Karol Tarnowski

Highly birefringent microstructured fibers with enhanced sensitivity to hydrostatic pressure

We designed, manufactured and characterized two birefringent microstructured fibers that feature a 5-fold increase in polarimetric sensitivity to hydrostatic pressure compared to the earlier reported values for microstructured fibers. We demonstrate a good agreement between the finite element simulations and the experimental values for the polarimetric sensitivity to pressure and to temperature. The sensitivity to hydrostatic pressure has a negative sign and exceeds -43 rad/MPa x m at 1.55 microm for both fibers. In combination with the very low sensitivity to temperature, this makes our fibers the candidates of choice for the development of microstructured fiber based hydrostatic pressure measurement systems.

Infrared cylindrical cloak in nanosphere dispersed liquid crystal metamaterial.

We present a design of an infrared cylindrical cloak using nanosphere dispersed nematic liquid crystal (NLC) metamaterial following the approach of Smiths group [Science 314, 977 (2006)]. Cloaking conditions require spatial distribution of liquid crystal birefringence with constant extraordinary index of refraction and radially dependent ordinary index of refraction. An approximate analytical formula for the latter is derived. Finite element (FE) simulations confirm the cloaking effect. Owing to the tunable birefringence of the liquid crystal component, such cloaking material offers the interesting possibilities of real-time control of invisibility. The possibility of experimental realization is briefly discussed.

Fabrication of multiple Bragg gratings in microstructured polymer fibers using a phase mask with several diffraction orders

We demonstrate for the first time a possibility of fabrication of Bragg gratings in polymer microstructured fibers with multiple reflection peaks by using He-Cd laser (λ = 325 nm) and a phase mask with higher diffraction orders. We experimentally studied the growth dynamics of the grating with the primary Bragg peak at λ(B) = 1555 nm, for which we also observed good quality peaks located at λ(B)/2 = 782 nm and 2λ(B)/3 = 1040 nm. Temperature response of all the Bragg peaks was also investigated. Detailed numerical simulations of the interference pattern produced by the phase mask suggests that the higher order Bragg peaks originate from interference of UV beams diffracted in ± 1st, ± 2nd orders. We also demonstrated the grating with the reflection peak at λ(B)/2 = 659 nm, which is the shortest Bragg wavelength ever reported for polymer microstructured fibers. This peak was observed for the grating with primary Bragg wavelength at λ(B) = 1309 nm.

Liquid crystal hyperbolic metamaterial for wide-angle negative–positive refraction and reflection

We show that nanosphere dispersed liquid crystal (NDLC) metamaterial can be characterized in near IR spectral region as an indefinite medium whose real parts of effective ordinary and extraordinary permittivities are opposite in signs. Based on this fact we designed an electro-optic effect: an external electric-field-driven switch between normal refraction, negative refraction, and reflection of TM incident electromagnetic wave from the boundary vacuum/NDLC. A detailed analysis of its functionality is given based on effective medium theory combined with a study of negative refraction in anisotropic metamaterials and finite elements simulations.

Quasi-Phase-Matched Third Harmonic Generation in Optical Fibers Using Refractive-Index Gratings

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the quasi-phase-matching of third harmonic generation process in optical fibers using refractive-index gratings. We compare conversion efficiency calculated with analytical coupled-modes theory and numerical approach employing a system of coupled generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Moreover, we show that introducing the phase matching condition that takes into account the nonlinear contribution to propagation constants significantly increases the conversion efficiency by several orders of magnitude. Finally, we optimize the grating constant to maximize conversion efficiency.

All-polarization-maintaining-fiber laser Q-switched by evanescent field interaction with Sb2Te3 saturable absorber

Abstract. We report on the generation of 152-nJ Q-switched pulses in all-polarization-maintaining Er-doped fiber laser. The laser is passively modulated by the antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) layer sputtered on a surface of the side-polished fiber in order to exploit the evanescent field interaction in optically nonlinear material. The laser cavity is designed in an extremely simple way comprising, in addition to fibers, only one component and the saturable absorber, forming a robust, compact, and stable source of short pulses. The repetition rate might be tuned from 42 kHz up to 132 kHz. The shortest recorded pulse duration was the 857 ns.

Nonlinear frequency conversion in a birefringent microstructured fiber tuned by externally applied hydrostatic pressure

We studied vector frequency conversion in externally tuned microstructured fibers for applications as a novel, nonlinear fiber-optic sensor. We investigated both experimentally and numerically a possibility of shifting vector and scalar modulation instability gain bands by pressure-induced changes in the linear properties of a microstructured fiber. Our results show that polarization-dependent vector nonlinear processes sensitive to variation of fiber group velocity difference (group birefringence) exhibit a clear advantage for pressure-sensing applications compared with scalar nonlinear processes only sensitive to group velocity dispersion changes. Analytical predictions and numerical simulations confirm our measurement results.

Tailoring supercontinuum generation beyond 2 μm in step-index tellurite fibers

We report numerical and experimental demonstrations of flexible group-velocity dispersion regimes in step-index tellurite fibers by fine control of the fiber core diameter. Our simple fiber design allowed us to explore various nonlinear propagation regimes beyond 2 μm, which involved careful control of four-wave mixing processes. Combined with the recent development of 2 μm fiber lasers, we present an easy way to tailor supercontinuum generation and related coherence features in the high-demand 1.5-3.5 μm spectral region.

Polarizing photonic crystal fiber with low index inclusion in the core

We demonstrate that adding a boron-doped inclusion in the core of a polarizing photonic crystal fiber significantly increases its polarization bandwidth. We present the characteristics of two fabricated fibers, including spectral dependence of loss in both polarization modes and polarization-dependent loss in straight as well as bent fibers. Our experiments prove that bending significantly increases the polarization band of the boron-doped fibers on the short wavelength edge. For a properly adjusted bending radius a single polarization guidance can be obtained in a wide spectral range. Moreover, we present the results of loss simulations carried out for the actual geometry of the fabricated fibers, which are in agreement with the measurement results.

Coherent supercontinuum generation up to 2.2 µm in an all-normal dispersion microstructured silica fiber

For the first time to our knowledge, we demonstrate a coherent supercontinuum in silica fibers reaching 2.2 µm in a long wavelength range. The process of supercontinuum generation was studied experimentally and numerically in two microstructured fibers with a germanium doped core, having flat all-normal chromatic dispersion optimized for pumping at 1.55 µm. The fibers were pumped with two pulse lasers operating at 1.56 µm with different pulse duration times equal respectively to 23 fs and 460 fs. The experimental results are in a good agreement with the simulations conducted by solving the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation with the split-step Fourier method. The simulations also confirmed high coherence of the generated spectra and revealed that their long wavelength edge (2.2 µm) is related to OH contamination. Therefore, improving the fibers purity will result in further up-shift of the long wavelength spectra limit.