Natalia R. Arutyunyan

Thulium-doped mode-locked all-fiber laser based on NALM and carbon nanotube saturable absorber.

We report on a thulium-doped fiber laser mode-locked with a carboxymetylcellulose high-optical quality film with dispersed single-walled carbon nanotubes. Laser system based on the nonlinear amplifying loop mirror generates 450 fs pulses with 18 mW maximum average power.

SESAM and SWCNT Mode-Locked All-Fiber Thulium-Doped Lasers Based on the Nonlinear Amplifying Loop Mirror

We report on thulium-doped all-fiber lasers based on the nonlinear amplifying loop mirror and mode-locked with a semiconductor saturable absorber (SESAM) or single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). An intracavity and external dispersion management was realized with the aid of a passive germanium-silicate fiber. The SESAM mode-locked laser generates as short as 230-fs pulses with a maximum average output power of 106 mW, corresponding to a 3.7 kW peak power and almost 2 nJ pulse energy. In contrast to the SESAM-based laser, the SWCNT mode-locked laser generates 450-fs pulses of mW-level average output power.

Arc-synthesis of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes in Nitrogen Atmosphere

Synthesis of single‐walled carbon nanotubes by arc‐discharge technique has been realized in nitrogen atmosphere with Ni:Y2O3 catalyst. Presence of carbon nanotubes in the synthesized material has been confirmed by a Raman spectroscopy and by a transmission electron microscopy. The synthesis parameters (gas pressure, arc current) have been optimized.

Transform-limited pulse generation in normal cavity dispersion erbium doped single-walled carbon nanotubes mode-locked fiber ring laser

We demonstrate an erbium doped fiber ring laser mode-locked with a carboxymetylcellulose high-optical quality film with dispersed single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). The laser with large normal net cavity dispersion generates near bandwidth-limited picosecond inverse modified soliton pulses at 1.56 µm.

Performance peculiarities of carbon-nanotube-based thin-film saturable absorbers for erbium fiber laser mode-locking

We have studied the saturation behavior of single-walled carbon-nanotube-based saturable absorbers (SWCNT-SAs) at different temperatures and SWCNT concentrations in the polymer matrix and tried to relate it to the mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser performance. It has been observed that a modulation depth of SWCNT-SA transmission which we relate to the ground state recovery time monotonically decreases upon temperature growth. Comparing laser performance with different SWCNT-SAs, we suppose that the defects in the CNT lattice promote recovery acceleration resulting in shorter pulse generation as obtained for boron-nitride-doped SWCNTs. Moreover, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, we have observed and studied the long-term relaxation of SWCNT-SA saturated transmission exhibiting temperature-dependent behavior.

Generation regimes of bidirectional hybridly mode-locked ultrashort pulse erbium-doped all-fiber ring laser with a distributed polarizer

We report on the stable picosecond and femtosecond pulse generation from the bidirectional erbium-doped all-fiber ring laser hybridly mode-locked with a coaction of a single-walled carbon nanotube-based saturable absorber and nonlinear polarization evolution that was introduced through the insertion of the short-segment polarizing fiber. Depending on the total intracavity dispersion value, the laser emits conservative solitons, transform-limited Gaussian pulses, or highly chirped stretched pulses with almost 20 nm wide parabolic spectrum in both clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) directions of the ring. Owing to the polarizing action in the cavity, we have demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, an efficient tuning of soliton pulse characteristics for both CW and CCW channels via an appropriate polarization control. We believe that the bidirectional laser presented may be highly promising for gyroscopic and other dual-channel applications.

Scanning probe microscopy of laser-graphitized diamond-like carbon films

A complex technique of scanning probe microscopy/spectroscopy (SPM/SPS) based on the microscopy of lateral forces and registration of a local electrical conductivity in combination with measurements of the microrelief has been developed for studies of laser-graphitized carbon microstructures. The method includes multiple direct and reverse probe scanning with the subsequent correction of the map position, their pixel-by-pixel subtraction and averaging, and a statistical processing of resulting data arrays concerning the distribution of lateral forces (friction forces). In addition, based on the measurements of currentvoltage (I–V) characteristics, a distribution of the electrical conductivity is built in the probe-sample circuit. Carbon structures based on hydrogenated diamond-like films of a-C:H type, which were deposited onto Si substrates, are used as the objects for studies. A local graphitization of the surface has been carried out by the irradiation of the films with an excimer KrF laser according to a preset microscopic pattern. Based on the resulting data, it is found that the reaction of the lateral forces (friction forces) in the laser-graphitized region is reversed to the temperature variations: when the temperature increases (from room to ∼120°C), the distribution of the friction forces shifts towards higher values and returns practically to the initial values when the temperature decreases to the initial level, which proves the influence of a water adsorbate on the friction properties of laser-graphitized regions on the film surface. It is also found that the laser-graphitized region is structurally inhomogeneous, which is proven by a decrease in the electrical conductivity from the center to the periphery.

Resonant ablation of single-wall carbon nanotubes by femtosecond laser pulses

The thin 50 nm film of bundled arc-discharge single-wall carbon nanotubes was irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses with wavelengths 675, 1350 and 1745 nm corresponding to the absorption band of metallic nanotubes E11 M , to the background absorption and to the absorption band of semiconducting nanotubes E11 S , respectively. The aim was to induce a selective removal of nanotubes of specific type from the bundled material. Similar to conducted thermal heating experiments, the effect of laser irradiation results in suppression of all radial breathing modes in the Raman spectra, with preferential destruction of the metallic nanotubes with diameters less than 1.26 nm and of the semiconducting nanotubes with diameters 1.36 nm. However, the etching rate of different nanotubes depends on the wavelength of the laser irradiation. It is demonstrated that the relative content of nanotubes of different chiralities can be tuned by a resonant laser ablation of undesired nanotube fraction. The preferential etching of the resonant nanotubes has been shown for laser wavelengths 675 nm (E11 M ) and 1745 nm (E11 S ).

Laser synthesis and stability of one-dimensional polyynic carbon chains in liquid media

Abstract. The results on femtosecond laser formation of polyynic linear carbon chains (LCCs) are reported. To reduce the oxidation and degradation of carbon chains, the synthesis of LCCs was performed in liquid media. The flakes of graphite were suspended in water or in hexane and ultrasonicated to obtain a suspension of micron-size graphite particles. This suspension was irradiated by pulses of Ti:sapphire laser. The spectral lines at 189, 199, 215, 225, 262, 276, 284, 299, 323, 342, and 368 nm in the optical absorption spectrum of the irradiated graphite suspension were clearly distinguished. They were attributed to the absorption of polyynic carbon chains CnH2, where n=2 to 20. The stability of the synthesized one-dimensional carbon chains suspended in water and hexane was defined based on the intensity of the optical absorption bands. Its half-life time was estimated to be 20 h at room temperature for water, and 7 and 25 days for hexane at 60°C and 5°C, respectively.

Nonlinear Optical Studies of SWCNT+Coproporphyrin III Hybrid Systems

We report nonlinear optical properties of hybrid systems that contain single-walled carbon nanotubes and Coproporphyrin dye suspensions. The studies were performed in Vis-NIR spectral range. Our results depict both bleaching and limiting properties. A phenomenon of optical power limiting synergism is demonstrated.