Dipole mode photonic crystal point defect laser on InGaAsP/InP

In this paper, we focus on the dipole mode of the two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystal (PC) single point defect cavity (SPDC) lasers and we report the fabrication and characterization of 2D PC SPDC lasers with the structure of adjusted innermost air holes. The photonic band and cavity Q factors are simulated by means of plane wave expansion (PWE) and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD), respectively. In order to improve the optical confinement of the SPDC, the diameter of the innermost holes was adjusted. Different lasing performances are observed experimentally. The experimental results agree with the theoretical prediction very well. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Polarization holographic high-density optical data storage in bacteriorhodopsin film

Optical films containing the genetic variant bacteriorhodopsin BR-D96N were experimentally studied in view of their properties as media for holographic storage. Different polarization recording schemes were tested and compared. The influence of the polarization states of the recording and readout waves on the retrieved diffractive image's intensity and its signal-to-noise ratio were analyzed. The experimental results showed that, compared with the other tested polarization relations during holographic recording, the discrimination between the polarization states of diffracted and scattered light is optimized with orthogonal circular polarization of the recording beams, and thus a high signal-to-noise ratio and a high diffraction efficiency are obtained. Using a He-Ne laser (633 nm, 3 mW) for recording and readout, a spatial light modulator as a data input element, and a 2D-CCD sensor for data capture in a Fourier-transform holographic setup, a storage density of 2 x 10(8) bits/cm(2) was obtained on a 60 x 42 mu m(2) area in the BR-D96N film. The readout of encoded binary data was possible with a zero-error rate at the tested storage density. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America.

Polarization multiplexed write-once-read-many optical data storage in bacteriorhodopsin films

In polymeric films of bacteriorhodopsin (BR) a photoconversion product, which was named the F620 state, was observed on excitation of the film with 532 nm nanosecond laser pulses. This photoproduct shows a strong nonlinear absorption. Such BR films can be used for write-once-read-many (WORM) optical data storage. We demonstrate that a photoproduct similar or even identical to that obtained with nanosecond pulses is generated on excitation with 532 mn femtosecond pulses. This photoproduct also shows strong anisotropic absorption, which facilitates polarization storage of data. The product is thermally stable and is irretrievable to the initial B state either by photochemical reaction or through a thermal pathway. The experimental results indicate that the product is formed by a two-photon absorption process. Optical WORM storage is demonstrated by use of two polarization states, but more polarization states may be used. The combination of polarization data multiplexing and extremely short recording time in the femtosecond range enables very high data volumes to be stored within a very short time. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America.

Theoretical design or single-polarization single-mode microstructured polymer optical fibres

Using the full-vector plane-wave expansion method, a kind of PMMA-based polarization-maintaining microstructured optical fibre (PM-mPOF) is theoretically studied. Dependence of the cutoff wavelengths of the two orthogonal polarization states (polarized along the two principal axes of PM-mPOF) on the structure parameters of the fibre is investigated in detail. A single-polarization single-mode (SPSM) PM-mPOF working in the visible region is designed and optimized with the result of the maximum SPSM bandwidth of 140 nm.

Research on the ultrafast fluorescence property of thylakoid membranes of the wild-type and mutant rice

A high yielding rice variety mutant (Oryza sativa L., Zhenhui 249) with low chlorophyll b (Chl b) has been discovered in natural fields. It has a quality character controlled by a pair of recessive genes (nuclear gene). The partial loss of Chl b in content affects the efficiency of light harvest in a light harvest complex (LHC), thus producing the difference of the exciting energy transfer and the efficiency of photochemistry conversion between the mutant and wild-type rice in photosynthetic unit. The efficiency of utilizing light energy is higher in the mutant than that in the wildtype rice relatively. For further discussion of the above-mentioned difference and learning about the mechanism of the increase in the photochemical efficiency of the mutant, the pico-second resolution fluorescence spectrum measurement with delay-frame-scanning single photon counting technique is adopted. Thylakoid membranes of the mutant and the wild-type rice are excited by an Ar+ laser with a pulse width of 120 ps, repetition rate of 4 MHz and wavelength of 514 nm. Compared with the time and spectrum property of exciting fluorescence, conclusions of those ultrafast dynamic experiments are: 1) The speeds of the exciting energy transferred in photo-system I are faster than that in photo-system II in both samples. 2) The speeds of the exciting energy transfer of mutant sample are faster than those of the wildtype. This might be one of the major reasons why the efficiency of photosynthesis is higher in mutant than that in the wild-type rice.

Optical image processing using the photoinduced anisotropy of pyrrylfulgide

A synthesized photochromic compound-pyrrylfulgide-is prepared as a thin film doped in a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) matrix. Under irradiation by UV light, the film converts from the bleached state into a colored state that has a maximum absorption at 635 nm and is thermally stable at room temperature. When the colored state is irradiated by a linearly polarized 650 nm laser, the film returns to the bleached state; photoinduced anisotropy is produced during this process. Application of optical image processing methods using the photoinduced anisotropy of the pyrrylfulgide/PMMA film is described. Examples in non-Fourier optical image processing, such as contrast reversal and image subtraction and summation, as well as in Fourier optical image processing, such as low-pass filtering and edge enhancement, are presented. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.

Polarization properties of elliptical core non-hexagonal symmetry polymer photonic crystal fibre

In this paper, polarization properties and propagation characteristics of polymer photonic crystal fibres with elliptical core and non-hexagonal symmetry structure are investigated by using the full vectorial plane wave method. The results how that the birefringence of the fibreis induced by asymmetries of both the cladding and the core. Moreover, by adjusting the non-symmetrical ratio factor of cladding eta from 0.4 to 1 in step 0.1, we find the optimized design parameters f the fibre with high birefringence and limited polarization mode dispersion, operating in a single mode regime at an appropriate wavelength range. The range of wavelength approaches the visible and near-infrared which is consistent with the communication windows of polymer optical fibres.

Transient and nonlinear analysis of slow-light pulse propagation in an optical fiber via stimulated Brillouin scattering

We investigate slow-light pulse propagation in an optical fiber via transient stimulated Brillouin scattering. Space-time evolution of a generating slow-light pulse is numerically calculated by solving three-wave coupled-mode equations between a pump beam, an acoustic wave, and a counterpropagating signal pulse. Our mathematical treatments are applicable to both narrowband and broadband pump cases. We show that the time delay of 85% pulse width can be obtained for a signal pulse of the order of subnanosecond pulse width by using a broadband pump, while the signal pulse is broadened only by 40% of the input signal pulse. The physical origin of the pulse broadening and distortion is explained in terms of the temporal decay of the induced acoustic field. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America

Reducing group-velocity-dispersion-dependent broadening of stimulated Brillouin scattering slow light in an optical fiber by use of a single pump laser

We propose a method of effectively extending the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) gain bandwidth in a single-mode optical fiber to reduce group-velocity-dispersion (GVD)-dependent pulse spread of SBS slow light. This can be done by overlapping doublet SBS gain spectra synthesized from a single pump laser. Numerical calculations are performed to verify our proposed method. We find that there exists the optimum spectral separation between two center frequencies of the doublet SBS gain spectrum with respect to the inherent spectral width of the pump laser, which makes it possible to effectively reduce the signal pulse broadening due to GVD. We show that the maximum time delay of the amplified signal pulse can be approximately two times longer than that by a previously reported method using a single broadband pump laser. (c) 2008 Optical Society of America.

Zero-broadening SBS slow light propagation in an optical fiber using two broadband pump beams

A new method of tailoring stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) gain spectrum for slow light propagation is proposed by use of two Gaussian-shaped broadband pump beams with different powers and spectral widths. The central frequency interval between the two pump beams are carefully set to be two inherent Brillouin frequency shift, ensuring that the gain spectrum of one pump has the same central frequency with the loss spectrum of the other one. Different gain profiles are obtained and analyzed. Among them a special gain profile is found that ensures a zero-broadening of the signal pulse independent of the Brillouin gain. This is owing to the compensation between the positive gain-dependent broadening and the negative GVD (group velocity dispersion) dependent broadening. The relationship of two pump beams is also found for constructing such a gain profile. It provides us a new idea of managing the broadening of SBS-based slow pulse by artificially constructing and optimizing the profile of gain spectrum. (c) 2008 Optical Society of America.