Stephanie Molin

Relative intensity noise and frequency noise of a compact Brillouin laser made of As38Se62 suspended-core chalcogenide fiber.

Relative intensity noise and frequency noise have been measured for the first time for a single-frequency Brillouin chalcogenide As38Se62 fiber laser. This is also the first demonstration of a compact suspended-core fiber Brillouin laser, which exhibits a low threshold power of 22 mW and a slope efficiency of 26% for nonresonant pumping.

Experimental investigation of relative intensity noise in Brillouin fiber ring lasers for microwave photonics applications

Intensity noise characteristics of a single-mode Brillouin fiber ring laser are experimentally analyzed from 100 kHz up to 18 GHz. The Stokes wave is shown to be shot-noise limited to -155 dB/Hz for a 1 mA detected photocurrent over the whole spectral range 100 MHz-18 GHz. The pump-to-Stokes noise filtering efficiency is evaluated by artificially increasing the pump intensity noise. It evidences that a shot-noise-limited Brillouin laser could be realized by using a narrow-linewidth semiconductor laser pump, for stringent microwave photonics applications.

Adaptive holographic interferometer at 1.55 μm based on optically addressed spatial light modulator

We report the realization of an adaptive holographic interferometer based on two-beam coupling in an optically addressed liquid crystal spatial light modulator operating at 1.55-μm. The system allows efficient phase demodulation in noisy environment and behaves as an optical high-pass filter, with a cut-off frequency of approximately 10 Hz, thus filtering slow phase disturbances (due to, for example, temperature variations or low frequency fluctuations) and keeping the detection linear without the need of heterodyne or active stabilization.

Self-adaptive vibrometry with CMOS-LCOS digital holography

A self-adaptive interferometer based on digital holography is here reported for applications involving measurements of very small amplitude vibrations. The two-beam coupling gain is optimized through an electronic feedback, while the dynamic character of the hologram allows reaching a high sensitivity of the interferometric measurements even in unstable environments and with strongly distorted wave-fronts. The frequency bandwidth of the adaptive interferometer and its spatial resolution are determined, respectively, by the maximum frame rate and the pixel size of the camera and of the spatial light modulator used to build the digital holographic setup.

Thirty Gigahertz Optoelectronic Mixing in Chemical Vapor Deposited Graphene

The remarkable properties of graphene, such as broadband optical absorption, high carrier mobility, and short photogenerated carrier lifetime, are particularly attractive for high-frequency optoelectronic devices operating at 1.55 μm telecom wavelength. Moreover, the possibility to transfer graphene on a silicon substrate using a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible process opens the ability to integrate electronics and optics on a single cost-effective chip. Here, we report an optoelectronic mixer based on chemical vapor-deposited graphene transferred on an oxidized silicon substrate. Our device consists in a coplanar waveguide that integrates a graphene channel, passivated with an atomic layer-deposited Al2O3 film. With this new structure, 30 GHz optoelectronic mixing in commercially available graphene is demonstrated for the first time. In particular, using a 30 GHz intensity-modulated optical signal and a 29.9 GHz electrical signal, we show frequency downconversion to 100 MHz. These results open promising perspectives in the domain of optoelectronics for radar and radio-communication systems.

RF Spectrum Analyzer for Pulsed Signals: Ultra-Wide Instantaneous Bandwidth, High Sensitivity, and High Time-Resolution

We report on the experimental demonstration of a multi-gigahertz bandwidth RF spectrum analyzer based on spectral hole burning in a 3 K-cooled rare-earth ion-doped crystal. We implemented the so-called “rainbow” architecture in which the optically carried spectral components of the incoming signal are angularly separated by the crystal, and are then acquired with a pixelated photo-detector. With this setup, we have been able to monitor and record the spectrum of complex microwave signals over an instantaneous bandwidth above 20 GHz, with a time resolution below 100 μs, 400 resolvable frequency components and a 100% probability of intercept. RF pulsed signals in the μs range are perfectly analyzed with this high time-resolved set-up. The best achievable sensitivity for pulsed signals is computed and compared with another spectral hole burning technique.

20 GHz instantaneous bandwidth RF spectrum analyzer with high time-resolution

We report on the experimental demonstration of a multi-gigahertz bandwidth RF spectrum analyzer exhibiting a resolution below 20 MHz, based on spectral hole burning in a rare-earth ion-doped crystal. To be compatible with demanding real-time spectrum monitoring applications, our demonstrator is designed to reach a high time resolution. For this purpose, we implemented the so-called “rainbow” architecture in which the spectral components of the incoming signal are angularly separated by the crystal, and are then acquired with a pixelated photodetector. The Tm3+:YAG crystal is programmed with a semiconductor DFB laser which frequency scan is servo-controlled and synchronized with the angular scan of a resonant galvanometric mirror, while a high-speed camera is used to acquire the spectra. In the perspective of future implementation within a system, the crystal is cooled below 4 K with a closed-cycle cryostat. With this setup, we have been able to monitor and record the spectrum of complex microwave signals over an instantaneous bandwidth above 20 GHz, with a time resolution below 100 μs, 400 resolvable frequency components and a probability of intercept of 100 %.

Investigation of Axial Strain Effects on Microwave Signals from a PM-EDF Short Cavity DBR Laser for Sensing Applications

The effects of axial strain on beating frequency from a short cavity polarization-maintaining erbium-doped fiber (PM-EDF) based distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser were investigated theoretically and experimentally for the first time. This type of single-mode DBR fiber laser based ultrasensitive sensor has been extensively developed for measuring kinds of measurands, but the cross-sensitivity of axial strain was usually ignored. A DBR fiber laser with an effective cavity length of

Mode-hopping suppression in long Brillouin fiber laser with non-resonant pumping.

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Adaptive Interferometry for High-Sensitivity Optical Fiber Sensing

1 cm formed by a pair of FBGs written on a PM-EDF was fabricated for demonstration. This laser operated in dual-polarization single-longitudinal mode stably. The frequency of the beating signal generated by two orthogonal polarizations was found to be proportional to the axial strain applied on the cavity. A linear strain sensitivity of 0.640