Systems, methods, and structures for improved supercontinuum generation
AssigneeUniversiteit Twente
InventorsHaider Zia, Klaus-Jochen Boller
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Abstract
Aspects of the present disclosure describe improved supercontinuum generation based upon alternating optical dispersion along a waveguide length that advantageously generates much more spectral bandwidth than possible with conventional, prior art techniques without losing coherence as well as supporting a larger range of pulse energies (i.e., for lower than conventionally allowed pulse energies or high pulse energies).
Claims26
A system for supercontinuum generation, the system comprising:
- a source that generates pump pulses of electromagnetic radiation, wherein the pulses are characterized by a first spectral bandwidth;
- and
- a waveguide structure that comprises alternating segments of normal dispersion (ND) waveguide segments and anomalous dispersion (AD) waveguide segments along a length of the waveguide structure, wherein the waveguide structure is configured such that an intensity-dependent Kerr effect induces self-phase modulation that gives rise to spectral broadening;
- wherein the waveguide structure receives the pump pulses from the source and generates output pulses characterized by a second spectral bandwidth that is greater than the first spectral bandwidth.
A system for supercontinuum generation comprising:
- an optical source in optical communication with a waveguide structure;
- and
- the waveguide structure including alternating segments of normal dispersion (ND) waveguide and anomalous dispersion (AD) waveguide along a length of the waveguide structure, said waveguide structure being configured to alternate the sign of a dispersion profile along the length of the waveguide, and wherein the waveguide structure is configured such that an intensity-dependent Kerr effect induces self-phase modulation that gives rise to a spectral broadening of light pulses received from the optical source as the light pulses propagate the length of the waveguide structure.
A method of supercontinuum generation comprising:
- directing a light pulse into an optical waveguide structure that includes alternating segments of normal dispersion (ND) waveguide and anomalous dispersion (AD) waveguide along a length of the waveguide structure;
- spectrally broadening and reshaping the light pulse via an intensity-dependent Kerr effect that gives rise to self-phase modulation along a length of the waveguide structure;
- and
- emitting spectrally broadened light pulses from the waveguide structure.
A system for supercontinuum generation, the system comprising:
- a source that generates pump pulses of electromagnetic radiation, wherein the pulses are characterized by a first spectral bandwidth;
- and
- a waveguide structure that receives the pump pulses and generates output pulses characterized by a second spectral bandwidth that is greater than the first spectral bandwidth;
- wherein the waveguide structure comprises alternating segments of normal dispersion (ND) waveguide segments and anomalous dispersion (AD) waveguide segments along a length of the waveguide structure;
- and
- wherein the system is characterized by the absence of spectral clamping of the output pulses.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.