High Pump Intensities Research Articles

Spectroscopy of resonantly saturated selective reflection from high-density rubidium vapor using the pump-probe technique

We study the resonant saturation of selective reflection at the interface between a transparent dielectric and high-density rubidium vapor on the D2-line. Our estimates suggest that, within the selected atomic density range, the dipole–dipole self-broadening of the line can vary from 13.2 to 39.6 GHz. Two tunable lasers are used as sources of pump and probe beams with orthogonal linear polarizations. The selective reflection spectra of the probe laser beam are studied at different atomic densities and pump beam intensities ranging from 0 to 8.8 kW cm−2. At high pump intensities, narrow structures are observed around the pump beam frequency, which are associated with power broadening effects. Increasing the pump intensity reduces the spectral width and the magnitude of the selective reflection resonances. The intensity dependence of the width and the magnitude is measured. By adjusting the pump intensity, it is possible to control the spectral width and reflectivity.

Control under optical, nonlinear optical and kinetic properties of two-dimensional gradient CdSe1-xSx nanocrystals

Peculiarities of photoluminescence (PL) and absorption spectra of gradient nanocrystals CdSe1-xSx colloidal solution were studied by pump and probe technique under stationary excitation of excitons by nanosecond laser pulses. The PL peaks and differential transmission peaks positions changing were revealed with the CdSe1-xSx nanocrystals composition variation. Bleaching of excitons transitions was observed for high pump intensities and explained by excitons space filling effect. The changing of the differential transmission peaks positions was explained by the nanocrystal band gap dependence on the chemical composition. Time-resolved PL measurements from the sub-picoseconds to tens of nanoseconds range demonstrated a strongly different behavior for gradient nanocrystals and pure CdSe nanocrystals. For pure nanocrystals two typical time-scales were resolved contrary to the gradient nanocrystals where (with the growth of sulfur concentration) only a single time scale was revealed. The observed modification of time-resolved PL for gradient nanocrystals is caused by the presence of traps in the gradient samples due to the chemical composition modification.

Fluorescence amplification in laser-pumped random media: Fundamental limitations

Experimental data on the narrowing of fluorescence spectra of laser-pumped random media are interpreted within the framework of a probabilistic model of incoherent amplification of the stimulated component of fluorescence. R6G- and DCM-doped layers of dense-packed anatase and anatase-rutile particles and suspensions of DCM crystallites were examined under pulse-periodic laser pumping with various pump intensities at the wavelength of 532 nm. It was shown that, in the case of quasi-stationary fluorescence response at high pump intensities, amplification of stochastically propagating partial components of fluorescence field at various wavelengths is governed by the pump-independent factor of fluorescence amplification and the average number of stimulated emission acts in the pumped system. Analysis of the experimental data has shown that, despite certain simplifying assumptions, the considered model reasonably describes evolution of the fluorescence spectra of random fluorescent media with the increase in the pump intensity. A procedure of recovery of the fluorescence amplification factor from the sets of fluorescence spectra obtained at various pump intensities is considered. Features of the spectral shapes of the recovered amplification factors caused by the influence of the scattering matrices in pumped media are discussed.

Plasmonic tuning of nano-antennas for super-gain light amplification

Nanoscale conductive materials are often used for inducing localized free electron oscillations known as plasmons. This is due to their high electronic excitability under optical irradiation owing to their super-small volume. Recently, plasmons have been of interest for enhancing the gain-bandwidth product of optical amplifiers. There are currently two well-established mechanisms for light amplification. The first one is via stimulated emission of radiation (lasers) using a given energy source and often an optical feedback mechanism. The second one is based on the nonlinear coupling of a low-intensity input wave and a high-intensity pump wave for energy exchange (parametric amplifiers). Both techniques have shortcomings. Lasers have a small operation bandwidth and offer a limited gain, but require moderate energy pumping to operate. Whereas optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) offer a high operation bandwidth along with a much higher optical gain, with the drawback of requiring intense pumping to be functional. The aim of this paper is to introduce a technique that combines the advantages and eliminates the drawbacks of both techniques in the nanoscale to allow for a better amplification performance in integrated optical devices. This is achieved by inducing a plasmonic chirp in conductive nanomaterials a.k.a nano-antennas, which enables the confinement of an enormous electric energy density that can be coupled to an input beam for amplification. Using the Finite Difference Time Domain numerical-method with the material parameters of well-known semiconductors, intramaterial condensation of electric energy density is observed in semiconductor nano-antennas for certain plasmonic chirp-frequencies which enables broadband high-gain optical amplification based on free-electron oscillations that is promising for small-scale optical devices requiring a high gain-bandwidth product. The results are in good agreement with semiempirical data.

Fragmentation of stability domains of dark solitons, dark breathers, and drifting solitons at high pump intensities in normal-dispersion Kerr microresonators

Fragmentation of stability domains of dark solitons, dark breathers, and drifting solitons at high pump intensities in normal-dispersion Kerr microresonators

Fully nonlinear three-dimensional modeling of parametric interactions in the field of a dual-frequency acoustic array.

An algorithm is developed for fully nonlinear three-dimensional (3D) simulation of a difference-frequency acoustic beam resulting from the interaction of two high-intensity pump waves. Simulations are performed in the frequency domain based on the Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov equation. A spectrum filtering method is used to enable accurate solutions for the difference-frequency fields in strongly nonlinear beams and with a high downshift frequency ratio using only dozens of spectral components retained in the algorithm. As an example, the dual-frequency operation of an underwater multi-element ellipsoidal array is considered, and numerical solutions describing parametric interactions in the array field are analyzed. It is shown that difference-frequency beams are more symmetric in transverse directions compared with the pump beams. The most efficient parametric generation of difference-frequency beams corresponded to close and beyond shock-forming conditions. Axial pressure amplitude of the difference frequency was shown to grow first quadratically with the source pressure following the quasi-linear solution and then linearly once shocks start to develop. The percentage of the total power converted to the difference frequency from pump waves increased at high power outputs without saturation. Up to twofold increase in directivity angles of difference-frequency beams under shock-forming conditions was observed compared with quasi-linear conditions.

Three-photon and four-photon absorption in lithium niobate measured by the Z-scan technique

Open-aperture Z-scan measurements have been carried out to investigate the three-photon (3 PA) and four-photon absorption (4 PA) coefficients at 800 nm and 1030 nm wavelengths, respectively in congruent and stoichiometric lithium niobate (cLN, sLN) with different concentrations of Mg doping. The laser pulse duration at the two wavelengths were 40 and 190 fs. The peak intensity inside the crystals varied between approximately 110 and 550 GW/cm2. The 3 PA and 4 PA coefficients were evaluated using a theoretical model and the results suggest that their minima are at or around the Mg doping level corresponding to the threshold for suppressing photo-refraction for both cLN and sLN. This result can be attributed to the contribution of crystal defects to the 3 PA and 4 PA processes. Furthermore, the 4 PA at 1030 nm exhibited greater nonlinear absorption than the 3 PA at 800 nm under the same intensity level. Possible reasons for this unexpected behavior are discussed. Overall, comparing the 3 PA and 4 PA values of these crystals will enable for selection of the optimum composition of LN crystal for efficient THz generation and for other nonlinear optical processes requiring high pump intensities.

Thromboembolic complications following implantation of durable left-ventricular assist devices.

As the utilization of left-ventricular assist devices (LVADs) continues to rise and patients experience extended survival duration with these devices, the overall incidence of adverse events and complications has shown anotable increase. Among the major adverse events, thromboembolic complications are particularly significant. The aim of this study is to present our experience and assess the risk of thromboembolic complications after implantation of durable continuous-flow left-ventricular assist devices (CF-LVAD) in patients with end-stage heart failure. From 2007 to 2022, 169 left ventricular continuous-flow durable mechanical assist devices were implanted at our institute. Three types of devices were employed: HeartMate II (n = 54, 32%), HeartMate 3 (n = 70, 41.4%), and Heart Ware (n = 45, 26.6%). The data were extracted from the EUROMACS register. Thromboembolic complication, pump thrombosis was observed in 11/169 patients (6.5%), with 2patients experiencing stroke after embolism to the central nervous system. Among these cases, 10 patients (90.9%) were equipped with the Heart Ware device while 1 patient (9.1%) had the Heart Mate II device implanted. Nine patients received the durable device as abridge to transplant therapy and two as abridge to candidacy. The overall mean age of the patients was 47.6±10.2 years, with 2 women and 10 men. The pump thrombosis was managed through thrombolytic therapy, high-intensity heparin anticoagulation protocol, pump exchange, pump explantation, and early heart transplant. The combined hospital and long-term mortality rate was 4/11 patients (36.4%). Based on our experience, thromboembolic complications presenting primarily as pump thromboses, were arelatively common phenomenon experienced in association with the second-generation continuous-flow devices, but rarely seen with the third-generation devices. Thrombolysis followed by early heart transplantation proved to be asafe treatment option (Tab. 1, Ref. 14). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: durable mechanical assist device, durable left ventricular assist devices, outcomes, thromboembolic complications.

Cherenkov-type terahertz generation by optical rectification in KD2PO4 (DKDP) crystal

The potential of KD2PO4 (or DKDP) crystal as a terahertz generator is demonstrated, despite its extremely strong terahertz absorption. By combining the Cherenkov radiation scheme and surface-emitting geometry, femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser pulses of ∼200−300 μJ energy were converted to broadband (∼4 THz bandwidth) terahertz transients with the efficiency of ∼8×10−6. The transients produced electro-optic signals of a ∼0.15 modulation depth and ∼103 dynamic range in a 1-mm thick ZnTe detector crystal. This suggests DKDP as a potential generator crystal for terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. From our measurements, we estimated the nonlinear coefficient d36≈3 pm/V of DKDP for optical rectification, which is an order of magnitude larger than the value known from second-harmonic-generation experiments. At the same time, the obtained value of d36 is an order of magnitude smaller than the value calculated from the clamped electro-optic coefficient r63 for the MHz frequency range. At high pump intensities, we observed multiple filamentation of the pump beam and white light generation, spatially separated from terahertz generation.

Influence of High-Intensity Pumping on Gain Medium Temperature Increase and Laser Mode Tunability in a Hemispherical Short Cavity

To increase the efficiency of laser oscillators by overcoming losses, the unsaturated gain must be increased. For this purpose, high-intensity pumping, typically higher than 100 kW/cm2, is effective. However, the temperature increase and strong thermo-optic effects of the gain medium have been pointed out as obstacles to high efficiency in solid-state lasers. Therefore, the effect of high pump intensity on the laser mode tunability required for high efficiency is investigated by studying the dependence of the laser threshold on the cavity length using a continuous-wave hemispherical short-cavity laser. The results show that the laser mode can be tuned with sufficient range and precision for high efficiency under various loss conditions regardless of the high pump intensity and are in qualitative agreement with a simple theory. Furthermore, according to the heat transport theory, microchip Yb:YAG, the gain medium of this study, does not have a high cooling efficiency, but the maximum temperature increase is estimated to be only about 12 K despite the high pump intensity of about 110 kW/cm2. This is because it is the pump power, not the pump intensity, that is proportional to the temperature increase, as the maximum pump power is only 900 mW. These results indicate that high-intensity pumping is a promising approach to achieve efficient lasing at low cost.

All optical modulation in vertically coupled indium tin oxide ring resonator employing epsilon near zero state

We present an innovative approach to achieve all-optical modulation within an ITO-based vertically coupled ring resonator. This method leverages the material's enhanced nonlinear response in the near-infrared wavelengths, particularly within the epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) state. To enhance the interaction between light and the material while minimizing scattering losses, our approach employs an ITO-based vertically connected ring resonator. The vertical arrangement eliminates the need for etching fine gaps to separate the ring and bus waveguide. The novel waveguide design addresses the necessity of high sensitivity, non-linear effects and compact size opening the possibilities for all-optical signal processing. This unique resonator structure effectively facilitates the coupling of a high-intensity pump wavelength into the ITO-based micro-ring resonator. Consequently, this optical pumping induces electron heating within the ITO material, leading to a significant increase in its nonlinear optical properties. This, in turn, results in a noteworthy alteration of ITO's refractive index, specifically in the unity order, thereby modifying the complex effective index of the optical beam propagating at 1550 nm. Our experimental findings demonstrate an impressive extinction ratio of 18 dB for a 30 µm long device, which highlights the efficiency of our approach in achieving all-optical modulation through the optical pumping of an ITO-based vertically coupled ring resonator. The proposed all-optical modulator has outperformed as compared to conventional waveguide-based modulators in terms of extinction ratio and footprint. This novel technique holds immense potential for advancing high-speed data communication systems in the future. As the demand for advanced processing capabilities, such as artificial intelligence, continues to grow, all-optical modulation emerges as a groundbreaking technology poised to revolutionize the next generation of computing and communication systems.

Spectral responses of resonant dielectric metasurfaces induced by Kerr nonlinearity in pump-probe scheme: Theoretical study

In resonant nonlinear nanostructures, Kerr nonlinear responses and optical bistability have already been extensively studied. In spite of great importance, their spectral responses modified by the pump via nonlinear processes, however, have rarely been investigated. In this work, we analytically and numerically study the spectral responses of resonant dielectric metasurfaces induced by Kerr nonlinearity in pump-probe scheme, taking a gallium phosphide metasurface exhibiting strong resonance driven by quasi-bound states in the continuum, as an example. The intensity enhancement in the nonlinear nanoresonator at pump wavelength plays the central role in their nonlinear spectral responses: in the transmission spectrum obtained by scanning probe wavelength, the spectral position of resonance displays red-shift determined by the spectral profile of the enhancement modified by the pump, while the modulation depth of transmittance becomes shallower due to two-photon absorption. For further higher pump intensity, the metasurface exhibits hysteresis for the change of both intensity and wavelength of pump, resulting in spectral bistability. Comparison with numerical results shows that the analytical model based on nonlinear coupled-mode theory well describes their nonlinear spectral responses. The results can be served as theoretical tool for practical applications in characterizing their nonlinear responses and fabricating nonlinear photonic devices.

Multipole polarization assisted optical bistability in a semiconductor quantum dot/metal nanoparticle hybrid molecule

We theoretically study the optical bistability assisted by multipole polarizations in a semiconductor quantum dot (SQD)/metal nanoparticle (MNP) hybrid molecule. We map out bistability phase diagrams within the parameter subspace spanned by (the pumping intensity Ipu, interparticle distance, d) under dipole and multipole approximations. It is shown that the Ipu-correlated bistable region will be broadened greatly in the strong exciton–plasmon coupling regime, and the corresponding lower (upper) bistable threshold is enlarged significantly due to multipole polarization (N = 10) in comparison to that in the dipole approximation (N = 1). However, under the same conditions, the d-correlated bistable region is shrunk at high pump intensities. Our contribution not only offers a better understanding of exciton–plasmon coupling systems but also expands the application of SQD/MNP hybrid molecules in the field of optical bistable nanodevices.

Ultra-compact all-optical plasmonic switch for three telecommunication windows using a nonlinear Kerr material and Fano resonance.

In this study, an all-optical plasmonic switch based on a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide coupled to two rectangular cavities that are perpendicularly connected to each other through a vertical stub is proposed and analyzed both theoretically and numerically. Rectangular cavities are filled with a nonlinear Kerr material, and the switching operation is achieved by applying a high-intensity pump input into the MIM waveguide to obtain nonlinear cross-phase modulation (XPM) effect. The proposed structure is designed so that it can realize the switching operation at each of the three telecommunication windows of 850, 1310, and 1550nm. Realizing the switching operation at these three wavelength bands is accomplished by the Fano resonance. In fact, the Fano resonance is utilized to create a band-stop area that is crucial for building a suitable OFF state for the switching operation at two of the three telecommunication windows of 1310 and 1550nm. The theoretical and numerical results are obtained using the transmission-line model (TLM) and the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method, respectively, the results of which comply well. The proposed ultra-compact all-optical switch has significant applications in photonic integrated circuits (PICs).

Optical Saturation Produces Spurious Evidence for Photoinduced Superconductivity in K_{3}C_{60}.

We discuss a systematic error in time-resolved optical conductivity measurements that becomes important at high pump intensities. We show that common optical nonlinearities can distort the photoconductivity depth profile, and by extension distort the photoconductivity spectrum. We show evidence that this distortion is present in existing measurements on K_{3}C_{60}, and describe how it may create the appearance of photoinduced superconductivity where none exists. Similar errors may emerge in other pump-probe spectroscopy measurements, and we discuss how to correct for them.

An efficient green-emitting quantum dot with near-unity quantum yield and suppressed Auger recombination for high-performance light-emitting diodes

Near 100% photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) is the first target for designing luminescent quantum dots (QDs). Here, an alloyed QD with a core/shell structure of Cd0.194Zn0.806Se0.406S0.594/ZnS is synthesized and characterized by the feature of large core size (about 10 nm) and thin shell (around three ZnS monolayers). It exhibits an efficient green emission with the PL QY of 99.8% and ultra-fast radiative transition rate (kr) of 4.16 × 107 s−1. It demonstrates that the excited state will be rapidly decayed to its ground state through a radiative channel and less vulnerable to non-radiative processes. Under a high pump intensity (254.65 μJ cm−2), the Cd0.194Zn0.806Se0.406S0.594/ZnS QD still owns a long biexciton decay lifetime (τxx) of 1.05 ns and high biexciton QYxx of 25.1%, corresponding to a suppressed non-radiative Auger recombination. The Cd0.194Zn0.806Se0.406S0.594/ZnS QD based light-emitting diode exhibits a peak external quantum efficiency of 20.1% and brightness of over 105 cd m−2 at 5.2 V. We believe that the Cd0.194Zn0.806Se0.406S0.594/ZnS QD not only provides a near-unity QY but also ensures its QD based light-emitting diode (QLED) with an excellent performance, which could be an excellent QD material for QLED applications.

Spectrum multiplexing of multiwavelength picosecond oscillation of synchronously pumped Raman laser based on a Sr(MoO_4)-=SUB=-0.8-=/SUB=-(WO_4)-=SUB=-0.2-=/SUB=- crystal

For the first time to our knowledge, a single-phase solid solution Sr(MoO_4)0.8(WO_4)0.2 was used as an active medium of a Raman laser. Using the high-intensity synchronous picosecond pumping satisfying the condition of phase capture of the parametric Raman interaction on the second vibrational mode made it possible to oscillate six components of Raman radiation with a combined frequency shift on the first (888 cm-1) and second (327 cm-1) vibrational modes in the wavelength range of 1194-1396 nm. Oscillation efficiency of the multiwavelength Raman laser radiation was as high as 10%. By detuning the Raman laser cavity length, the pulse shortening down to 6 ps for the Raman laser radiation components with the combined frequency shift was obtained, which is an order of magnitude shorter than the pumping pulse duration (64 ps). Keywords: stimulated Raman scattering, single-phase solid solution, vibrational mode, synchronous pumping.

Обогащение спектра многоволновой пикосекундной генерации синхронно-накачиваемого ВКР-лазера на кристалле Sr(MoO_4)-=SUB=-0.8-=/SUB=-(WO_4)-=SUB=-0.2-=/SUB=-

For the first time to our knowledge, a single-phase solid solution Sr(MoO4)0.8(WO4)0.2 was used as an active medium of a Raman laser. Using the high-intensity synchronous picosecond pumping satisfying the condition of phase capture of the parametric Raman interaction on the second vibrational mode made it possible to oscillate six components of Raman radiation with a combined frequency shift on the first (888 cm–1) and second (327 cm–1) vibrational modes in the wavelength range of 1194-1396 nm. Oscillation efficiency of the multiwavelength Raman laser radiation was as high as 10%. By detuning the Raman laser cavity length, the pulse shortening down to 6 ps for the Raman laser radiation components with the combined frequency shift was obtained, which is an order of magnitude shorter than the pumping pulse duration (64 ps).

Dynamic and giant bandgap renormalization dictates the transient optical response in perovskite quantum dots

Transient optical response in perovskite quantum dots (QDs) has remained elusive until now, which hinders their full utilization in optoelectronics. Herein, we reveal that the bandgap renormalization (BGR) dictates the main spectral and dynamical features of transient response in CsPbBr3 QDs. By monitoring the absorption spectral evolution of the monodispersed QDs, the representative BGR is explicitly observed, giving rise to the photoinduced absorption at the higher energy side of the lowest exciton peak in transient absorption spectroscopy. The BGR gradually increases upon photoexcitation as a result of the carrier distribution dependent screening effect. We further demonstrate that the BGR arises from both Coulomb screening and phonon heating under high pump intensities in CsPbBr3 QDs. The synergistic effect leads to the giant BGR energy (ΔE > 60 meV) and the unconventional relationship of ΔE ∝ n1/2, where n is the carrier density. These findings are important for the fundamental understanding and potential applications of the emerging halide perovskite semiconductors.

Colloidal Quantum Dot Infrared Lasers Featuring Sub-Single-Exciton Threshold and Very High Gain.

The use of colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) as a gain medium in infrared laser devices has been underpinned by the need for high pumping intensities, very short gain lifetimes, and low gain coefficients. Here, PbS/PbSSe core/alloyed-shell CQDs are employed as an infrared gain medium that results in highly suppressed Auger recombination with a lifetime of 485ps, lowering the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) threshold down to 300µJcm-2 , and showing a record high net modal gain coefficient of 2180cm-1 . By doping these engineered core/shell CQDs up to nearly filling the first excited state, a significant reduction of optical gain threshold is demonstrated, measured by transient absorption, to an average-exciton population-per-dot 〈Nth 〉g of 0.45due to bleaching of the ground state absorption. This in turn have led to a fivefold reduction in ASE threshold at 〈Nth 〉ASE =0.70excitons-per-dot, associated with a gain lifetime of 280ps. Finally, these heterostructured QDs are used to achieve near-infrared lasing at 1670nm at a pump fluences corresponding to sub-single-exciton-per-dot threshold (〈Nth 〉Las =0.87). This work brings infrared CQD lasing thresholds on par to their visible counterparts, and paves the way toward solution-processed infrared laser diodes.