Efficiency of dispersive wave generation in dual concentric core microstructured fiber

We describe the generation of powerful dispersive waves that are observed when pumping a dual concentric core microstructured fiber by means of a sub-nanosecond laser emitting at the wavelength of~1064 nm. The presence of three zeros in the dispersion curve, their spectral separation from the pump wavelength, and the complex dynamics of solitons originated by the pump pulse break-up, all contribute to boost the amplitude of the dispersive wave on the long-wavelength side of the pump. The measured conversion efficiency towards the dispersive wave at 1548 nm is as high as 50%. Our experimental analysis of the output spectra is completed by the acquisition of the time delays of the different spectral components. Numerical simulations and an analytical perturbative analysis identify the central wavelength of the red-shifted pump solitons and the dispersion profile of the fiber as the key parameters for determining the efficiency of the dispersive wave generation process.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figure

Spatiotemporal Characterization of Supercontinuum Extending from the Visible to the Mid-Infrared in Multimode Graded-Index Optical Fiber

We experimentally demonstrate that pumping a graded-index multimode fiber with sub-ns pulses from a microchip Nd:YAG laser leads to spectrally flat supercontinuum generation with a uniform bell-shaped spatial beam profile extending from the visible to the mid-infrared at 2500\,nm. We study the development of the supercontinuum along the multimode fiber by the cut-back method, which permits us to analyze the competition between the Kerr-induced geometric parametric instability and stimulated Raman scattering. We also performed a spectrally resolved temporal analysis of the supercontinuum emission.Comment: 5 pages 7 figure

Light Echoes of Transients and Variables in the Local Universe

Astronomical light echoes, the time-dependent light scattered by dust in the vicinity of varying objects, have been recognized for over a century. Initially, their utility was thought to be confined to mapping out the three-dimensional distribution of interstellar dust. Recently, the discovery of spectroscopically-useful light echoes around centuries-old supernovae in the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud has opened up new scientific opportunities to exploit light echoes. In this review, we describe the history of light echoes in the local Universe and cover the many new developments in both the observation of light echoes and the interpretation of the light scattered from them. Among other benefits, we highlight our new ability to spectroscopically classify outbursting objects, to view them from multiple perspectives, to obtain a spectroscopic time series of the outburst, and to establish accurate distances to the source event. We also describe the broader range of variable objects whose properties may be better understood from light echo observations. Finally, we discuss the prospects of new light echo techniques not yet realized in practice.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in PAS

Spatial beam self-cleaning in second-harmonic generation

We experimentally demonstrate the spatial self-cleaning of a highly multimode optical beam, in the process of second-harmonic generation in a quadratic nonlinear potassium titanyl phosphate crystal. As the beam energy grows larger, the output beam from the crystal evolves from a highly speckled intensity pattern into a single, bell-shaped spot, sitting on a low energy background. We demonstrate that quadratic beam cleanup is accompanied by significant self-focusing of the fundamental beam, for both positive and negative signs of the linear phase mismatch close to the phase-matching condition

SN 2007od: A Type IIP SN with Circumstellar Interaction

SN 2007od exhibits characteristics that have rarely been seen in a Type IIP supernova (SN). Optical V band photometry reveals a very steep brightness decline between the plateau and nebular phases of ~4.5 mag, likely due to SN 2007od containing a low mass of 56Ni. The optical spectra show an evolution from normal Type IIP with broad Halpha emission, to a complex, four component Halpha emission profile exhibiting asymmetries caused by dust extinction after day 232. This is similar to the spectral evolution of the Type IIn SN 1998S, although no early-time narrow (~200 km s-1) Halpha component was present in SN 2007od. In both SNe, the intermediate-width Halpha emission components are thought to arise in the interaction between the ejecta and its circumstellar medium (CSM). SN 2007od also shows a mid-IR excess due to new dust. The evolution of the Halpha profile and the presence of the mid-IR excess provide strong evidence that SN 2007od formed new dust before day 232. Late-time observations reveal a flattening of the visible lightcurve. This flattening is a strong indication of the presence of a light echo, which likely accounts for much of the broad, underlying Halpha component seen at late-times. We believe the multi-peaked Halpha emission is consistent with the interaction of the ejecta with a circumstellar ring or torus (for the inner components at \pm1500 km s-1), and a single blob or cloud of circumstellar material out of the plane of the CSM ring (for the outer component at -5000 km s-1). The most probable location for the formation of new dust is in the cool dense shell created by the interaction between the expanding ejecta and its CSM. Monte Carlo radiative transfer modeling of the dust emission from SN 2007od implies that up to 4x 10-4Msun of new dust has formed. This is similar to the amounts of dust formed in other CCSNe such as SNe 1999em, 2004et, and 2006jc.Comment: 35 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Spatial beam reshaping and spectral broadening in quadratic crystals

Nonlinear optics in crystals with quadratic susceptibility has been largely explored along the last decades, with a particular emphasis on spatial solitons. When in the initial part of the propagation, the nonlinear length is much shorter than the diffraction length, rather than solitons, in these crystals it is possible to observe strong beam reshaping and spectral broadening. This mechanism of nonlinear beam evolution can be induced by combining high laser energies and large input diameters, so to reduce the contribution of diffraction in the initial steps of the propagation