrashort pulsed beam with an arbitrary polarization state from a volume holographic grating in photorefractive LiNbO3 crystals. The results indicate that the diffracted intensity distributions in the spectral and temporal domains and the diffraction efficiency of the grating are both changed by the polarization state and spectral bandwidth of the input pulsed beam. A method is given of choosing the grating parameters and input conditions to obtain a large variation range of the spectral bandwidth of the diffracted pulsed beam with an appropriate diffraction efficiency. Our study presents a possibility of using a volume holographic grating recorded in anisotropic materials to shape a broadband ultrashort pulsed beam by modulating its polarization state.

Analysis of an ultrashort pulsed finite beam diffracted by volume gratings

We obtain analytical solutions of the coupled wave equations that describe the Bragg diffraction of ultrashort pulsed finite beams by a thick planar grating, using two-dimensional coupled wave theory. The diffraction properties for the case of an ultrashort pulsed finite beam with Gaussian profiles in both the time and spatial domains are investigated. The spectral bandwidth of the diffracted beam, the Bragg selectivity bandwidth and the diffraction efficiency of the volume grating are influenced by the geometry parameter and the input bandwidth. Therefore extra attention should be paid to designing optical elements based on volume gratings for use with ultrashort pulsed waves in applications of pulse shaping and processing.

Diffraction properties of ultrashort pulsed beams with arbitrary temporal profiles studied with a volume holographic grating

Using modified two- dimensional coupled- wave theory, the diffraction properties of ultrashort pulsed beams with arbitrary temporal profiles are studied with a volume holographic grating. Analytical expressions for the profiles of the transmitted and diffracted beams are obtained. It is shown that the Bragg selectivity bandwidth of the volume grating can be influenced by the geometry parameter. Numerical results are illustrated for three different temporal profiles. For different temporal profiles, the ratios of the diffraction bandwidths to input bandwidths are discussed.

Three-dimensional coupled wave study for finite-sized anisotropic volume holographic gratings under ultrashort pulsed beam readout

The three-dimensional coupled wave theory is extended to systematically investigate the diffraction properties of finite-sized anisotropic volume holographic gratings (VHGs) under ultrashort pulsed beam (UPB) readout. The effects of the grating geometrical size and the polarizations of the recording and readout beams on the diffraction properties are presented, in particular under the influence of grating material dispersion. The wavelength selectivity of the finite-sized VHG is analyzed. The wavelength selectivity determines the intensity distributions of the transmitted and diffracted pulsed beams along the output face of the VHG. The distortion and widening of the diffracted pulsed beams are different for different points on the output face, as is numerically shown for a VHG recorded in a LiNbO3 crystal. The beam quality is analyzed, and the variations of the total diffraction efficiency are shown in relation to the geometrical size of the grating and the temporal width of the readout UPB. In addition, the diffraction properties of the finite-sized and one-dimensional VHG for pulsed and continuous-wave readout are compared. The study shows the potential application of VHGs in controlling spatial and temporal features of UPBs simultaneously. (C) 2007 Optical Society of America

Optical generaton of millimeter-wave pulses using a fiber Bragg grating in a fiber-optics system

A scheme is proposed to transform an optical pulse into a millimeter-wave frequency modulation pulse by using a weak fiber Bragg grating (FBG) in a fiber-optics system. The Fourier transformation method is used to obtain the required spectrum response function of the FBG for the Gaussian pulse, soliton pulse, and Lorenz shape pulse. On the condition of the first-order Born approximation of the weak fiber grating, the relation of the refractive index distribution and the spectrum response function of the FBG satisfies the Fourier transformation, and the corresponding refractive index distribution forms are obtained for single-frequency modulation and linear-frequency modulation millimeter-wave pulse generation. The performances of the designed fiber gratings are also studied by a numerical simulation method for a supershort pulse transmission. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.

Generation of double pulses in-line by using reflective Dammann gratings

Doubled femtosecond laser pulses in-line are needed in the collinear pump-probe technique, collinear second harmonic generation frequency-resolved optical gating (SHG FROG) and the spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER), etc. Normally, it is generated by using a Michelson's structure. In this paper, we proposed a novel structure with two-layered reflective Dammann gratings and the reflective mirrors to generate doubled femtosecond laser pulses in line without transmission optical elements. Angular dispersion and spectral spatial walk-off are both compensated. In addition, this structure can also compress the positive chirped pulse, which cannot be realized with a Michelson's structure. By adopting triangular grating and blazed gratings, the efficiency of the system would in principle be increased as the Michelson's scheme. Experiments demonstrated that this method should be an alternative approach for generation of the double compressed pulses of femtosecond laser for practical applications. (c) 2006 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Ultrafast double pulses ablation of Cr film on glass

Ultrafast lasers ablation of Cr film was investigated by using double-pulse method. Experimental results show that there exists a temporal ablation window effect with each of the double pulses adjusted just smaller than the threshold. When the delay between the double pulses is within the order of 400 ps, the ablation of Cr film could happen. When the delay between the double pulses is beyond the order of 400 ps, the ablation of Cr film would not happen, and the reflectivity from the surface of the Cr film shows a sharp rise at the same time. The two-temperature model was developed into the form of double pulses to explain the experimental phenomena. Furthermore, microbump structures were formed on the surface of Cr film after ablation by ultrafast double pulses. Their heights exhibit an obvious drop between 1 and 10 ps double pulses delay, which is involved with the electron-phonon coupling process according to the numerical simulation. These results should be helpful for understanding the dynamic processes during ultrafast lasers ablation of metal films. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bragg diffraction of multilayer volume holographic gratings under ultrashort laser pulse readout

The multilayer coupled wave theory is extended to systematically investigate the diffraction properties of multilayer volume holographic gratings (MVHGs) under ultrashort laser pulse readout. Solutions for the diffracted and transmitted intensities, diffraction efficiency, and the grating bandwidth are obtained in transmission MVHGs. It is shown that the diffraction characteristics depend not only on the input pulse duration but also on the number and thickness of grating layers and the gaps between holographic layers. This analysis can be implemented as a useful tool to aid with the design of multilayer volume grating-based devices employed in optical communications, pulse shaping, and processing. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America