arXiv subjects

Tim Hellwig

Publications and source records attributed to Tim Hellwig.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Multi-color stimulated Raman scattering with a frame-to-frame wavelength-tunable fiber-based light source

We present multi-color imaging by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) enabled by an ultrafast fiber-based light source with integrated amplitude modulation and frame-to-frame wavelength tuning. With a relative intensity noise level of -153.7 dBc/Hz at 20.25 MHz the light source is well suited for SRS imaging and outperforms other fiber-based light source concepts for SRS imaging. The light source is tunable in under 5 ms per arbitrary wavelength step between 700 cm$^{-1}$ and 3200 cm$^{-1}$, which allows for addressing Raman resonances from the fingerprint to the CH-stretch region. Moreover, the compact and environmentally stable system is predestined for fast multi-color assessments of medical or rapidly evolving samples with high chemical specificity, paving the way for diagnostics and sensing outside of specialized laser laboratories.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

High-sensitivity frequency modulation CARS with a compact and fast tunable fiber-based light source

Frequency modulation coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (FM CARS) is presented, using a compact as well as fast and widely tunable fiber-based light source. With this light source Raman resonances between 700 cm$^{-1}$ and 3200 cm$^{-1}$ can be addressed via wavelength tuning within only 5 ms, which allows for FM CARS measurements with frame-to-frame wavelength switching. Moreover, the functionality for high-sensitivity FM CARS measurements was integrated by means of fiber optics to keep a stable and reliable operation. The light source accomplished FM CARS measurements with a 40 times enhanced sensitivity at a lock-in amplifier (LIA) bandwidth of 1 Hz. For fast imaging with frame-to-frame wavelength switching at a LIA bandwidth of 1 MHz a 18-fold contrast enhancement could be verified, making this light source ideal for routine and out-of-lab FM CARS measurements for medical diagnostics or environmental sensing.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Supercontinuum generation in media with sign-alternated dispersion

When an ultrafast optical pulse with high intensity is propagating through transparent material a supercontinuum can be coherently generated by self-phase modulation, which is essential to many photonic applications in fibers and integrated waveguides. However, the presence of dispersion causes stagnation of spectral broadening past a certain propagation length, requiring an increased input peak power for further broadening. We present a concept to drive supercontinuum generation with significantly lower input power by counteracting spectral stagnation via alternating the sign of group velocity dispersion along the propagation. We demonstrate the effect experimentally in dispersion alternating fiber in excellent agreement with modeling, revealing almost an order of magnitude reduced peak power compared to uniform dispersion. Calculations reveal a similar power reduction also with integrated optical waveguides, simultaneously with a significant increase of flat bandwidth, which is important for on-chip broadband photonics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Ultrafast, low-power, all-optical switching via birefringent phase-matched transverse mode conversion in integrated waveguides

We demonstrate the potential of birefringence-based, all-optical, ultrafast conversion between the transverse modes in integrated optical waveguides by modelling the conversion process by numerically solving the multi-mode coupled nonlinear Schroedinger equations. The observed conversion is induced by a control beam and due to the Kerr effect, resulting in a transient index grating which coherently scatters probe light from one transverse waveguide mode into another. We introduce birefringent phase matching to enable efficient all-optically induced mode conversion at different wavelengths of the control and probe beam. It is shown that tailoring the waveguide geometry can be exploited to explicitly minimize intermodal group delay as well as to maximize the nonlinear coefficient, under the constraint of a phase matching condition. The waveguide geometries investigated here, allow for mode conversion with over two orders of magnitude reduced control pulse energy compared to previous schemes and thereby promise nonlinear mode switching exceeding efficiencies of 90% at switching energies below 1 nJ.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Experimental realization of transverse mode conversion using optically induced transient long-period gratings

We present the experimental realization of transverse mode conversion in an optical fiber via an optically induced long-period grating. The transient gratings are generated by femtosecond laser pulses, exploiting the Kerr effect to translate intensity patterns emerging from multimode interference into a spatial refractive index modulation. Since these modulations exist only while the pump beam is present, they can be used for optical switching of transverse modes. As only a localized part of the grating was written at a time and the probe beam was co-propagating with the pump beam the required pulse energies could be reduced to 120\,nJ which is about a factor of 600 lower than in previous quasi-continuous-wave experiments. Accompanying numerical simulations allow a better understanding of the involved effects and show excellent agreement to the experimental results.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Optically induced mode conversion in graded-index fibers using ultra-short laser pulses

We propose the use of graded-index few-mode fibers for mode-conversion by long-period gratings (LPG) transiently written by ultrashort laser pulses using the optical Kerr effect. The mode inter- action is studied by numerically solving the multi-mode coupled nonlinear Schroedinger equations. We present highly efficient conversion of the LP 01 - into the LP 11 -mode preserving the pulse shape in contrast to previous results in step-index fibers. Furthermore, mode conversion using different wavelengths for inducing and probing the LPG is shown. Due to the flat phase-matching curve of the examined modes in the graded-index fiber, mode-conversion can be observed for probe center wavelengths of 1100nm up to 1800nm with a write beam centered around 1030nm. Therefore, a complete separation of the probe from the write beam should be possible as well as the application of optically induced guided mode conversion for all optical modulation across a broad wavelength range.

physics.optics↗