Benchmarking of electro-optic monitors for femtosecond electron bunches

The longitudinal profiles of ultrashort relativistic electron bunches at the soft x-ray free-electron laser FLASH have been investigated using two single-shot detection schemes: an electro-optic (EO) detector measuring the Coulomb field of the bunch and a radio-frequency structure transforming the charge distribution into a transverse streak. A comparison permits an absolute calibration of the EO technique. EO signals as short as 60 fs (rms) have been observed, which is a new record in the EO detection of single electron bunches and close to the limit given by the EO material properties

Periodic time-domain modulation for the electrically tunable control of optical pulse train envelope and repetition rate multiplication

An electrically tunable system for the control of optical pulse sequences is proposed and demonstrated. It is based on the use of an electrooptic modulator for periodic phase modulation followed by a dispersive device to obtain the temporal Talbot effect. The proposed configuration allows for repetition rate multiplication with different multiplication factors and with the simultaneous control of the pulse train envelope by simply changing the electrical signal driving the modulator. Simulated and experimental results for an input optical pulse train of 10 GHz are shown for different multiplication factors and envelope shapes

Stable Optical Frequency Comb Generation And Applications In Arbitrary Waveform Generation, Signal Processing And Optical Data M

This thesis focuses on the generation and applications of stable optical frequency combs. Optical frequency combs are defined as equally spaced optical frequencies with a fixed phase relation among themselves. The conventional source of optical frequency combs is the optical spectrum of the modelocked lasers. In this work, we investigated alternative methods for optical comb generation, such as dual sine wave phase modulation, which is more practical and cost effective compared to modelocked lasers stabilized to a reference. Incorporating these comblines, we have generated tunable RF tones using the serrodyne technique. The tuning range was ±1 MHz, limited by the electronic waveform generator, and the RF carrier frequency is limited by the bandwidth of the photodetector. Similarly, using parabolic phase modulation together with time division multiplexing, RF chirp extension has been realized. Another application of the optical frequency combs studied in this thesis is real time data mining in a bit stream. A novel optoelectronic logic gate has been developed for this application and used to detect an 8 bit long target pattern. Also another approach based on orthogonal Hadamard codes have been proposed and explained in detail. Also novel intracavity modulation schemes have been investigated and applied for various applications such as a) improving rational harmonic modelocking for repetition rate multiplication and pulse to pulse amplitude equalization, b) frequency skewed pulse generation for ranging and c) intracavity active phase modulation in amplitude modulated modelocked lasers for supermode noise spur suppression and integrated jitter reduction. The thesis concludes with comments on the future work and next steps to improve some of the results presented in this work

Power Control In Optical CDMA

Optical CDMA (OCDMA) is the multiplexing technique over the fiber optics medium to increase the number of users and this is a step towards all optical Passive Optical Networks (PON). Optical OFDM, WDM and Optical TDM have also been studied in this thesis which are also candidates to all optical passive optical networks. One of the main features of Optical CDMA over other multiplexing techniques is that it has smooth capacity. The capacity of OCDMA is constrained by the interference level. Hence, when some users are offline or requesting less data rates, then the capacity will be increased in the network. Same feature could be obtained in other multiplexing techniques, but they will need much more complicated online organizers. However, in OCDMA it is critical to adjust the transmission power to the right value; otherwise, near-far problem may greatly reduce the network capacity and performance. In this thesis Power control concepts are analyzed in optical CDMA star networks. It is applied so that the QoS of the network get enhanced and all users after the power control have their desired signal to interference (SIR) value. Moreover, larger number of users can be accommodated in the network. Centralized power control algorithm is considered for this thesis. In centralized algorithm noiseless case and noisy case have been studied. In this thesis several simulations have been performed which shows the QoS difference before and after power control. The simulation results are validated also by the theoretical computation.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Investigation of code reconfigurable fibre Bragg gratings for Optical Code Division Multiple Access (OCDMA) and Optical Packet Switching (OPS) Networks

This thesis documents my work in the telecommunication system laboratory at the Optoelectronics Research Centre, towards the implementation of code reconfigurable OCDMA and all-optical packet switching nodes based on fibre Bragg grating (FBG) technology. My research work involves characterizing the performance of various gratings, specifically high reflectivity, short chip duration, long code sequences, multiple phase level and tunable superstructured fiber Bragg gratings (SSFBGs), by using the recently proposed Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating technique based on Electro-Absorption Modulator (EAM-FROG). This technology can obtain the complex code profile along the grating, making it a powerful method to understand the thermally-induced code-reconfigurable grating. Efforts have been made to improve the grating design to achieve better system performance. Three different types of FBGs optical encoder/decoder, e.g. conventional discrete phaseshift SSFBGs, code-reconfigurable gratings, and novel continuous phase-shift SSFBGs, have been investigated comparatively, as well as their performance in various optical coding/decoding systems. This thesis also discusses the possibility of reducing multiple access interference (MAI) using a Two-Photon Absorption (TPA) process. The advanced grating devices enable the improvement of system performance. A dynamically reconfigurable optical packet processing system and a 16-channel reconfigurable OCDMA/DWDM system with 50GHz DWDM intervals has been demonstrated.These results highlight the feasibility of FBG-based optical coding/decoding techniques, with improved system flexibility and sustainability

Wavelength tunable transmitters for future reconfigurable agile optical networks

Wavelength tuneable transmission is a requirement for future reconfigurable agile optical networks as it enables cost efficient bandwidth distribution and a greater degree of transparency. This thesis focuses on the development and characterisation of wavelength tuneable transmitters for the core, metro and access based WDM networks. The wavelength tuneable RZ transmitter is a fundamental component for the core network as the RZ coding scheme is favoured over the conventional NRZ format as the line rate increases. The combination of a widely tuneable SG DBR laser and an EAM is a propitious technique employed to generate wavelength tuneable pulses at high repetition rates (40 GHz). As the EAM is inherently wavelength dependant an accurate characterisation of the generated pulses is carried out using the linear spectrogram measurement technique. Performance issues associated with the transmitter are investigated by employing the generated pulses in a 1500 km 42.7 Gb/s circulating loop system. It is demonstrated that non-optimisation of the EAM drive conditions at each operating wavelength can lead to a 33 % degradation in system performance. To achieve consistent operation over a wide waveband the drive conditions of the EAM must be altered at each operating wavelength. The metro network spans relatively small distances in comparison to the core and therefore must utilise more cost efficient solutions to transmit data, while also maintaining high reconfigurable functionality. Due to the shorter transmission distances, directly modulated sources can be utilised, as less precise wavelength and chirp control can be tolerated. Therefore a gain-switched FP laser provides an ideal source for wavelength tuneable pulse generation at high data rates (10 Gb/s). A self-seeding scheme that generates single mode pulses with high SMSR (> 30 dB) and small pulse duration is demonstrated. A FBG with a very large group delay disperses the generated pulses and subsequently uses this CW like signal to re-inject the laser diode negating the need to tune the repetition rate for optimum gain-switching operation. The access network provides the last communication link between the customer’s premises and the first switching node in the network. FTTH systems should take advantage of directly modulated sources; therefore the direct modulation of a SG DBR tuneable laser is investigated. Although a directly modulated TL is ideal for reconfigurable access based networks, the modulation itself leads to a drift in operating frequency which may result in cross channel interference in a WDM network. This effect is investigated and also a possible solution to compensate the frequency drift through simultaneous modulation of the lasers phase section is examined

Low Noise And Low Repetition Rate Semiconductor-based Mode-locked Lasers

The topic of this dissertation is the development of low repetition rate and low noise semiconductor-based laser sources with a focus on linearly chirped pulse laser sources. In the past decade chirped optical pulses have found a plethora of applications such as photonic analogto-digital conversion, optical coherence tomography, laser ranging, etc. This dissertation analyzes the aforementioned applications of linearly chirped pulses and their technical requirements, as well as the performance of previously demonstrated chirped pulse laser sources. Moreover, the focus is shifted to a specific application of the linearly chirped pulses, timestretched photonic analog-to-digital conversion (TS ADC). The challenges of surpassing the speeds of current electronic converters are discussed, while the need for low noise linearly chirped pulse lasers becomes apparent for the realization of TS ADC. The experimental research addresses the topic of low noise chirped pulse generation in three distinct ways. First, a chirped pulse (Theta) laser with an intra-cavity Fabry-Pérot etalon and a long-term referencing mechanism is developed that results in the reduction of the pulse-topulse energy noise. Noise suppression of \u3e 15 times is demonstrated. Moreover, an optical frequency comb with spacing equal to the repetition rate (≈100 MHz) is generated using the etalon, resulting in the first reported demonstration of a system operating in the sub-GHz regime based on semiconductor gain. The path for the development of the Theta laser was laid by the precise characterization of the etalon used in this laser cavity design. A narrow linewidth laser is used in conjunction with an acousto-optic modulator externally swept for measuring the etalon\u27s iv free spectral range with a sub-Hz precision, or 10 parts per billion. Furthermore, the measurement of the etalon long-term drift and birefringence lead to the development of a modified intra-cavity Hänsch-Couillaud locking mechanism for the Theta laser. Moreover, an external feed-forward system was demonstrated that aimed at increasing the temporal/spectral uniformity of the optical pulses. A complete characterization of the system is demonstrated. On a different series of experiments, the pulses emitted by an ultra-low noise but high repetition rate mode-locked laser were demultiplexed resulting in a low repetition rate pulse train. Experimental investigation of the noise properties of the laser proved that they are preserved during the demultiplexing process. The noise of the electrical gate used in this experiment is also investigated which led into the development of a more profound understanding of the electrical noise of periodical pulses and a mechanism of measuring their noise. The appendices in this dissertation provide additional material used for the realization of the main research focus of the dissertation. Measurements of the group delay of the etalon used in the Theta laser are presented in order to demonstrate the limiting factors for the development of this cavity design. The description of a balancing routine is presented, that was used for expanding the dynamic range of intra-cavity active variable delay. At last, the appendix presents the calculations regarding the contribution of various parameters in the limitations of analog-todigital conversion

Mode-locked Pulses in Passive Coherent Beam Combining Fiber Laser Arrays.

This thesis presents the first dynamic model for the simultaneous coherent combining and mode locking of fiber lasers. The model shows very good agreement with experiment and suggests a novel approach to producing high-peak-power pulse trains with tunable repetition rates in excess of a gigahertz for potential applications to optical clocking, telecommunications, and ultrafast optics. Passive coherent beam combining relies on the use of evanescent coupling between individual lasers to create a phased array in order to scale up the output power and brightness of fiber lasers. Mode locking, on the other hand, is a method of generating short pulses with high peak power by coherently phasing all the longitudinal modes of a single laser. Our work combines the two techniques in a model based on the amplifying Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation (NLSE) for each fiber laser, a fast saturable absorber equation for mode locking, and a directional coupler matrix for combining the individual lasers. The coupling between individual lasers of different length leads to the formation of array modes created from the subset of longitudinal modes that are common to all the fibers. As the common longitudinal modes, the array modes naturally lead to a frequency comb with a tooth separation much greater than that of the single-cavity longitudinal modes. Locking of these modes by a saturable absorber results in a pulse train whose repetition rate, given by the array mode separation, is inversely proportional to the fiber length difference and is thus tunable. Our model has been applied to both Erbium-doped fiber lasers operating in a wavelength region of anomalous dispersion (1.5 microns) and to Ytterbium-doped fiber lasers operating at 1.06 microns where the dispersion is normal. In the normal dispersion regime we find that the combination of saturable absorption and spectral filtering results in highly chirped dissipative solitons that contain more energy than those created in the anomalous dispersion region. The dissertation concludes with a novel analysis of the optical tunneling process that underlies the operation of the directional couplers used in beam combining. The analysis explains some paradoxical phenomena that had hitherto been interpreted as superluminal propagation.PHDElectrical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102469/1/chaozh_1.pd

Optical code division multiple access systems in AlGaInAs/InP

The rise of photonic integration makes optical code division multiple access (OCDMA) worth revisiting due to its promising role in future all-optical networks. OCDMA has the potential to exploit the surplus bandwidth of optical fibres and to carry over to the optical domain the benefits seen CDMA radio communication systems, such as the effective sharing of the spectrum for multiple network subscribers, and resistance to jamming and eavesdropping. One of the major requirements for the deployment of OCDMA in networks is integration. This thesis presents a research study of integrated OCDMA systems using the AlGaInAs/InP semiconductor material system. This material is considered due to its useful intrinsic properties such as thermal stability, strong electron confinement, and low threshold, making it suitable for fabricating optoelectronic devices. Two bespoke OCDMA systems are considered for integration: coherent temporal phase coding (TPC), and incoherent wavelength-hopping time-spreading (WHTS) OCDMA systems. TPC systems are excellent for high speed communications due to their static en/decoding enabling features. In this research, a 2×2 asymmetric Mach Zehnder interferometer (AMZI) is used to generate a 2-bit phase code, allowing multiplexing for up to four users. A semiconductor mode-locked ring laser is also embedded in the circuit, and using a synchronous mode-locking method, adequate signal en/decoding is achieved. WHTS systems on the other hand fully exploit the spectral and temporal space available in networks by assigning each user with a unique wavelength-time hop sequence for en/decoding data signals. Here, a mode-locked laser array is used with intracavity distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) for spectrally tuning each laser, and a 4:1 multimode interference coupler is used to combine the laser signals into a single channel for amplification, modulation and transmission. The integrated system is fully characterised and synchronisation experiments are performed to show the potential for its use in high speed multi-user networks. Mode-locked lasers play an important role in many OCDMA implementations due to their wide spectrum and discrete temporal properties, which can be easily exploited during data en/decoding. Various mode-locked laser devices have been studied during this research with additional embedded components such as intracavity DBRs and phase controllers for precise tuning of the wavelength and pulse repetition frequency. However, the noisy nature of passively operating mode-locked lasers make them prone to high jitter, which can result in high bit error rates. Synchronisation schemes are thereby explored in order to temporally stabilise the pulse oscillations to make them suitable for use in long haul transmission systems. This includes synchronous and hybrid mode-locking, as well as a passive technique using an optical fibre loop to provide phase feedback, which is shown to promote ultralow RF linewidths in mode-locked lasers