143 research outputs found
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Nonlinear optics in doped fibers. Final report, May 1, 1992--April 30, 1996
The main objective of this contract was to study a novel scheme to obtain very strong third-order optical nonlinearities in fibers doped with a suitable absorber in order to produce low-power all-optical fiber switches. In these devices, a signal is switched from a first fiber to a second fiber by the application of an optimal pump of wavelength different from that of the signal. The pump acts on the nonlinearity of the fiber, resulting from the dopant present in the fiber core, to modify the fiber index. The switch is made of a fiber interferometer which transforms this index modulation into an amplitude modulation. The signal is switched as long as the pump is applied, and it returns to the first fiber when the pump is turned off. The incentive was to develop switches exhibiting the following properties: (1) low switching power, (2) a short nonlinear fiber to be able to utilize a short and thus environmentally stable interferometer, (3) fast response time, (4) broad range of signal wavelengths, particularly around 1.55 and 1.32 {micro}m, (5) pump wavelengths readily available from diode lasers, and (6) low signal loss. This research also involved the study of various fiber interferometers to determine the best possible switch architectures, in terms of pump power requirement, stability against environmental temperature fluctuations and possible pump-induced heating of the fiber. Switches are strongly needed for a large number of important applications. The rest of this report is a summary of the most important tasks carried out, and of the major discoveries made, under this contract
Linearly polarized, 3.35 W narrow-linewidth, 1150 nm fiber master oscillator power amplifier for frequency doubling to the yellow
A high-power linearly polarized Yb-doped silica fiber master oscillator power amplifier at 1150 nm is reported. It produced 3.35 W cw and 2.33 W of average power in 1 s pulses at a 100 kHz repetition rate, both with 8 pm linewidth. This is the first report, to the best of our knowledge, of a high-power Yb-doped fiber amplifier at a wavelength longer than 1135 nm. The pulsed output was frequency doubled in a bulk periodically poled near-stoichiometric LiTaO 3 chip to generate 976 mW of average power at 575 nm with an overall system optical-to-optical efficiency of 9.8% with respect to launched pump power
Spectroscopy of thulium and holmium heavily doped tellurite glasses
In this study, we report spectroscopic properties of Tm3þ and Ho3þ codoped tellurite glasses over a wide dopant concentration range in order to assess their potential laser performance under 790 nm diode laser excitation. The impact of Tm3þ and Ho3þ concentrations is investigated to identify specific candidates for fiber laser operation. The emission cross section is calculated and discussed, as well as the gain coefficient of this type of glasses. Energy transfer microparameters and critical ion distances are determined for 3H4, 3F4 (Tm3þ), and 5I7 (Ho3þ) emission levels in the framework of diffusionlimited regime and dipole-dipole interaction. We also report thermal properties of tested glasse
Upconversion assisted self-pulsing in a high-concentration erbium doped fiber laser
We report results on experimental and theoretical characterisation of self-pulsing in high concentration erbium doped fibre laser which is free from erbium clusters. Unlike previous models of self-pulsing accounting for pair-induced quenching (PIQ) on the clustered erbium ions, new model has been developed with accounting for statistical nature of the excitation migration and upconversion and resonance-like pumpto-signal intensity noise transfer. The obtained results are in a good agreement with the experimental data
Wideband-tuneable, nanotube mode-locked, fibre laser
Ultrashort-pulse lasers with spectral tuning capability have widespread applications in fields such as spectroscopy, biomedical research and telecommunications1–3. Mode-locked fibre lasers are convenient and powerful sources of ultrashort pulses4, and the inclusion of a broadband saturable absorber as a passive optical switch inside the laser cavity may offer tuneability over a range of wavelengths5. Semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors are widely used in fibre lasers4–6, but their operating range is typically limited to a few tens of nanometres7,8, and their fabrication can be challenging in the 1.3–1.5 mm wavelength region used for optical communications9,10. Single-walled carbon nanotubes are excellent saturable absorbers because of their subpicosecond recovery time, low saturation intensity, polarization insensitivity, and mechanical and environmental robustness11–16. Here, we engineer a nanotube–polycarbonate film with a wide bandwidth (>300 nm) around 1.55 mm, and then use it to demonstrate a 2.4 ps Er31-doped fibre laser that is tuneable from 1,518 to 1,558 nm. In principle, different diameters and chiralities of nanotubes could be combined to enable compact, mode-locked fibre lasers that are tuneable over a much broader range of wavelengths than other systems
Direct Simulation of a Solidification Benchmark Experiment
International audienceA solidification benchmark experiment is simulated using a three-dimensional cellular automaton-finite element solidification model. The experiment consists of a rectangular cavity containing a Sn-3 wt pct Pb alloy. The alloy is first melted and then solidified in the cavity. A dense array of thermocouples permits monitoring of temperatures in the cavity and in the heat exchangers surrounding the cavity. After solidification, the grain structure is revealed by metallography. X-ray radiography and inductively coupled plasma spectrometry are also conducted to access a distribution map of Pb, or macrosegregation map. The solidification model consists of solutions for heat, solute mass, and momentum conservations using the finite element method. It is coupled with a description of the development of grain structure using the cellular automaton method. A careful and direct comparison with experimental results is possible thanks to boundary conditions deduced from the temperature measurements, as well as a careful choice of the values of the material properties for simulation. Results show that the temperature maps and the macrosegregation map can only be approached with a three-dimensional simulation that includes the description of the grain structure
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