Dispersive Wave Emission Research Articles

Carrier-envelope-phase-stable soliton-based pulse compression to 4.4 fs and ultraviolet generation at the 800 kHz repetition rate.

In this Letter, we report the generation of a femtosecond supercontinuum extending from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared spectrum and detection of its carrier-envelope-phase (CEP) variation by f-to-2f interferometry. The spectrum is generated in a gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber, where soliton dynamics allows the CEP-stable self-compression of the optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier pump pulses at 800nm to a duration of 1.7 optical cycles, followed by dispersive wave emission. The source provides up to 1μJ of pulse energy at the 800kHz repetition rate, resulting in 0.8W of average power, and it can be extremely useful, for example in strong-field physics, pump-probe measurements, and ultraviolet frequency comb metrology.

High-energy ultraviolet dispersive-wave emission in compact hollow capillary systems.

We demonstrate high-energy resonant dispersive-wave emission in the deep ultraviolet (218 to 375nm) from optical solitons in short (15 to 34cm) hollow capillary fibers. This down-scaling in length compared to previous results in capillaries is achieved by using small core diameters (100 and 150μm) and pumping with 6.3fs pulses at 800nm. We generate pulses with energies of 4 to 6μJ across the deep ultraviolet in a 100μm capillary and up to 11μJ in a 150μm capillary. From comparisons to simulations we estimate the ultraviolet pulse to be 2 to 2.5fs in duration. We also numerically study the influence of pump duration on the bandwidth of the dispersive wave.

Deep-UV to Mid-IR Supercontinuum Generation driven by Mid-IR Ultrashort Pulses in a Gas-filled Hollow-core Fiber

Supercontinuum (SC) generation based on ultrashort pulse compression constitutes one of the most promising technologies towards ultra-wide bandwidth, high-brightness, and spatially coherent light sources for applications such as spectroscopy and microscopy. Here, multi-octave SC generation in a gas-filled hollow-core antiresonant fiber (HC-ARF) is reported spanning from 200 nm in the deep ultraviolet (DUV) to 4000 nm in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) having an output energy of 5 μJ. This was obtained by pumping at the center wavelength of the first anti-resonant transmission window (2460 nm) with ~100 fs pulses and an injected pulse energy of ~8 μJ. The mechanism behind the extreme spectral broadening relies upon intense soliton-plasma nonlinear dynamics which leads to efficient soliton self-compression and phase-matched dispersive wave (DW) emission in the DUV region. The strongest DW is observed at 275 nm which corresponds to the calculated phase-matching wavelength of the pump. Furthermore, the effect of changing the pump pulse energy and gas pressure on the nonlinear dynamics and their direct impact on SC generation was investigated. This work represents another step towards gas-filled fiber-based coherent sources, which is set to have a major impact on applications spanning from DUV to mid-IR.

Direct characterization of tuneable few-femtosecond dispersive-wave pulses in the deep UV.

Dispersive wave emission (DWE) in gas-filled hollow-core dielectric waveguides is a promising source of tuneable coherent and broadband radiation, but so far the generation of few-femtosecond pulses using this technique has not been demonstrated. Using in-vacuum frequency-resolved optical gating, we directly characterize tuneable 3fs pulses in the deep ultraviolet generated via DWE. Through numerical simulations, we identify that the use of a pressure gradient in the waveguide is critical for the generation of short pulses.

UV Soliton Dynamics and Raman-Enhanced Supercontinuum Generation in Photonic Crystal Fiber

Ultrafast broadband ultraviolet radiation is of importance in spectroscopy and photochemistry, since high photon energies enable single-photon excitations and ultrashort pulses allow time-resolved studies. Here we report the use of gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibers (HC-PCFs) for efficient ultrafast nonlinear optics in the ultraviolet. Soliton self-compression of 400 nm pulses of (unprecedentedly low) ~500 nJ energies down to sub-6-fs durations is achieved, as well as resonant emission of tunable dispersive waves from these solitons. In addition, we discuss the generation of a flat supercontinuum extending from the deep ultraviolet to the visible in a hydrogen-filled HC-PCF. Comparisons with argon-filled fibers show that the enhanced Raman gain at high frequencies makes the hydrogen system more efficient. As HC-PCF technology develops, we expect these fiber-based ultraviolet sources to lead to new applications.

Grayness-dependent emission of dispersive waves from dark solitons in optical fibers.

We report the experimental observation of dispersive wave emission from gray solitons propagating in the normal dispersion region of an optical fiber. Besides observing for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the emission of a dispersive wave from an isolated dark soliton, we show that the dispersive wave frequency and amplitude strongly depend on soliton grayness. This process can be explained by the higher-order dispersion contribution into the phase-matching condition and the grayness of the soliton. Numerical simulations and theoretical predictions are in good agreement with the experiments.

Effect of anti-crossings with cladding resonances on ultrafast nonlinear dynamics in gas-filled photonic crystal fibers

Spectral anti-crossings between the fundamental guided mode and core wall resonances alter the dispersion in hollow-core anti-resonant-reflection photonic crystal fibers. Here we study the effect of this dispersion change on the nonlinear propagation and dynamics of ultrashort pulses. We find that it causes emission of narrow spectral peaks through a combination of four-wave mixing and dispersive wave emission. We further investigate the influence of the anti-crossings on nonlinear pulse propagation and show that their impact can be minimized by adjusting the core-wall thickness in such a way that the anti-crossings lie spectrally distant from the pump wavelength.

Control of ultrafast pulses in a hydrogen-filled hollow-core photonic-crystal fiber by Raman coherence

We present the results of an experimental and numerical investigation into temporally non-local coherent interactions between ultrashort pulses, mediated by Raman coherence, in gas-filled kagom\'{e}-style hollow-core photonic crystal fiber. A pump pulse first set up the Raman coherence, creating a refractive index grating in the gas that travels at the group velocity of the pump pulse. Varying the arrival time of a second probe pulse allows high degree of control over its evolution as it propagates along the fiber, in particular soliton self-compression and dispersive wave (DW) emission. In the experiments reported, a DW is emitted at ~300 nm, with a central frequency that oscillates with the pump-probe delay. The results demonstrate that strong Raman coherence created in broadband guiding gas-filled kagom\'e-PCF can be used to control the dynamics of ultrashort probe pulses, even in difficult-to-access spectral regions such as the deep and vacuum ultraviolet.

Controllable two-color dispersive wave generation in argon-filled hypocycloid-core kagome fiber

We demonstrate two-color dispersive wave emission in the ultraviolet and near-infrared regions in an argon filled hypocycloid-core kagome fiber pumped by a femtosecond laser around 1 μm. These two dispersive waves show drastically distinct features in terms of bandwidth and tunability. The dispersive wave in the ultraviolet region has a bandwidth of tens of nanometers and can be widely tuned from at least 267 nm to 460 nm by changing the gas pressure, input pulse energy, and pump wavelength. In contrast, the dispersive wave in the near-infrared region has a narrower bandwidth of ~5 nm and is quite stably positioned near the edge of the fundamental transmission band even if the gas pressure or input pulse energy is significantly changed. An antiresonant tube model is applied to explain the experimental results and a good agreement is found between them. The dynamics show that the narrow-band dispersive wave in the near-infrared region originates from the steep slope of the dispersion near the edge of the transmission band.

Generation of microjoule pulses in the deep ultraviolet at megahertz repetition rates

Although ultraviolet (UV) light is important in many areas of science and technology, there are very few if any lasers capable of delivering wavelength-tunable ultrashort UV pulses at MHz repetition rates. Here we report the generation of deep-UV laser pulses at MHz repetition rates and \mu J-energies by means of dispersive wave (DW) emission from self-compressed solitons in gas-filled single-ring hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (SR-PCF). Pulses from an ytterbium fiber laser (~300 fs) are first compressed to ~25 fs in a SR-PCF-based nonlinear compression stage, and subsequently used to pump a second SR-PCF stage for broadband DW generation in the deep UV. The UV wavelength is tunable by selecting the gas species and the pressure. At 100 kHz repetition rate, a pulse energy of 1.05 \mu J was obtained at 205 nm (average power 0.1 W), and at 1.92 MHz, a pulse energy of 0.54 \mu J was obtained at 275 nm (average power 1.03 W).

Mid-infrared dispersive wave generation in gas-filled photonic crystal fibre by transient ionization-driven changes in dispersion

Gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibre is being used to generate ever wider supercontinuum spectra, in particular via dispersive wave emission in the deep and vacuum ultraviolet, with a multitude of applications. Dispersive waves are the result of nonlinear transfer of energy from a self-compressed soliton, a process that relies crucially on phase-matching. It was recently predicted that, in the strong-field regime, the additional transient anomalous dispersion introduced by gas ionization would allow phase-matched dispersive wave generation in the mid-infrared—something that is forbidden in the absence of free electrons. Here we report the experimental observation of such mid-infrared dispersive waves, embedded in a 4.7-octave-wide supercontinuum that uniquely reaches simultaneously to the vacuum ultraviolet, with up to 1.7 W of total average power.

Fast and accurate modeling of nonlinear pulse propagation in graded-index multimode fibers.

We develop a model for the description of nonlinear pulse propagation in multimode optical fibers with a parabolic refractive index profile. It consists of a 1+1D generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a periodic nonlinear coefficient, which can be solved in an extremely fast and efficient way. The model is able to quantitatively reproduce recently observed phenomena like geometric parametric instability and broadband dispersive wave emission. We envisage that our equation will represent a valuable tool for the study of spatiotemporal nonlinear dynamics in the growing field of multimode fiber optics.

Bloch oscillations and resonant radiation of light propagating in arrays of nonlinear fibers with high-order dispersion

Bloch oscillations of spatio-temporal light wave packets in arrays of nonlinear fibers with high-order dispersion are studied. The light wave experiences discrete spatial diffraction along the waveguide array coordinate together with continuous temporal dispersion including higher order terms. When a gradient in the waveguide light confinement strength is considered, the wave packet features robust long-lived Bloch oscillations with temporal and spatial spreading in the presence of a Kerr nonlinearity. The effect of the spatial Bloch oscillations on the emission of the dispersive radiation by the solitary wave is studied. It is shown that Bloch oscillations result in the generation of new frequencies. The condition of resonant emission of dispersive waves is derived and it is demonstrated that it matches very well with the results of direct numerical simulations.

Generation of broadband mid-IR and UV light in gas-filled single-ring hollow-core PCF.

We report generation of an ultrafast supercontinuum extending into the mid- infrared in gas-filled single-ring hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (SR-PCF) pumped by 1.7 µm light from an optical parametric amplifier. The simple fiber structure offers shallow dispersion and flat transmission in the near and mid-infrared, enabling the generation of broadband spectra extending from 270 nm to 3.1 µm, with a total energy of a few µJ. In addition, we demonstrate the emission of ultraviolet dispersive waves whose frequency can be tuned simply by adjusting the pump wavelength. SR-PCF thus constitutes an effective means of compressing and delivering tunable ultrafast pulses in the near and mid-infrared spectral regions.

Temporal reflection as a spectral-broadening mechanism in dual-pumped dispersion-decreasing fibers and its connection to dispersive waves

We show that temporal reflections off a moving refractive index barrier play a major role in the spectral broadening of a dual-wavelength input inside a highly nonlinear, dispersion-decreasing fiber. We also find that a recently developed linear theory of temporal reflections works well in predicting the reflected frequencies. Successive temporal reflections from multiple closely spaced solitons create a blueshifted spectral band, while continuous narrowing of solitons inside the dispersion-decreasing fiber enhances Raman-induced redshifts, leading to supercontinuum generation at relatively low pump powers. We also show how dispersive wave emission can be considered a special case of the more general process of temporal reflections. Hence our findings have implications on all systems able to support solitons.

Dynamics of Dispersive Wave Generation in Gas-Filled Photonic Crystal Fiber with the Normal Dispersion

The absence of Raman and unique pressure-tunable dispersion is the characteristic feature of gas-filled photonic crystal fiber (PCF), and its zero dispersion points can be extended to the near-infrared by increasing gas pressure. The generation of dispersive wave (DW) in the normal group velocity dispersion (GVD) region of PCF is investigated. It is demonstrated that considering the self-steepening (SS) and introducing the chirp of the initial input pulse are two suitable means to control the DW generation. The SS enhances the relative average intensity of blue-shift DW while weakening that of red-shift DW. The required propagation distance of DW emission is markedly varied by introducing the frequency chirp. Manipulating DW generation in gas-filled PCF by the combined effects of either SS or chirp and three-order dispersion (TOD) provides a method for a concentrated transfer of energy into the targeted wavelengths.

Dynamics of Dispersive Wave Emission From Dark Solitons in Kerr Frequency Combs

Taking advantage of an extended Lugiato–Lefever equation with third-order dispersion, we numerically show that dark cavity solitons formed in normal dispersion of microresonators are capable of emitting dispersive waves in both normal and anomalous dispersion regions with two different methods, resembling the behavior of the commonly encountered bright cavity solitons. The generated dispersive waves can be accurately predicted by the dissipative radiation theory. In addition, we demonstrate the stability enhancement of Kerr frequency combs in the normal dispersion regime in case the dispersive wave is emitted by dark solitons in the presence of third-order dispersion.

Characterization of few-fs deep-UV dispersive waves by ultra-broadband transient-grating XFROG.

A multi-shot transient-grating cross-correlation frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) is implemented for the characterization of nanojoule-scale, few-femtosecond, deep-ultraviolet pulses. In theory, the system can characterize pulses with a bandwidth extending from below 200 nm to above 1.5 μm. It is experimentally shown that a 200 THz (50 nm) wide dispersive wave centered at 275 nm, generated in a gas-filled HC-PCF, has a temporal duration of 4 fs. The numerical simulations agree well with the experiment. The results confirm that dispersive wave emission in a gas-filled HC-PCF can be used as a novel source of ultrashort UV pulses in a range of applications, for example, ultrafast UV pump-probe spectroscopy.

Towards an analytical framework for tailoring supercontinuum generation.

A fully analytical toolbox for supercontinuum generation relying on scenarios without pulse splitting is presented. Furthermore, starting from the new insights provided by this formalism about the physical nature of direct and cascaded dispersive wave emission, a unified description of this radiation in both normal and anomalous dispersion regimes is derived. Previously unidentified physics of broadband spectra reported in earlier works is successfully explained on this basis. Finally, a foundry-compatible few-millimeters-long silicon waveguide allowing octave-spanning supercontinuum generation pumped at telecom wavelengths in the normal dispersion regime is designed, hence showcasing the potential of this new analytical approach.

Emission of dispersive waves from a train of dark solitons in optical fibers.

We report the experimental observation of multiple dispersive waves (DWs) emitted in the anomalous dispersion region of an optical fiber from a train of dark solitons. Each DW can be associated to one dark soliton of the train, using phase-matching arguments involving higher-order dispersion and soliton velocity. For a large number of dark solitons (>10), we observe the formation of a continuum associated with the efficient emission of DWs.