Dual-comb spectroscopy for in-plane angle measurement using OAM vortex light.

By combining dual-comb spectroscopy and optical vortices, which have the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light, we propose a novel measurement concept, "dual-vortex-comb spectroscopy (DVCS)." We extend the dual-comb spectroscopy to angle dimensions by utilizing the characteristic helical phase structure of optical vortices. We demonstrate a proof-of-principle experiment on DVCS that realizes in-plane azimuth-angle measurements with an accuracy of ∼0.1 mrad after cyclic error correction, whose origin is verified by a simulation. We also demonstrate that the measurable angle range is tailored by the topological number of the optical vortices. This is the first demonstration of dimensional conversion between the in-plane angle and dual-comb interferometric phase. This successful result can expand the applicability of optical frequency comb metrology to new dimensions.

Quasi-real-time dual-comb spectroscopy with 750-MHz Yb:fiber combs.

We present quasi-real-time dual-comb spectroscopy (DCS) using two Yb:fiber combs with ∼750 MHz repetition rates. A computational coherent averaging technique is employed to correct timing and phase fluctuations of the measured dual-comb interferogram (IGM). Quasi-real-time phase correction of 1-ms long acquisitions occurs every 1.5 seconds and is assisted by coarse radio frequency (RF) phase-locking of an isolated RF comb mode. After resampling and global offset phase correction, the RF comb linewidth is reduced from 200 kHz to ∼1 kHz, while the line-to-floor ratio increases 13 dB in power in 1 ms. Using simultaneous offset frequency correction in opposite phases, we correct the aliased RF spectrum spanning three Nyquist zones, which yields an optical coverage of ∼180 GHz around 1.035 µm probed on a sub-microsecond timescale. The absorption profile of gaseous acetylene is observed to validate the presented technique.

Computationally image-corrected dual-comb microscopy with a free-running single-cavity dual-comb fiber laser.

Dual-comb microscopy (DCM), an interesting imaging modality based on the optical-frequency-comb (OFC) mode and image pixel one-to-one correspondence, benefits from scan-less full-field imaging and simultaneous confocal amplitude and phase imaging. However, the two fully frequency-stabilized OFC sources requirement hampers DCM practicality due to the complexity and costs. Here, a bidirectional single-cavity dual-comb fiber laser (SCDCFL) is adopted as a DCM low-complexity OFC source. Although the residual timing jitter in the SCDCFL blurs the image of a static object acquired by DCM, computational image correction significantly suppresses the image blur. Nanometer-order step surface profilometry with a 14.0 nm uncertainty highlights the computationally image-corrected DCM effectiveness. We further discuss a possibility to expand the computational image correction to a dynamic object and demonstrate its preliminary experiment. The proposed method enhances the DCM generality and practicality due to low-complexity OFC source.

Dual-comb spectroscopy for rapid characterization of complex optical properties of solids.

We demonstrate rapid characterization of complex optical properties of solids via dual-comb spectroscopy (DCS) in the near-infrared region. The fine spectral structures in the complex refractive index of an Er:YAG are successfully deduced using the developed system and Fourier analysis. Moreover, simultaneous determination of the refractive index and the thickness is demonstrated for a silicon semiconductor wafer through the use of multireflected echo signals. The results indicate the potential of DCS as a powerful measurement tool for the rapid and full characterization of solid materials.

Transient gain analysis of gain-switched semiconductor lasers during pulse lasing.

We analyzed the transient gain properties of three gain-switched semiconductor lasers with different materials and cavity structures during pulse lasing. All the semiconductor lasers were pumped with impulse optical pumping, and all the generated gain-switched output pulses were well described by exponential functions in their rise parts, wherein the transient gains were derived according to the rate-equation theoretical model. In spite of the different laser structures and materials, the results consistently demonstrated that a higher transient gain produces shorter output pulses, indicating the dominant role of higher transient gain in the generation of even shorter gain-switched pulses with semiconductor lasers.

Gain-switching dynamics in optically pumped single-mode InGaN vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers.

The gain-switching dynamics of single-mode pulses were studied in blue InGaN multiple-quantum-well vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) through impulsive optical pumping. We measured the shortest single-mode pulses of 6.0 ps in width with a method of up-conversion, and also obtained the pulse width and the delay time as functions of pump powers from streak-camera measurements. Single-mode rate-equation calculations quantitatively and consistently explained the observed data. The calculations indicated that the pulse width in the present VCSELs was mostly limited by modal gain, and suggested that subpicosecond pulses should be possible within feasible device parameters.

Probing of local structures of thermal and photoinduced phases in rubidium manganese hexacyanoferrate by resonant Raman spectroscopy.

Resonant couplings of the electronic states and the stretching vibrations of CN(-) ligands, which bridges metal ions, is investigated by resonance Raman spectroscopy for Rb(0.94)Mn[Fe(CN)6](0.98)·0.2H2O. Large excitation wavelength dependences over one order of magnitude were found for Raman peaks corresponding to different valence pairs of metal ions in the excitation wavelength range between 350 and 632 nm. In the thermal low-temperature phase, the CN(-) stretching modes due to the low-temperature-phase configuration (Fe(2+)-Mn(3+)) and the phase-boundary configuration (Fe(3+)-Mn(3+)) are coupled to the Fe(2+)-to-Mn(3+) intervalence transfer band and Jahn-Teller distorted Mn(3+) d-d transition band, respectively. In the photoinduced low-temperature phase, the Fe(3+)-Mn(3+) mode shows strong resonant enhancement with the CN(-)-to-Fe(3+) charge-transfer band, which exists in the high-temperature phase with a cubic structure. From these resonance behaviors, we conclude that the local lattice symmetry of the photoinduced phase is cubic in contrast with the tetragonal symmetry in the thermal low-temperature phase.

Direct generation of 2-ps blue pulses from gain-switched InGaN VCSEL assessed by up-conversion technique.

Ultra-short pulses in blue region generated from compact and low-cost semiconductor lasers have attracted much attention for a wide variety of applications. Nitride-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), having intrinsic high material gain and short cavities, favor the generation of ultra-short blue pulses via a simple gain-switching technique. In this study, we fabricated a single-mode InGaN VCSEL consisting of 10-period InGaN/GaN quantum wells (QWs). The output pulses were evaluated accurately with an up-conversion measurement system having time resolution of 0.12 ps. We demonstrated that ultra-short blue pulses, as short as 2.2 ps at 3.4 K and 4.0 ps at room temperature, were generated from the gain-switched InGaN VCSEL via impulsive optical pumping, without any post-processing. The gain-switched pulses we obtained should greatly promote the development of ultra-short blue pulse generation. In addition, this successful assessment demonstrates the up-conversion technique's usefulness for characterizing ultra-short blue pulses from semiconductor lasers.

Spectral dynamics of picosecond gain-switched pulses from nitride-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers.

Short pulses generated from low-cost semiconductor lasers by a simple gain-switching technique have attracted enormous attention because of their potential usage in wide applications. Therein, reducing the durations of gain-switched pulses is a key technical point for promoting their applications. Therefore, understanding the dynamic characteristics of gain-switched pulses is highly desirable. Herein, we used streak camera to investigate the time- and spectral-resolved lasing characteristics of gain-switched pulses from optically pumped InGaN single-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. We found that fast initial components with ultra-short durations far below our temporal resolution of 5.5 ps emerged on short-wavelength sides, while the entire pulses were down-chirped, resulting in the simultaneous broadening of the spectrum and pulse width. The measured chirp characteristics were quantitatively explained using a single-mode rate-equation model, combined with carrier-density-dependent gain and index models. The observed universal fast short-wavelength components can be useful in generating even shorter pulses from gain-switched semiconductor lasers.