Prototype of a monolithic cavity-based ultrastable optical reference for space applications.

We present a compact, monolithic optical reference for the frequency stabilized laser of future inter-satellite laser interferometer missions. A prototype based on the integration of a high-finesse cavity and associate optics has been designed to be space compatible while maintaining sufficient stability. The prototype has then been developed with a space-qualified bonding technique, and an in situ multi-degree-of-freedom alignment method. The performances of the optical reference have been studied by beat note analysis with another frequency stabilized laser, and the preliminary results are in agreement with the potential requirements of future space missions.

Highly coherent and multi-octave mid-infrared supercontinuum generations in a reverse-strip AlGaAs waveguide with three zero-dispersion wavelengths.

In this paper, a reverse-strip AlGaAs waveguide with three zero-dispersion wavelengths (ZDWs) is designed. The corresponding three ZDWs are located at 3.74, 6.56, and 8.89 µm. The nonlinearity coefficient of the proposed reverse-strip AlGaAs waveguide is calculated as 2.09W-1m-1 at wavelength 4.9 µm. The effects of pump pulse parameters, waveguide length, and noise coefficient on the nonlinear dynamics of supercontinuum (SC) generation are investigated. When the hyperbolic secant pump pulse with a wavelength of 4.9 µm, peak power of 900 W, and duration of 100 fs is launched into the proposed waveguide and propagated after a 3 mm length, highly coherent and multi-octave mid-infrared (MIR) SC spanning from 2.2 to 14.5 µm (more than 2.7 octaves, at -40dB level) is generated. Finally, a possible fabrication process of the reverse-strip AlGaAs waveguide is introduced. Our research results have important applications in MIR photonics, MIR spectroscopy, optical precision measurement, and more.

α-In2Se3 wideband optical modulator for pulsed fiber lasers.

With the magnetron-sputtering deposition method, α phase indium selenide (α-In2Se3) was developed into a saturable absorber (SA) with wideband saturable absorption property at 800, 1560, and 1930 nm. After inserting the α-In2Se3 SA into erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) and thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL) systems, we can easily obtain stable soliton pulse trains. The pulse duration/pulse energy/slope efficiency for EDFL and TDFL were 276 fs/2.03 nJ/15.8% and 1.02 ps/7.1 nJ/23.5%, respectively. These results showed that the MSD-grown α-In2Se3 could be regarded as high efficiency material to be applied in ultrafast photonics.