Michael H. Frosz

The role of the second zero-dispersion wavelength in generation of supercontinua and bright-bright soliton-pairs across the zero-dispersion wavelength

Supercontinuum generation with femtosecond pulses in photonic crystal fibers with two zero-dispersion wavelengths (ZDWs) is investigated numerically. The role of the higher ZDW is examined for 5 fiber designs with a nearly constant lower ZDW. It is found that the resulting spectrum is mainly determined by self-phase modulation in the first few mm of fiber, followed by soliton self-frequency shift and amplification of dispersive waves. It is demonstrated how femtosecond soliton pulses can be generated with any desired center wavelength in the 1020-1200 nm range by adjusting the fiber length. Further, the generation of a bright-bright soliton-pair from an initial single red-shifted soliton is found. The soliton-pair has one color in the anomalous dispersion region and the other color in the normal dispersion region, which has not previously been described for bright-bright soliton-pairs.

Soliton collision and Raman gain regimes in continuous-wave pumped supercontinuum generation

We numerically investigate supercontinuum generation using continuous-wave pumping. It is found that energy transfer during collision of solitons plays an important role. The relative influence of Raman gain on spectral broadening is shown to depend on the width of the calculation time window. Our results indicate that increasing the spectral linewidth of the pump can decrease the supercontinuum spectral width. Using a fiber with smaller dispersion at the pump wavelength reduces the required fiber length by decreasing the temporal width of the solitons formed from modulation instability. This also reduces the sensitivity to the pump spectral linewidth.

Supercontinuum generation in a photonic crystal fiber with two zero-dispersion wavelengths tapered to normal dispersion at all wavelengths

We numerically study supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fibers with two zero-dispersion wavelengths, weakly tapered to have normal dispersion at all wavelengths after a certain distance. We pump with 15 fs pulses with milliwatt average power and show that two distinct smooth spectral parts are generated, with improved stability due to the normal dispersion. We characterize the two spectral parts and show how the 3 dB bandwidth, the center wavelength, and the power of the two parts depend on the taper parameters and the pump power.

Highly sensitive and simple method for refractive index sensing of liquids in microstructured optical fibers using four-wave mixing.

We present both experimental measurements and simulations for a simple fiber-optical liquid refractive index sensor, made using only commercially available components and without advanced postprocessing of the fiber. Despite the simplicity, we obtain the highest sensitivity experimentally demonstrated to date for aqueous solutions (refractive index around 1.33), which is relevant for extensions to biosensing. The sensor is based on measuring the spectral shift of peaks arising from four-wave mixing (FWM), when filling the holes of a microstructured fiber with different liquid samples and propagating nanosecond pulses through the silica-core of the fiber. To the best of our knowledge, this is also the first experiment where a liquid is filled into the holes of a solid-core microstructured fiber to control the phase-match conditions for FWM.

Nanoengineering of photonic crystal fibers for supercontinuum spectral shaping

Supercontinuum generation using picosecond pulses pumped into cobweb photonic crystal fibers is investigated. Dispersion profiles are calculated for several fiber designs and used to analytically investigate the influence of the fiber structural parameters (core size and wall thickness) on the location of the Stokes and anti-Stokes bands and gain bandwidth. An analysis shows that the Raman effect is responsible for reducing the four-wave mixing gain and a slight reduction in the corresponding frequency shift from the pump, when the frequency shift is much larger than the Raman shift. Using numerical simulations we find that four-wave mixing is the dominant physical mechanism for the pumping scheme considered, and that there is a trade-off between the spectral width and the spectral flatness of the supercontinuum. The balance of this trade-off is determined by nanometer-scale design of the fiber structural parameters. It is also shown that the relatively high loss of the nonlinear fiber does not significantly affect the supercontinuum generation.

Advanced modelling of optical coherence tomography systems

Analytical and numerical models for describing and understanding the light propagation in samples imaged by optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems are presented. An analytical model for calculating the OCT signal based on the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle valid both for the single and multiple scattering regimes is reviewed. An advanced Monte Carlo model for calculating the OCT signal is also reviewed, and the validity of this model is shown through a mathematical proof based on the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle. Moreover, for the first time the model is verified experimentally. From the analytical model, an algorithm for enhancing OCT images is developed: the so-called true-reflection algorithm in which the OCT signal may be corrected for the attenuation caused by scattering. For the first time, the algorithm is demonstrated by using the Monte Carlo model as a numerical tissue phantom. Such algorithm holds promise for improving OCT imagery and to extend the possibility for functional imaging.

Broadband light generation at ~1300 nm through spectrally recoiled solitons and dispersive waves

We experimentally study the generation of broadband light at ~1300 nm from an 810 nm Ti:sapphire femtosecond pump laser. We use two photonic crystal fibers with a second infrared zero-dispersion wavelength (λZ2) and compare the efficiency of two schemes: in one fiber λZ2=1400 nm and the light at 1300 nm is composed of spectrally recoiled solitons; in the other fiber λZ2=1200 nm and the light at 1300 nm is composed of dispersive waves.

Increasing the blue-shift of a supercontinuum by modifying the fiber glass composition

Supercontinuum light sources spanning into the ultraviolet- visible wavelength region are highly useful for applications such as fluorescence microscopy. A method of shifting the supercontinuum spectrum into this wavelength region has recently become well understood. The method relies on designing the group-velocity profile of the nonlinear fiber in which the supercontinuum is generated, so that red-shifted solitons are group-velocity matched to dispersive waves in the desired ultraviolet-visible wavelength region. The group-velocity profile of a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) can be engineered through the structure of the PCF, but this mostly modifies the group-velocity in the long-wavelength part of the spectrum. In this work, we first consider how the group-velocity profile can be engineered more directly in the short-wavelength part of the spectrum through alternative choices of the glass material from which the PCF is made. We then make simulations of supercontinuum generation in PCFs made of alternative glass materials. It is found that it is possible to increase the blue-shift of the generated supercontinuum by about 20 nm through a careful choice of glass composition, provided that the alternative glass composition does not have a significantly higher loss than silica in the near-infrared.

Measurement of chromatic dispersion of microstructured polymer fibers by white-light spectral interferometry

We present a white-light spectral interferometric method for measuring the chromatic dispersion of microstructured fibers made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The method uses an unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer with the fiber of known length placed in one of the interferometer arms and the other arm with adjustable path length. We record the spectral interferograms to measure the equalization wavelength as a function of the path length difference, or equivalently the differential group refractive index dispersion over a wide wavelength range. First, we verify the applicability of the method by measuring the wavelength dependence of the differential group refractive index of a pure silica fiber. We apply a five-term power series fit to the measured data and confirm by its differentiation that the chromatic dispersion of pure silica glass agrees well with theory. Second, we measure the chromatic dispersion for the fundamental mode supported by two different PMMA microstructured fibers, the multimode fiber and the large-mode area one.

Dispersion-engineered and highly nonlinear microstructured polymer optical fibres

We demonstrate dispersion-engineering of microstructured polymer optical fibres (mPOFs) made of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). A significant shift of the total dispersion from the material dispersion is confirmed through measurement of the mPOF dispersion using white-light spectral interferometry. The influence of strong loss peaks on the dispersion (through the Kramers-Kronig relations) is investigated theoretically. It is found that the strong loss peaks of PMMA above 1100 nm can significantly modify the dispersion, while the losses below 1100 nm only modify the dispersion slightly. To increase the nonlinearity of the mPOFs we investigated doping of PMMA with the highly-nonlinear dye Disperse Red 1. Both doping of a PMMA cane and direct doping of a PMMA mPOF was performed.