116 research outputs found
Nonlinear self-flipping of polarization states in asymmetric waveguides
Waveguides of subwavelength dimensions with asymmetric geometries, such as
rib waveguides, can display nonlinear polarization effects in which the
nonlinear phase difference dominates the linear contribution, provided the
birefringence is sufficiently small. We demonstrate that self-flipping
polarization states can appear in such rib waveguides at low (mW) power levels.
We describe an optical power limiting device with optimized rib waveguide
parameters that can operate at low powers with switching properties
Predicting the whispering gallery mode spectra of microresonators
The whispering gallery modes (WGMs) of optical resonators have prompted
intensive research efforts due to their usefulness in the field of biological
sensing, and their employment in nonlinear optics. While much information is
available in the literature on numerical modeling of WGMs in microspheres, it
remains a challenging task to be able to predict the emitted spectra of
spherical microresonators. Here, we establish a customizable Finite- Difference
Time-Domain (FDTD)-based approach to investigate the WGM spectrum of
microspheres. The simulations are carried out in the vicinity of a dipole
source rather than a typical plane-wave beam excitation, thus providing an
effective analogue of the fluorescent dye or nanoparticle coatings used in
experiment. The analysis of a single dipole source at different positions on
the surface or inside a microsphere, serves to assess the relative efficiency
of nearby radiating TE and TM modes, characterizing the profile of the
spectrum. By varying the number, positions and alignments of the dipole
sources, different excitation scenarios can be compared to analytic models, and
to experimental results. The energy flux is collected via a nearby disk-shaped
region. The resultant spectral profile shows a dependence on the configuration
of the dipole sources. The power outcoupling can then be optimized for specific
modes and wavelength regions. The development of such a computational tool can
aid the preparation of optical sensors prior to fabrication, by preselecting
desired the optical properties of the resonator.Comment: Approved version for SPIE Photonics West, LASE, Laser Resonators,
Microresonators and Beam Control XV
Method for predicting whispering gallery mode spectra of spherical microresonators
A full three-dimensional Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD)-based toolkit
is developed to simulate the whispering gallery modes of a microsphere in the
vicinity of a dipole source. This provides a guide for experiments that rely on
efficient coupling to the modes of microspheres. The resultant spectra are
compared to those of analytic models used in the field. In contrast to the
analytic models, the FDTD method is able to collect flux from a variety of
possible collection regions, such as a disk-shaped region. The customizability
of the technique allows one to consider a variety of mode excitation scenarios,
which are particularly useful for investigating novel properties of optical
resonators, and are valuable in assessing the viability of a resonator for
biosensing.Comment: Published 10 Apr 2015 in Opt. Express Vol. 23, Issue 8, pp.
9924-9937; The FDTD toolkit supercomputer scripts are hosted at:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/npps/files/FDTD_WGM_Simulator
Index matching between passive and active tellurite glasses for use in microstructured fiber lasers: Erbium doped lanthanum-tellurite glass
Active and passive variants of La-containing tellurite glasses have been developed with matched refractive indices. The consequences of adding lanthanum to the glass was studied through measurements of the crystallization stability, glass viscosity and the loss of unstructured fibers. Doping the glass with erbium allowed for any spectroscopic changes to be observed through measurements of the absorption and energy level lifetimes. The fluorescence emission spectra were measured at 1.5 microm and, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time in tellurite glass at 2.7 microm.Michael R. Oermann, Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem, Yahua Li, Tze-Cheung Foo, and Tanya M. Monrohttp://www.opticsinfobase.org/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-17-18-1557
Driving down the Detection Limit in Microstructured Fiber-Based Chemical Dip Sensors
We present improvements to fluorescence sensing in soft-glass microstructured optical fibers that result in significantly improved sensitivity relative to previously published results. Concentrations of CdSe quantum dots down to 10 pM levels have been demonstrated. We show that the primary limitation to the sensitivity of these systems is the intrinsic fluorescence of the glass itself
Direct probing of evanescent field for characterization of porous terahertz fibers
We develop a technique based on a micromachined photoconductive probe-tip to characterize a terahertz (THz) porous fiber. Losses less than 0.08 cm-1 are measured in the frequency range from 0.2 to 0.35 THz, with the minimum of 0.003 cm-1 at 0.24 THz. Normalized group velocity greater than 0.8, which corresponds to dispersion values in between -1.3 and -0.5 ps/m/μm for 0.2<f<0.35 THz are obtained. Moreover, we directly measure the evanescent electric field as a function of frequency. Good agreement between the measured curves and expected theoretical values indicates the low invasiveness of the applied probe-tip. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.Shaghik Atakaramians, Shahraam Afshar V., Michael Nagel, Henrik K. Rasmussen, Ole Bang, Tanya M. Monro, and Derek Abbot
Nanodiamond in tellurite glass Part I: origin of loss in nanodiamond-doped glass
Tellurite glass fibers with embedded nanodiamond are attractive materials for
quantum photonic applications. Reducing the loss of these fibers in the 600-800
nm wavelength range of nanodiamond fluorescence is essential to exploit the
unique properties of nanodiamond in the new hybrid material. In the first part
of this study, we report the effect of interaction of the tellurite glass melt
with the embedded nanodiamond on the loss of the glasses. The glass fabrication
conditions such as melting temperature and concentration of NDs added to the
melt were found to have critical influence on the interaction. Based on this
understanding, we identified promising fabrication conditions for decreasing
the loss to levels required for practical applications.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
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