Xu-Hao Hong

Second-harmonic generation in a periodically poled congruent LiTaO3 sample with phase-tuned nonlinear Cherenkov radiation

Second harmonic generation (SHG) in a two-dimensional periodically poled congruent LiTaO3 crystal was investigated experimentally. Multiple conical and dotted SHG have been observed, which features phase-tuned Cherenkov radiation, elastic scattering quasi-phase matching process, and random phase matching process. These results are closely connecting with the domain structure and can be utilized as characterization methods for practical purposes.

2D wave-front shaping in optical superlattices using nonlinear volume holography.

Nonlinear volume holography is employed to realize arbitrary wave-front shaping during nonlinear processes with properly designed 2D optical superlattices. The concept of a nonlinear polarization wave in nonlinear volume holography is investigated. The holographic imaging of irregular patterns was performed using 2D LiTaO3 crystals with fundamental wave propagating along the spontaneous polarization direction, and the results agree well with the theoretical predictions. This Letter not only extends the application area of optical superlattices, but also offers an efficient method for wave-front shaping technology.

From Ewald sphere to Ewald shell in nonlinear optics

Ewald sphere is a simple vector scheme to depict the X-ray Bragg diffraction in a crystal. A similar method, known as the nonlinear Ewald sphere, was employed to illustrate optical frequency conversion processes. We extend the nonlinear Ewald sphere to the Ewald shell construction. With the Ewald shell, a variety of quasi-phase-matching (QPM) effects, such as the collective envelope effect associated with multiple QPM resonances, the enhanced second- harmonic generation due to multiple reciprocal vectors etc., are suggested theoretically and verified experimentally. By rotating the nonlinear photonic crystal sample, the dynamic evolution of these QPM effects has also been observed, which agreed well with the Ewald shell model.

Rigorous intensity and phase-shift manipulation in optical frequency conversion.

A simple method is employed to investigate the nonlinear frequency conversion in optical superlattices (OSL) with pump depletion. Four rigorous phase-matching conditions for different purposes are obtained directly from the nonlinear coupled equations, and the resulting OSL domain structures are generally aperiodic rather than periodic. With this method, not only the intensity but also the phase-shift of the harmonic waves can be manipulated at will. The second-harmonic generation of Gaussian beam is further investigated. This work may provide a guidance for the practical applications of designing nonlinear optical devices with high conversion efficiency.

Controllable polarization coupled dual-focused second-harmonic generations in a two-dimensional optical superlattice

The nonlinear Huygens-Fresnel principle has been used to design multifunctional nonlinear optical devices. Focused second-harmonic generations have been observed with strong polarization sensitivity. Numerical simulations have been performed, and the results fit well with the experiments.

Analytical investigation of nonreciprocal response in 1D nonlinear photonic crystals

The nonreciprocal response of the SHG process in 1D periodical nonlinear photonic crystals with a defect embedded has been theoretically studied by solving the nonlinear coupled equations. The nonreciprocal response has been deduced analytically with the solution of non-reciprocity parameters obtained. The result shows that as the non-reciprocity approaches 100%, the crystal length and the input power needed increase at a logarithmic rate. Any target nonreciprocal response can be reached in this structure by adjusting the structure parameters.

Time-reversed and reciprocal second-harmonic generation with pump depletion

The time-reversed second-harmonic generation in one-dimensional nonlinear photonic crystals has been theoretically studied without the undepleted pump approximation. A simple criterion has been deduced which determines the energy flow. Based on it, two kinds of structures with different symmetries are presented to realize the nonlinear time reversal effect. A completely reciprocal nonlinear response is also found in the same process. Furthermore, a multi-section-cascaded structure is proposed to realize the nonlinear time reversal at any given position.

Theoretical study on the Cerenkov-type second-harmonic generation in optical superlattices without paraxial approximation

In this paper, the Cerenkov-type second-harmonic generation in bulk optical superlattices has been studied theoretically with the non-paraxial wave equations, where the paraxial approximation is avoided. The corresponding phase-matching condition is determined strictly by solving the non-paraxial wave equations under proper boundary conditions, and the result coincides well with the traditional Cerenkov phase-matching condition. In addition, a backward Cerenkov phase-matching condition is deduced from the wave equations as well, and the physical requirement of this condition is clarified.

Nonlinear optical Fourier transform in an optical superlattice with “x+2” structure

We proposed a simple method to realize optical Fourier transform during the nonlinear wave shaping processes. In this method, an integrated optical superlattice is designed to realize multiple optical functions, which plays important roles in both the nonlinear harmonic generation process and the optical Fourier Transform process. We demonstrated our method by the nonlinear generation of Airy beams as an example. It is a universal method for beam shaping and is of practical importance for designing compact nonlinear optical devices.