José Amparo Andrade Lucio

Characterization of all-normal-dispersion microstructured optical fiber via numerical simulation of passive nonlinear pulse reshaping and single-pulse flat-top supercontinuum

The supercontinuum (SC) generated by pumping in anomalous dispersion is sensitive to the input pulse fluctuations and pump laser’s shot noises and does not possess a single-pulse waveform, so the incident pulse becomes a noise-like train of spikes. A simple method of creating pulsed lasers with either pulse-maintaining ultrabroad SC or specially shaped pulse waveforms can be implemented using all-normal-dispersion microstructured optical fibers (ANDi-MOFs). An ANDi-MOF with a simple topology and dispersion profile maximum at 800 nm was designed using the effective index method. Its properties and suitability were characterized via numerical simulation of femtosecond parabolic pulse formation and generation of an octave-spanning pulse-maintaining SC using a generalized propagation equation. The designed ANDi-MOF is suitable for resolving both problems and allows some detuning of the pulse’s wavelength around 800 nm. However, a better choice for SC generation is pumping at or near the wavelength where the third-order dispersion becomes zero. This configuration benefits from the absence of pulse break-up under large pulse energies, which appears otherwise. The fiber can provide a low-cost method for developing supercontinuum sources and a solution to the problems of parabolic waveform formation to meet the needs of optical signal processing and pulse amplification and compression.

Formation of parabolic optical pulses in passive optical fibers

We have investigated a nonlinear pulse reshaping towards parabolic pulses in the passive normal dispersive optical fibers. We have found that pulses with parabolic intensity profile, parabolic spectrum and linear chirp can be obtained due to the passive nonlinear reshaping at the propagation distance exceeding a few dispersion lengths. These pulses preserve parabolic profile during subsequent pulse propagation in a fiber. We have examined the influence of initial pulse parameters and fiber parameters on the resulted pulse shape.

All-normal dispersion photonic crystal fiber for parabolic pulses and supercontinuum generation

We have designed an all-normal dispersion photonic crystal fiber optimized for pumping at 800 nm with initial pulses which are typical for conventional Ti:Sapphire lasers. Parabolic pulse formation and supercontinuum generation in this fiber is analyzed both in time and frequency domains.

Graphics processing unit–accelerated finite-difference time-domain method for characterization of photonic crystal fibers

Abstract. In the work, we have presented the technique based on the graphics processing unit accelerated finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for characterization of a single-mode photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with an arbitrary refractive index profile. In contrast to other numerical methods, the FDTD allows studying the mode propagation along the fiber. Particularly, we have focused attention on the method details that allowed us to reduce dramatically the computation time. It has been demonstrated that the accuracy of dispersion obtained by the FDTD method is comparable to the one provided by the finite elements method while possessing lower computation time. The method has been used to determine the fundamental mode cut-off of all-normal dispersion PCF and to find fiber losses beyond this wavelength.

Optical power limiter on the basis of 2D photonic crystal

In this work we investigated the possibility of the radiation intensity stabilization using the 2D nonlinear photonic crystal. Numerical experiment approves this assumption. The numerical experiment is carried out for saturable nonlinear material with different saturation threshold. Due to the utilization of photonic crystals, such a devices can be easily integrated to photonic circuits.

All-Normal-Dispersion Photonic Crystal Fibers Under Prism of Supercontinuum Generation and Pulse Compression

We discuss properties of all-normal-dispersion photonic crystal fibers in context of supercontinuum generation and compression of ultrashort pulses. The application of pump pulses typical for the state of the art Ti:Sapphire lasers allows obtaining quite flat and broad spectra extending more than one octave in this fiber. The influence of initial pump pulse parameters such as pulse energy, duration, and pump wavelength on the SC generation was investigated. It was shown that compression of pulses with such SC spectra allows obtaining a few cycle pulses up to 8.1 fs, if a simple quadratic compressor is used and single cycle pulses up to 2.5 fs, if full phase compensation is provided.

Formation of ultrashort parabolic pulses via passive nonlinear reshaping in normal dispersive optical fibers at 1550 nm

We have investigated ultrashort parabolic pulse formation via passive nonlinear reshaping in normal dispersive optical fibers at 1550 nm. It was investigated parabolic pulse formation in the transient-state regime and in the steady-state regime. Numerical simulations have been made based on generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation taking into account high-order dispersion terms and high order nonlinear terms. It was examined the applicability of different commercially available fibers for parabolic pulse formation at 1550 nm. It was found that small amount of positive second-order dispersion and quite sufficient third-order dispersion can restrict strongly the formation of parabolic pulses at 1550 nm. The most suitable fiber for pulse reshaping has been found.

Global sensitivity analysis of the dispersion maximum position of the PCFs with circular holes

Microstructured fibers have recently become popular due to their numerous applications for fiber lasers,1 super-continuum generationi2 and pulse reshaping.3 One of the most important properties of such fibers that is taken into account is its dispersion. Fine tuning of the dispersion (i.e. dispersion management) is one of the crucial peculiarities of the photonic crystal fibers (PCFs)4 that are particular case of the microstructured fibers. During last years, there have been presented various designs of the PCFs possessing specially-designed dispersion shapes. 5-7 However, no universal technique exists which would allow tuning the PCF dispersion without using optimization methods. In our work, we investigate the sensitivity of the PCF dispersion as respect to variation of its basic parameters. This knowledge allows fine-tuning the position of local maximum of the PCF dispersion while maintaining other properties unchanged. The work is organized as follows. In the first section we discuss the dispersion computation method that is suitable for the global sensitivity analysis. The second section presents the global sensitivity analysis for this specific case. We also discuss there possible selection of the variable parameters.

Ultrafast Nonlinear Fiber Optics: Single-Pulse Supercontinua and Specialty-Shape Pulses

The paper presents the way that colour can serve solving the problem of calibration points indexing in a camera geometrical calibration process. We propose a technique in which indexes of calibration points in a black-and-white chessboard are represented as sets of colour regions in the neighbourhood of calibration points. We provide some general rules for designing a colour calibration chessboard and provide a method of calibration image analysis. We show that this approach leads to obtaining better results than in the case of widely used methods employing information about already indexed points to compute indexes. We also report constraints concerning the technique. Nowadays we are witnessing an increasing need for camera geometrical calibration systems. They are vital for such applications as 3D modelling, 3D reconstruction, assembly control systems, etc. Wherever possible, calibration objects placed in the scene are used in a camera geometrical calibration process. This approach significantly increases accuracy of calibration results and makes the calibration data extraction process easier and universal. There are many geometrical camera calibration techniques for a known calibration scene [1]. A great number of them use as an input calibration points which are localised and indexed in the scene. In this paper we propose the technique of calibration points indexing which uses a colour chessboard. The presented technique was developed by solving problems we encountered during experiments with our earlier methods of camera calibration scene analysis [2]-[3]. In particular, the proposed technique increases the number of indexed points points in case of local lack of calibration points detection. At the beginning of the paper we present a way of designing a chessboard pattern. Then we describe a calibration point indexing method, and finally we show experimental results. A black-and-white chessboard is widely used in order to obtain sub-pixel accuracy of calibration points localisation [1]. Calibration points are defined as corners of chessboard squares. Assuming the availability of rough localisation of these points, the points can be indexed. Noting that differences in distances between neighbouring points in calibration scene images differ slightly, one of the local searching methods can be employed (e.g. [2]). Methods of this type search for a calibration point to be indexed, using a window of a certain size. The position of the window is determined by a vector representing the distance between two previously indexed points in the same row or column. However, experiments show that this approach has its disadvantages, as described below. * E-mail: A.Nowakowski@ire.pw.edu.pl Firstly, there is a danger of omitting some points during indexing in case of local lack of calibration points detection in a neighbourhood (e.g. caused by the presence of non-homogeneous light in the calibration scene). A particularly unfavourable situation is when the local lack of detection effects in the appearance of separated regions of detected calibration points. It is worth saying that such situations are likely to happen for calibration points situated near image borders. Such points are very important for the analysis of optical nonlinearities, and a lack of them can significantly influence the accuracy of distortion modelling. Secondly, such methods may give wrong results in the case of optical distortion with strong nonlinearities when getting information about the neighbouring index is not an easy task. Beside this, the methods are very sensitive to a single false localisation of a calibration point. Such a single false localisation can even result in false indexing of a big set of calibration points. To avoid the above-mentioned problems, we propose using a black-and-white chessboard which contains the coded index of a calibration point in the form of colour squares situated in the nearest neighbourhood of each point. The index of a certain calibration point is determined by colours of four nearest neighbouring squares (Fig.1). An order of squares in such foursome is important. Because the size of a colour square is determined only by the possibility of correct colour detection, the size of a colour square can be smaller than the size of a black or white square. The larger size of a black or white square is determined by the requirements of the exact localisation step which follows the indexing of calibration points [3]. In this step, edge information is extracted from a blackand-white chessboard. This edge information needs larger Artur Nowakowski, Wladyslaw Skarbek Institute of Radioelectronics, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 15/19, 00-665 Warszawa, A.Nowakowski@ire.pw.edu.pl Received February 10, 2009; accepted March 27, 2009; published March 31, 2009 http://www.photonics.pl/PLP

Passive nonlinear pulse reshaping in optical fibers

Needs of science and industry for compact laser sources with ultra-broad spectrum or specially shaped pulse waveforms can be satisfied on fiber-optic platform. Here we address transformation of ultrashort optical pulses in a variety of optical fibers aiming synthesis of specially shaped pulses and single-pulse flat-top supercontinuum. Results are discussed in the context of possible applications and experimental implementations.