arXiv subjects

Baruch Fischer

Publications and source records attributed to Baruch Fischer.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Mysterious frequency combs in erbium-doped fiber lasers at low temperatures

We report on the observation of puzzling nonuniform, but ordered, frequency combs in erbium-doped fiber lasers at low temperatures, between 3 K and 14 K. At ~14 K the combs disappear. The combs contain ~240 lines and have nonuniform frequency spacings that starts from ~25 GHz at ~1540.5 nm and decreases, almost monotonically, to ~100 MHz within (1.8-2) nm. We discuss possibilities that they result from enlarged regular mode-comb spacings, from prime numbers-based solitary waves free of four-wave mixing or result from gain gratings. However, we think that the combs originate from multi-lasing lines allowed in inhomogeneous gain broadening, dominant at low temperatures, together with a small power dependent homogeneous broadening part, responsible for the spacing between the lines.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Thermalization of one-dimensional photon gas and thermal lasers in erbium-doped fibers

We demonstrate thermalization and Bose-Einstein (BE) distribution of photons in standard erbium-doped fibers (edf) in a broad spectral range up to ~200nm at the 1550nm wavelength regime. Our measurements were done at a room temperature ~300K and 77K. It is a special demonstration of thermalization of photons in fiber cavities and even in open fibers. They are one-dimensional (1D), meters-long, with low finesse, high loss and small capture fraction of the spontaneous emission. Moreover, we find in the edf cavities coexistence of thermal equilibrium (TE) and lasing without an overall inversion. The experimental results are supported by a theoretical analysis based on the rate equations.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2012

When does lasing become a condensation phenomenon?

We present a generic classical light condensation (LC) phenomenon in linear photonic mode systems, such as cw laser cavities, in a noisy environment (spontaneous emission, etc.), based on weighting the modes in a loss-gain scale rather than in photon energy. It is characterized by a sharp transition from multi- to single-mode oscillation. The study uses a linear multivariate Langevin formulation which gives a mode occupation hierarchy that functions like Bose-Einstein statistics. We find that condensation occurs when the spectral filtering has near the lowest loss mode a power law dependence with exponent smaller than 1. We then discuss how and when condensation occurs in photon systems, how it relates to lasing, and the difficulties to observe regular photon Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in laser cavities. We raise the possibility that recent experiments on photon condensation in optical cavities fall in a classical LC or lasing category rather than being a thermal-quantum BEC phenomenon.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2012

Multi-dimensional laser mode combs (mode hyper-combs)

Laser frequency combs, as most lasers, are one-dimensional. Here we present a realization of d-dimensional laser mode lattices (mode hyper-combs) with unique properties. They are constructed from regular 1-dimensional combs by multi-frequency modulation in active mode-locking (AML). The hyper-comb, with near neighbor mode interaction and noise functioning as temperature, is mapped to interacting magnetic spin-lattices in the spherical-model, which is one of the few statistical-mechanics systems soluble in all dimensions. The important result is that such systems have, in d>2 dimensions, a phase-transition to a global mode-phase-ordered hyper-comb. It changes the nature of AML lasers, giving ultimately short and robust pulses which can capture very broad frequency bandwidths. Additionally, the hyper-combs can serve as a rare physical realization of the spherical-model in any dimension.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2011

Spectral Sidebands and Multi-Pulse Formation in Passively Mode Locked Lasers

Pulse formation in passively mode locked lasers is often accompanied with dispersive waves that form of spectral sidebands due to spatial inhomogoneities in the laser cavity. Here we present an explicit calculation of the amplitude, frequency, and precise shape of the sidebands accompanying a soliton-like pulse. We then extend the study to the global steady state of mode locked laser with a variable number of pulses, and present experimental results in a mode locked fiber laser that confirm the theory. The strong correlation between the temporal width of the sidebands and the measured spacing between the pulses in multipulse operation suggests that the sidebands have an important role in the inter-pulse interaction.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2009

The Distribution Route from Ancestors to Descendants

We add here compared to our former arXiv version an explicit expression for the descendant ratio along the generations The equation that is added here appeared in the Hebrew version published in BDD, Bar Ilan University Press, 23, 71, 2010, titled The distribution route from ancestors to descendants in Equation 11. Otherwise, we don not change nor show here the paper but leave and direct the reader to the former arXiv version with the above addition or to the published paper in Hebrew.

q-bio.PE↗

arXiv2005

High order stimulated Brillouin scattering in single-mode fibers with strong feedback

We present an experimental and theoretical study of cascaded high order Stimulated Brillouin Scatterings (SBS) in single mode fibers. It is shown that because of the back-scattering nature of the process, feedback in the input port is needed for obtaining a significant cascaded effect in nonresonant systems. We also discuss similarities to nonlinear photorefractive processes.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2005

Localization of light in a random grating array in a single mode fiber

We investigate light propagation in randomly spaced fiber gratings in a single mode fiber, and demonstrate the localization effect. Localization of light in random media resembles that of electrons in disordered solids, resulting from a subtle wave interference formation. We measured the light transmission after each additional grating fabrication and found an exponential decay that follows the localization theory. An important feature of the random array is its similarity to ordered gratings in the transmission and reflection behavior at the long array regime. Besides the basic interest in localization in one-dimensional systems, random grating arrays have potential applications, utilizing the possibility to fabricate long structures with strong and broadband reflections.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2005

Critical Behavior of Light

Light is shown to exhibit critical and tricritical behavior in passive mode-locked lasers with externally injected pulses. It is a first and unique example of critical phenomena in a one-dimensional many body light-mode system. The phase diagrams consist of regimes with continuous wave, driven para-pulses, spontaneous pulses via mode condensation, and heterogeneous pulses, separated by phase transition lines which terminate with critical or tricritical points. Enhanced nongaussian fluctuations and collective dynamics are observed at the critical and tricritical points, showing a mode system analog of the critical opalescence phenomenon. The critical exponents are calculated and shown to comply with the mean field theory, which is rigorous in the light system.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2004

Formation and annihilation of laser light pulse quanta in thermodynamic-like pathway

We present a theoretical and experimental study of multiple pulse formation in passively mode-locked (PML) lasers. Following a statistical mechanics approach, the study yields a thermodynamic-like "phase diagram" with boundaries representing cascaded first order phase transitions. They correspond to abrupt creation or annihilation of pulses and a quantized RF power behavior, as system parameters (noise and/or pumping levels) are varied, in excellent accordance with the experiments. Remarkably, individual pulses carry an almost constant quantum of energy.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2004

Exact solution of the nonlinear laser passive mode locking transition

We present the first statistical mechanics study of a passively mode locked laser which includes all the main physical processes, saturable absorption, Kerr nonlinearity, parabolic gain filtering and group velocity dispersion, assuming the soliton condition. We achieve an exact solution in the thermodynamic limit, where the ratio of the cavity length to the pulse width, the duty cycle, tends to infinity. The thermodynamics depends on a single dimensionless parameter $γ$, the ratio of the correlation length to the pulse width. The phase diagram consists of one ordered, mode-locked phase and one disordered, continuous wave phase, separated by a first order phase transition at $γ=9$. The model belongs to a new class of solvable statistical mechanics models with a non-trivial phase diagram. The results are obtained with a fully controlled transfer matrix calculation, showing rigorously that passive mode locking is a thermodynamic phase transition.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2003

Solution of a statistical mechanics model for pulse formation in lasers

We present a rigorous statistical-mechanics theory of nonlinear many mode laser systems. An important example is the passively mode-locked laser that promotes pulse operation when a saturable absorber is placed in the cavity. It was shown by Gordon and Fischer [1] that pulse formation is a first-order phase transition of spontaneous ordering of modes in an effective "thermodynamic" system, in which intracavity noise level is the effective temperature. In this paper we present a rigorous solution of a model of passive mode locking. We show that the thermodynamics depends on a single parameter, and calculate exactly the mode-locking point. We find the phase diagram and calculate statistical quantities, including the dependence of the intracavity power on the gain saturation function, and finite size corrections near the transition point. We show that the thermodynamics is independent of the gain saturation mechanism and that it is correctly reproduced by a mean field calculation. The outcome is a new solvable statistical mechanics system with an unstable self-interaction accompanied by a natural global power constraint, and an exact description of an important many mode laser system.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗