arXiv subjects

Andreas Tünnermann

Publications and source records attributed to Andreas Tünnermann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Systematic Study of Amorphous ABC Heterostructures at the Atomic Scale as a Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Metamaterial

Systematic exploration of amorphous ABC heterostructures revealed that nanoscale morphological modifications markedly improved their artificial bulk second-order susceptibility. These amorphous birefringent heterostructures were fabricated through plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of three oxides, effectively breaking the centrosymmetry on the nanoscale. We observe a dependence of the optical nonlinearity on the thickness variation of three constituent materials, SiO$_2$, TiO$_2$, and Al$_2$O$_3$, ranging from tens of nanometers to the atomic scale, and these thin films exhibit second-order susceptibility at their interfaces. Our findings reveal that the enhancement of nonlinear optical properties is strongly correlated with a high density of layers and superior interface quality, where the interface second-order nonlinearity transitions to bulk-like second-harmonic generation. An effective bulk second-order susceptibility of $χ_{zzz} = 2.0 \pm 0.2$~pm/V at the wavelength of 1032~nm is achieved, comparable to typical values for conventional monocrystalline nonlinear materials.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2025

Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties of SiO$_2$/TiO$_2$ Heterostructures Grown by Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition

Second harmonic (SH) radiation can only be generated in non-centrosymmetric bulk crystals under the electric-dipole approximation. Nonlinear thin films made from bulk crystals are technologically challenging because of complex and high temperature fabrication processes. In this work, heterostructures made of amorphous materials SiO$_2$ and TiO$_2$ were prepared by a CMOS-compatible technique named plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) with deposition temperature at 100 °C. By using the uniaxial dispersion model, we characterized the form-birefringence properties, which can enable the phase matching condition in waveguides or other nonlinear optical applications. By applying a fringe-based technique, we determined the largest diagonal component of the effective second-order bulk susceptibility $χ_{zzz}^{(2)}$ = 1.30$\pm$0.13 pm/V at a wavelength of 1032 nm. Noteworthy, we observed strong SH signals from two-component nanolaminates, which are several orders of magnitude larger than from single layers. The SH signals from our samples only require the broken inversion symmetry at the interface. Here optical properties of nanocomposites can be precisely tuned by the promising PEALD technology.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Ad-hoc hybrid-heterogeneous metropolitan-range quantum key distribution network

This paper presents the development and implementation of a versatile ad-hoc metropolitan-range Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network. The approach presented integrates various types of physical channels and QKD protocols, and a mix of trusted and untrusted nodes. Unlike conventional QKD networks that predominantly depend on either fiber-based or free-space optical (FSO) links, the testbed presented amalgamates FSO and fiber-based links, thereby overcoming some inherent limitations. Various network deployment strategies have been considered, including permanent infrastructure and provisional ad-hoc links to eradicate coverage gaps. Furthermore, the ability to rapidly establish a network using portable FSO terminals and to investigate diverse link topologies is demonstrated. The study also showcases the successful establishment of a quantum-secured link to a cloud server.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Towards metropolitan free-space quantum networks

Quantum communication has seen rapid progress towards practical large-scale networks, with quantum key distribution (QKD) spearheading this development. While fibre based systems have been shown to be well suited for metropolitan scales, suitable fibre infrastructure may not always be in place. Here, we make the case for an entanglement-based free-space quantum network as a practical and efficient alternative for metropolitan applications. We developed a deployable free space QKD system and demonstrated its use in realistic scenarios. For a representative 1.7-km free-space link, we showcase its ad hoc deployability and achieve secure key rates of up to 5.7 kbps, with 2.5 kbps in direct noon sunlight. By extrapolating experimental data, we show that kbps key rates are achievable even for 10-km distances and multi-user scenarios. We anticipate that our work will establish free space networks as a viable solution for metropolitan applications and an indispensable complementary building block in the future global quantum internet.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Monolithic Thulium Fiber Laser with 567 W output power at 1970 nm

We report on a monolithic thulium fiber laser with 567 W output power at 1970 nm, which is the highest power reported so far directly from a thulium oscillator. This is achieved by optimization of the splice parameters for the active fiber (minimizing signal light in the fiber cladding) and direct water cooling. Dual transverse mode operation is visible from the optical spectrum and can also be deduced from the measured beam quality of M^2 = 2.6. \c{opyright} 2016 Optical Society of America under Open Access Publishing Agreement. Users may use, reuse, and build upon the article, or use the article for text or data mining, so long as such uses are for non-commercial purposes and appropriate attribution is maintained. All other rights are reserved.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Measuring Thermal Load in Fiber Amplifiers in the Presence of Transversal Mode Instabilities

We report on detailed in-situ distributed temperature measurements inside a high power fiber amplifier. The deducted thermal load and the TMI-threshold of a commercial LMA fiber with 25 micron core and 400 micron cladding was measured at various seed wavelengths. By matching these results with detailed simulations we show that photodarkening has a negligible impact on the thermal load and, therefore, on the TMI threshold in this fiber.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Simplified Design of Optical Elements for Filled-Aperture Coherent Beam Combination

A simplification strategy for Segmented Mirror Splitters (SMS) used as beam combiners is presented. These devices are useful for compact beam division and combination of linear and 2-D arrays. However, the standard design requires unique thin-film coating sections for each input beam and thus potential for scaling to high beam-counts is limited due to manufacturing complexity. Taking advantage of the relative insensitivity of the beam combination process to amplitude variations, numerical techniques are used to optimize highly-simplified designs with only one, two or three unique coatings. It is demonstrated that with correctly chosen coating reflectivities, the simplified optics are capable of high combination efficiency for several tens of beams. The performance of these optics as beamsplitters in multicore fiber amplifier systems is analyzed, and inhomogeneous power distribution of the simplified designs is noted as a potential source of combining loss in such systems. These simplified designs may facilitate further scaling of filled-aperture coherently combined systems.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

23 mJ high-power fiber CPA system using electro-optically controlled divided-pulse amplification

The pulse-energy scaling technique electro-optically controlled divided-pulse amplification is implemented in a high-power ultrafast fiber laser system based on coherent beam combination. A fiber-integrated front end and a multi-pass cell based back end allow for a small footprint and a modular implementation. Bursts of 8 pulses are amplified parallel in up to 12 ytterbium-doped large-pitch fiber amplifiers. Subsequent spatio-temporal coherent combination of the 96 total amplified pulse replicas to a single pulse results in a pulse energy of 23 mJ at an average power of 674 W, compressible to a pulse duration of 235 fs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest pulse energy ever accomplished with a fiber CPA system.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Electro-optically controlled divided-pulse amplification

A novel technique for divided-pulse amplification is presented in a proof-of-principle experiment. A pulse burst, cut out of the pulse train of a mode-locked oscillator, is amplified and temporally combined into a single pulse. High combination efficiency and excellent pulse contrast are demonstrated. The system is mostly fiber-coupled, enabling a high interferometric stability. This approach provides access to the amplitude and phase of the individual pulses in the burst to be amplified, potentially allowing the compensation of gain saturation and nonlinear phase mismatches within the burst. Therefore, this technique enables the scaling of the peak power and pulse energy of pulsed laser systems beyond currently prevailing limitations.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Sequential phase locking scheme for a filled aperture intensity coherent combination of beam arrays

We present a novel phase locking scheme for the coherent combination of beam arrays in the filled aperture configuration. Employing a phase dithering mechanism for the different beams similar to LOCSET, dithering frequencies for sequential combination steps are reused. By applying an additional phase alternating scheme, this allows to use standard synchronized multichannel lock-in electronics for phase locking a large number of channels even when the frequency bandwidth of the employed phase actuators is limited.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

10.4 kW coherently combined ultrafast fiber laser

An ultrafast laser delivering 10.4 kW average output power based on coherent combination of twelve stepindex fiber amplifiers is presented. The system emits close-to-transform-limited 254 fs pulses at 80 MHz repetition rate, has a high beam quality (M2<=1.2), and a low relative intensity noise of 0.56% in the frequency range of from 1 Hz to 1 MHz. Automated spatiotemporal alignment allows for hands-off operation.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

1kW 1mJ 8-channel ultrafast fiber laser

An ultrafast fiber chirped-pulse amplifier comprising 8 coherently combined amplifier channels is presented. The laser delivers 1 kW average power at 1 mJ pulse energy and 260 fs pulse duration. Excellent beam quality and low noise performance are confirmed. The laser has proven suitable for demanding scientific applications. Further power scaling is possible right away using even more amplifier channels

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

High-average-power femtosecond laser at 258 nm

We present an ultrafast fiber laser system delivering 4.6 W average power at 258 nm based on two-stage fourth-harmonic generation in beta barium borate (BBO). The beam quality is close to diffraction limited with an M2- value of 1.3 x 1.6. The pulse duration is 150 fs, which potentially is compressible down to 40 fs. A plain BBO and a Sapphire-BBO compound are compared with respect to the achievable beam quality in the conversion process. This laser is applicable in scientific and industrial fields. Further scaling to higher average power is discussed

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

3.5 kW coherently combined ultrafast fiber laser

An ultrafast laser based on coherent beam combination of four ytterbium-doped step-index fiber amplifiers is presented. The system delivers an average power of 3.5 kW and a pulse duration of 430 fs at 80 MHz repetition rate. The beam quality is excellent (M2<1.24x1.10) and the relative intensity noise is as low as 1% in the frequency span from 1 Hz to 1 MHz. The system is turn-key operable as it features an automated spatial and temporal alignment of the interferometric amplification channels.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Energetic sub-2-cycle laser with 220 W average power

Few-cycle lasers are essential for many research areas such as attosecond physics that promises to address fundamental questions in science and technology. Therefore, further advancements are connected to significant progress in the underlying laser technology. Here, two-stage nonlinear compression of a 660 W femtosecond fiber laser system is utilized to achieve unprecedented average power levels of energetic ultrashort or even few-cycle laser pulses. In a first compression step 408 W, 320 uJ, 30fs pulses are achieved, which can be further compressed to 216 W, 170 uJ, 6.3 fs pulses in a second compression stage. This is the highest average power few-cycle laser system presented so far. It is expected to significantly advance the fields of high harmonic generation and attosecond science.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Coherent Beam Combination of Ultrafast Fiber Lasers

The performance of fiber laser systems has drastically increased over recent decades, which has opened up new industrial and scientific applications for this technology. However, currently a number of physical effects prevents further power scaling. Coherent combination of beams from multiple emitters has been established as a power scaling technique beyond these limitations. It is possible to increase the average power and, for pulsed laser systems, also parameters such as the pulse energy and the peak power. To realize such laser systems, various aspects have to be taken into account which include beam combination elements, stabilization systems and the output parameters of the individual amplifiers. After an introduction to the topic, various ways of implementing coherent beam combination for ultrashort pulses are explored. Besides the spatial combination of beams, the combination of pulses in time will also be discussed. Recent experimental results will be presented, including multi-dimensional (i.e. spatial and temporal) combination. Finally, an outlook on possible further developments is given, focused on scaling the number of combinable beams and pulses.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Laser-induced anti-Stokes fluorescence cooling of ytterbium-doped silica glass by more than 6 Kelvin

Laser cooling of a solid is achieved when a coherent laser illuminates the material, and the heat is extracted by resulting anti-Stokes fluorescence. Over the past year, net solid-state laser cooling was successfully demonstrated for the first time in Yb-doped silica glass in both bulk samples and fibers. Here, we improve the previously published results by one order of magnitude and report more than 6K of cooling below the ambient temperature. This result is the lowest temperature achieved in solid-state laser cooling of silica glass to date to the best of our knowledge. We present details on the experiment performed using a 20W laser operating at 1035nm wavelength and temperature measurements using both a thermal camera and the differential luminescence thermometry technique.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Fiber lasers: a power-scalable coherent light source for applications in space

Fiber lasers entered numerous applications due to their high efficiency and superior stability. Particularly in space, those lasers have to fulfill additional requirements set by the harsh environment, typically characterized by large temperature gradients, vibration and shock as well as different kinds of radiation. In this contribution, we will report on the development and realization of a fiber laser intended to operate as part of a Rendezvous and Docking 3D-Lidar system considering the aforementioned specialties. Power scaling of pulsed as well as continuous-wave fiber lasers is yet another way to exploit new application fields in space.

physics.space-ph↗