Direct observation and simultaneous use of linear and quadratic electro-optical effects

We report on the direct observation and simultaneous use of the linear and quadratic electro-optical effect and propose a method by which higher-order susceptibilities of electro-optical materials can be determined. The evaluation is based on the separation of the second- and third-order susceptibilities and the experimental technique uses a slot waveguide ring resonator fabricated in integrated photonic circuit technology, which is embedded by a guest-host polymer system consisting of the azobenzene dye Disperse Red 1 in a poly(methyl methacrylate) matrix as an active electro-optical material. The contribution of both effects on the electro-optical response under the influence of static and time-varying electrical fields is investigated. We show that the quadratic electro-optical effect has a significant influence on the overall electro-optical response even with acentric molecular orientated molecules. Our findings have important implications for developing electro-optical devices based on polymer-filled slot waveguides and give rise to advanced photonic circuits. © 2020 IOP Publishing Ltd

Multistep Parametric Processes in Nonlinear Optics

We present a comprehensive overview of different types of parametric interactions in nonlinear optics which are associated with simultaneous phase-matching of several optical processes in quadratic nonlinear media, the so-called multistep parametric interactions. We discuss a number of possibilities of double and multiple phase-matching in engineered structures with the sign-varying second-order nonlinear susceptibility, including (i) uniform and non-uniform quasi-phase-matched (QPM) periodic optical superlattices, (ii) phase-reversed and periodically chirped QPM structures, and (iii) uniform QPM structures in non-collinear geometry, including recently fabricated two-dimensional nonlinear quadratic photonic crystals. We also summarize the most important experimental results on the multi-frequency generation due to multistep parametric processes, and overview the physics and basic properties of multi-color optical parametric solitons generated by these parametric interactions.Comment: To be published in Progress in Optic

Power system applications of fiber optics

Power system applications of optical systems, primarily using fiber optics, are reviewed. The first section reviews fibers as components of communication systems. The second section deals with fiber sensors for power systems, reviewing the many ways light sources and fibers can be combined to make measurements. Methods of measuring electric field gradient are discussed. Optical data processing is the subject of the third section, which begins by reviewing some widely different examples and concludes by outlining some potential applications in power systems: fault location in transformers, optical switching for light fired thyristors and fault detection based on the inherent symmetry of most power apparatus. The fourth and final section is concerned with using optical fibers to transmit power to electric equipment in a high voltage situation, potentially replacing expensive high voltage low power transformers. JPL has designed small photodiodes specifically for this purpose, and fabricated and tested several samples. This work is described

Effects of twin-beam squashed light on a three-level atom

An electro-optical feedback loop can make in-loop light (squashed light) which produces a photocurrent with noise below the standard quantum limit (such as squeezed light). We investigate the effect of squashed light interacting with a three-level atom in the cascade configuration and compare it to the effects produced by squeezed light and classical noise. It turns out that one master equation can be formulated for all three types of light and that this unified formalism can also be applied to the evolution of a two-level atom. We show that squashed light does not mimic all aspects of squeezed light, and in particular, it does not produce the characteristic linear intensity dependence of the population of the upper-most level of the cascade three-level atom. Nevertheless, it has nonclassical transient effects in the de-excitation.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Controlling phonons and photons at the wavelength-scale: silicon photonics meets silicon phononics

Radio-frequency communication systems have long used bulk- and surface-acoustic-wave devices supporting ultrasonic mechanical waves to manipulate and sense signals. These devices have greatly improved our ability to process microwaves by interfacing them to orders-of-magnitude slower and lower loss mechanical fields. In parallel, long-distance communications have been dominated by low-loss infrared optical photons. As electrical signal processing and transmission approaches physical limits imposed by energy dissipation, optical links are now being actively considered for mobile and cloud technologies. Thus there is a strong driver for wavelength-scale mechanical wave or "phononic" circuitry fabricated by scalable semiconductor processes. With the advent of these circuits, new micro- and nanostructures that combine electrical, optical and mechanical elements have emerged. In these devices, such as optomechanical waveguides and resonators, optical photons and gigahertz phonons are ideally matched to one another as both have wavelengths on the order of micrometers. The development of phononic circuits has thus emerged as a vibrant field of research pursued for optical signal processing and sensing applications as well as emerging quantum technologies. In this review, we discuss the key physics and figures of merit underpinning this field. We also summarize the state of the art in nanoscale electro- and optomechanical systems with a focus on scalable platforms such as silicon. Finally, we give perspectives on what these new systems may bring and what challenges they face in the coming years. In particular, we believe hybrid electro- and optomechanical devices incorporating highly coherent and compact mechanical elements on a chip have significant untapped potential for electro-optic modulation, quantum microwave-to-optical photon conversion, sensing and microwave signal processing.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figure