Georges Semaan

Multiscale imaging of plants: current approaches and challenges

We review a set of recent multiscale imaging techniques, producing high-resolution images of interest for plant sciences. These techniques are promising because they match the multiscale structure of plants. However, the use of such high-resolution images is challenging in the perspective of their application to high-throughput phenotyping on large populations of plants, because of the memory cost for their data storage and the computational cost for their processing to extract information. We discuss how this renews the interest for multiscale image processing tools such as wavelets, fractals and recent variants to analyse such high-resolution images.

Generation of high energy square-wave pulses in all anomalous dispersion Er:Yb passive mode locked fiber ring laser.

We have experimentally demonstrated square pulses emission from a co-doped Er:Yb double-clad fiber laser operating in anomalous dispersion DSR regime using the nonlinear polarization evolution technique. Stable mode-locked pulses have a repetition rate of 373 kHz with 2.27 µJ energy per pulse under a pumping power of 30 W in cavity. With the increase of pump power, both the duration and the energy of the output square pulses broaden. The experimental results demonstrate that the passively mode-locked fiber laser operating in the anomalous regime can also realize a high-energy pulse, which is different from the conventional low-energy soliton pulse.

10 μJ dissipative soliton resonance square pulse in a dual amplifier figure-of-eight double-clad Er:Yb mode-locked fiber laser

We demonstrate experimentally a double-clad Er:Yb co-doped dual amplifier passive mode-locked figure-of-eight fiber laser that generates high energy, width, and amplitude tunable dissipative soliton resonance square pulses. In our laser system, each loop contains an amplifier that controls a characteristic of the output pulse. The amplitude and width of the output beam can be controlled continuously but, dependently, according to the pump power of each amplifier. The pulse width can be tuned in a range of almost 360 ns while the peak power varies from 8 to 120 W. On maximum possible pumping from both sides without having a pulse break, we report square pulses with 10 μJ energy per pulse with a signal-to-noise ratio of 60 dB.

High power L-band mode-locked fiber laser based on topological insulator saturable absorber

We demonstrate a passive mode-locked Er:Yb doped double-clad fiber laser using a microfiber-based topological insulator (Bi(2)Se(3)) saturable absorber (TISA). By optimizing the cavity loss and output coupling ratio, the mode-locked fiber laser can operate in L-band with high average output power. With the highest pump power of 5 W, 91st harmonic mode locking of soliton bunches with average output power of 308 mW was obtained. This is the first report that the TISA based erbium-doped fiber laser operating above 1.6 μm and is also the highest output power yet reported in TISA based passive mode-locked fiber laser.

Widely tunable, narrow line width and low optical noise continuous-wave all fiber Er:Yb co-doped double-clad ring laser

In this paper, we report a widely tunable, narrow linewidth, low noise continuous-wave double-clad Er:Yb doped fiber ring laser. Tunability is demonstrated in wide range spanning from 1520 to almost 1620 nm covering the C and L spectral bands. The cavity design is optimized in order to achieve the largest tuning range with very high optical signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The output coupling ratio greatly influences the tuning range of the laser while the position of the spectral filter determines the SNR. The obtained laser exhibits a tuning range over 98 nm with a nearly constant SNR of about 58.5 dB.

High power passively mode-locked fiber laser based on graphene nanocoated optical taper

We experimentally demonstrate a passively mode-locked Er:Yb doped double-clad fiber laser using a graphene nanocoated optical taper. Averaging 20 μm of clad diameter with a length of 6 mm, such a saturable absorber enables a strong light–graphene interaction owing to the evanescent field of the excited cladding mode. With the highest pump power of 5 W, the 326th harmonic mode locking of soliton bunches with an average output power of 520 mW was obtained in a fiber ring cavity that has a fundamental frequency of 1.67 MHz. This is the highest average output power yet reported in graphene-based passively mode-locked fiber lasers.

High power passive mode-locked L-band fiber laser based on microfiber topological insulator saturable absorber

In this communication, we demonstrate a passive mode-locked Er:Yb co-doped double-clad fiber laser using a tapered microfiber topological insulator (Bi2Se3) saturable absorber (TISA). The topological insulator is drop-casted onto the tapered fiber and optically deposited by optical tweezer effect. We use a ring laser setup including the fabricated TISA. By carefully optimizing the cavity losses and output coupling ratio, the mode-locked laser can operate in L-band with a high average output power. At a maximum pump power of 5 W, we obtain the 91st harmonic mode-locking of soliton bunches with a 3dB spectral bandwidth of 1.06nm, a repetition rate of 640.9 MHz and an average output power of 308mW. As far as we know, this is the highest output power yet reported of a mode-locked fiber laser operating with a TISA.

Graphene-based saturable absorber for high average-power fiber lasers

Owing to its strong optical characteristics, graphene has emerged in the field of ultrafast lasers as a prominent saturable absorber. In this communication, we present a passively mode-locked Er:Yb doped double-clad fiber laser using a graphene deposited tapered fiber (GDTF). Averaging 20 μm of diameter with a length of 6 mm, the taper enables a strong light–graphene interaction owing to the evanescent field of the excited cladding mode. To create the saturable absorber device, graphene solution is carefully deposited via a micro syringe so that the waist of the taper is completely immersed into the aqueous solution. Then, a continuous wave laser with output power up to 95-mW centered at 1550 nm is injected into the taper. Deposition of graphene onto the taper by the optical tweezers effect started when the transmitted power dropped significantly. Afterwards, the GDTF is implemented in a fiber cavity to test its mode-locking performance. At the maximum available pump power, we obtain the 326th harmonic mode locking of soliton bunches with average output power of 520 mW.

Dissipative soliton resonance in the Er:Yb:doped double-clad fiber laser

Dissipative soliton resonance (DSR) is an efficient way to achieve high energetic pulses without wave breaking. In fiber laser, DSR operation manifests as square pulses emission. Based on this principle, we have experimentally demonstrated pulses in the micro joule range. Experiments have been conducted using double-clad Er:Yb-doped fiber lasers in different optical configurations. In particular, we demonstrate 10 μJ DSR emission in an optimized cavity and also the possibility to observe wave breaking in DSR regime. In the latter case, harmonic mode-locking of square pulses is demonstrated.

Exhaustive study of dissipative soliton resonance in a dual amplifier passively mode-locked fiber laser

We have proposed an exhaustive experimental study of dissipative soliton resonance in a double clad Er:Yb co-doped dual amplifier passively mode-locked figure-of-eight fiber laser. By adjusting the pumping powers of the amplifiers, both the amplitude and width of the output square-wave pulse can be tuned continuously. Moreover, some other key parameters such as the net cavity dispersion and the coupling ratio between the two loops of the cavity have been studied.