GMOIT: a tool for effective screening of genetically modified crops.

BACKGROUND: Advancement in agricultural biotechnology has resulted in increasing numbers of commercial varieties of genetically modified (GM) crops worldwide. Though several databases on GM crops are available, these databases generally focus on collecting and providing information on transgenic crops rather than on screening strategies. To overcome this, we constructed a novel tool named, Genetically Modified Organisms Identification Tool (GMOIT), designed to integrate basic and genetic information on genetic modification events and detection methods. RESULTS: At present, data for each element from 118 independent genetic modification events in soybean, maize, canola, and rice were included in the database. Particularly, GMOIT allows users to customize assay ranges and thus obtain the corresponding optimized screening strategies using common elements or specific locations as the detection targets with high flexibility. Using the 118 genetic modification events currently included in GMOIT as the range and algorithm selection results, a "6 + 4" protocol (six exogenous elements and four endogenous reference genes as the detection targets) covering 108 events for the four crops was established. Plasmids pGMOIT-1 and pGMOIT-2 were constructed as positive controls or calibrators in qualitative and quantitative transgene detection. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides a simple, practical tool for selecting, detecting, and screening strategies for a sustainable and efficient application of genetic modification.

Simplified expression for transverse mode instability threshold in high power fiber lasers.

In this work, we propose an analytical expression for calculating the transverse mode instability (TMI) threshold power, which clearly shows the role of various fiber parameters and system parameters. The TMI threshold expression is obtained by solving the heat conduction equation and the nonlinear coupling equation using the fundamental mode fitted by Gaussian functions. The calculation results of the proposed TMI threshold expression are consistent with the experimental phenomena and simulation results from the well-recognized theoretical model. The influence of some special parameters on the TMI threshold and the power scaling is also investigated. This work will be helpful for fiber design and TMI mitigation of high-power fiber lasers.

General error analysis of matrix-operation-mode decomposition technique in few-mode fiber laser.

The mode decomposition based on matrix operation (MDMO) is one of the fastest mode decomposition (MD) techniques, which is important to the few-mode fiber laser characterization and its applications. In this paper, the general error of the MDMO technique was analyzed, where different influencing factors, such as position deviation of the optical imaging system, coordinate deviation of the image acquisition system, aberrations, and mode distortion were considered. It is found that the MDMO technique based on far-field intensity distribution is less affected by optical imaging system position deviation, coordinate deviation of the image acquisition system, and mode distortion than those based on direct near-field decomposition. But far-field decomposition is more affected by aberration than those based on near-field decomposition. In particular, the numerical results show that the deviation of the coordinate axis direction is an important factor limiting the accuracy of MD. In addition, replacing the ideal eigenmode basis with a distorted eigenmode basis can effectively suppress the decrease in mode decomposition accuracy caused by fiber bending. Moreover, based on detailed numerical analysis results, fitting formulas for estimating the accuracy of the MDMO technique with imperfections are also provided, which provides a comprehensive method for evaluating the accuracy of the MDMO technique in practical engineering operations.

Influence of wavelength, linewidth, and temperature on second harmonic generation of a superfluorescent fiber source.

Low-coherence tunable visible light sources have a wide range of applications in imaging, spectroscopy, medicine, and so on. Second harmonic generation (SHG) based on a superfluorescent fiber source (SFS) can produce high-brightness visible light while retaining most of the characteristics of superfluorescent sources, such as low coherence, low intensity noise and flexible tunability. However, due to the limitations in phase matching conditions, SHG based on SFS is difficult to reach an equilibrium between high efficiency and robustness of phase matching to temperature variation. In this paper, based on a spectral tunable SFS, we provide a comprehensive analysis, both experimental and theoretical, of the impact of wavelength, linewidth, and temperature on the output performance of SHG. Our findings indicate that broader linewidths adversely affect conversion efficiency, yet they enhance the capacity to withstand temperature variations and central wavelength detuning, which is an advantage that traditional SHG methods do not possess. This work may pave the way for utilizing low-coherence visible light in domains and extreme environments where robust output stability becomes imperative.

Phosphorus-doped fiber for flat octave spanning supercontinuum generation.

In a fiber supercontinuum (SC) source, the Raman scattering effect plays a significant role in extending the spectrum into a longer wavelength. Here, by using a phosphorus-doped fiber with a broad Raman gain spectrum as the nonlinear medium, we demonstrate flat SC generation spanning from 850 to 2150 nm. Within the wavelength range of 1.1-2.0 µm, the spectral power density fluctuation is less than 7 dB. Compared to a similar SC source based on a germanium-doped fiber with narrower Raman gain spectrum, the wavelength span is 300 nm broader, and the spectral power density fluctuation is 5 dB lower. This work demonstrates the phosphorus-doped fiber's great advantage in spectrally flat SC generation, which is of great significance in many applications such as optical coherence tomography, absorption spectroscopy, and telecommunication.

5†kW power-level 1050†nm narrow-linewidth fiber amplifier enabled by biconical-tapered active fiber.

Effective wavelength extension is vital in the applications of high-power narrow-linewidth fiber lasers. In this work, we demonstrate a 5-kW power-level narrow-linewidth fiber amplifier at 1050 nm utilizing a homemade biconical-tapered Yb-doped fiber (BT-YDF). Up to ∼4.96 kW fiber laser is achieved with a 3 dB linewidth of ∼0.54 nm and a beam quality factor of Mx 2 = 1.46, My 2 = 1.6. The experimental comparisons reveal that BT-YDF has the advantages of improving a stimulated Raman scattering threshold and balancing transverse mode instability suppression in the fiber amplifier. This work could provide a good reference for extending the operating wavelength of high-power fiber amplifiers.

Over 250 W low noise core-pumped single-frequency all-fiber amplifier.

A high-power linearly-polarized all-fiber single-frequency amplifier at 1 µm based on tandem core-pumping is demonstrated by using a large-mode-area Ytterbium-doped fiber with a core diameter of 20 µm, which nicely balances the stimulated Brillouin scattering effect, thermal load, and output beam quality. A maximum output power of more than 250 W with a corresponding slope efficiency of >85% is achieved at the operating wavelength of 1064 nm without being constrained by the saturation and nonlinear effects. Meanwhile, a comparable amplification performance is realized with a lower injection signal power of the wavelength near the peak gain of the Yb-doped fiber. The polarization extinction ratio and the M2 factor of the amplifier are respectively measured to be >17 dB and 1.15 under the maximal output power. In addition, by virtue of the single-mode 1018 nm pump laser, the intensity noise of the amplifier under maximal output power is measured to be comparable to that of the single-frequency seed laser at frequencies higher than 2 kHz, except for the emergence of parasitic peaks that can be eliminated by optimizing the driving electronics of the pump lasers, while the deterioration of the amplification process to the frequency noise and linewidth of the laser is negligible. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest output power of a single-frequency all-fiber amplifier based on the core-pumping scheme.

Mitigation of TMI in an 8†kW tandem pumped fiber amplifier enabled by inter-mode gain competition mechanism through bending control.

In this work, the impact of fiber bending and mode content on transverse mode instability (TMI) is investigated. Based on a modified stimulated thermal Rayleigh scattering (STRS) model considering the gain competition between transverse modes, we theoretically detailed the TMI threshold under various mode content and bending conditions in few-mode fibers. Our theoretical calculations demonstrate that larger bending diameters increase the high order mode (HOM) components in the amplifier, which in turn reduces the frequency-shifted Stokes LP11o mode due to the inter-mode gain competition mechanism, thus improving the TMI threshold of few-mode amplifiers. The experimental results agree with the simulation. Finally, by optimizing the bending, an 8.38 kW output tandem pumped fiber amplifier is obtained with a beam quality M2 of 1.8. Both TMI and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) are well suppressed at the maximum power. This work provides a comprehensive analysis of the TMI in few-mode amplifiers and offers a practical method to realize high-power high-brightness fiber lasers.

Analysis of an image noise sensitivity mechanism for matrix-operation-mode-decomposition and a strong anti-noise method.

Mode decomposition (MD) based on the matrix operation (MDMO) is one of the fastest mode decomposition methods in fiber laser which has great potential for optical communications, nonlinear optics and spatial characterization applications. However, we found that the image noise sensitivity is the main limit to the accuracy of the original MDMO method, but improving the decomposition accuracy by using conventional image filtering methods is almost ineffective. By using the norm theory of matrices, the analysis result shows that both the image noise and the coefficient matrix condition number determine the total upper-bound error of the original MDMO method. Besides, the greater the condition number, the more sensitive of MDMO method is to noise. In addition, it is found that the local error of each mode information solution in the original MDMO method is different, which depends on the L2-norm of each row vector of the inverse coefficient matrix. Moreover, a more noise-insensitive MD method is achieved by screening out the information corresponding to large L2-norm. In particular, selecting the higher accuracy among the original MDMO method and such noise-insensitive method as the result in a single MD process, a strong anti-noise MD method was proposed in this paper, which displays high MD accuracy in strong noise for both near-filed and far-filed MD cases.

Mode-modulation-induced high power dual-wavelength generation in a random distributed feedback Raman fiber laser.

An all-fiberized random distributed feedback Raman fiber laser (RRFL) with mode-modulation-induced wavelength manipulation and dual-wavelength generation has been demonstrated, where an electrically controlled intra-cavity acoustically-induced fiber grating (AIFG) is employed to adjust the input modal content at the signal wavelength. The wavelength agility of both the Raman effect and the Rayleigh backscattering in RRFL benefits on broadband laser output in case of broadband pumping. The feedback modal content at different wavelengths can be adjusted by AIFG, and then the output spectral manipulation can be ultimately manifested through the mode competition in RRFL. Under the efficient mode modulation, the output spectrum can be continuously tuned from 1124.3 nm to 1133.8 nm with single wavelength, while ulteriorly the dual-wavelength spectrum can be formed at 1124.1 nm and 1134.7 nm with a signal-noise-ratio of 45 dB. Throughout, the power is beyond 47 W with good stability and repeatability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first dual-wavelength fiber laser based on mode modulation and the highest output power ever reported for an all-fiberized continuous wave dual-wavelength fiber laser.

Confined-doped fiber enabled kilowatt-level all-fiber laser with 1.28†GHz linewidth.

In this manuscript, a narrow linewidth fiber amplifier based on confined-doped fiber is established, and the power scaling and beam quality maintaining capabilities of this amplifier are investigated. Benefitted from the large mode area of the confined-doped fiber and precisely controlling the Yb-doped region in the fiber core, the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and transverse mode instability (TMI) effects are effectively balanced. As a result, a 1007 W signal laser with just 1.28 GHz linewidth is obtained by combining the advantages of confined-doped fiber, near-rectangular spectral injection, and 915 nm pump manner. As far as we know, this result is the first beyond kilowatt-level demonstration of all-fiber lasers with GHz-level linewidth, which could provide a well reference for simultaneously controlling spectral linewidth, suppressing the SBS and TMI effects in high-power, narrow-linewidth fiber lasers.

Broadband tunable Raman fiber laser with monochromatic pump.

Raman fiber laser (RFL) has been widely adopted in astronomy, optical sensing, imaging, and communication due to its unique advantages of flexible wavelength and broadband gain spectrum. Conventional RFLs are generally based on silica fiber. Here, we demonstrate that the phosphosilicate fiber has a broader Raman gain spectrum as compared to the common silica fiber, making it a better choice for broadband Raman conversion. By using the phosphosilicate fiber as gain medium, we propose and build a tunable RFL, and compare its operation bandwidth with a silica fiber-based RFL. The silica fiber-based RFL can operate within the Raman shift range of 4.9 THz (9.8-14.7 THz), whereas in the phosphosilicate fiber-based RFL, efficient lasing is achieved over the Raman shift range of 13.7 THz (3.5-17.2 THz). The operation bandwidths of the two RFLs are also calculated theoretically. The simulation results agree well with experimental data, where the operation bandwidth of the phosphosilicate fiber-based RFL is more than twice of that of the silica fiber-based RFL. This work reveals the phosphosilicate fiber's unique advantage in broadband Raman conversion, which has great potential in increasing the reach and capacity of optical communication systems.

Seeing the strong suppression of higher order modes in single trench fiber using the S2 technique.

The single trench fiber (STF) is a promising fiber design for mode area scaling and higher order mode (HOM) suppression. In this Letter, we experimentally demonstrate the strong HOM-suppression in a homemade STF using the spatially and spectrally resolved imaging (S2) technique. This STF has a 20-µm core and its performance is compared to a conventional step-index fiber with almost the same parameter. Results show that the bending loss of the HOM in STF is 8-times larger than conventional fiber at a bend radius of 7 cm. In addition, when severe coupling mismatch is introduced at the input end of the fiber, the STF can keep the fundamental-mode output while the conventional fiber cannot. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to experimentally analyze the HOM content in an STF and compare its performance with that of a conventional fiber. Our results indicate the great potential of the STF for filtering the HOM in fiber laser applications.

Generating the 1.5†kW mode-tunable fractional vortex beam by a coherent beam combining system.

As an essential component of the vortex beam, the fractional vortex beam has significantly advanced various applications, such as optical imaging, optical communication, and particle manipulation. However, practical applications face a significant challenge as generating high average power fractional vortex beams remains difficult. Here, we proposed and experimentally demonstrated a high average power mode-tunable fractional vortex beam generator based on an internally sensed coherent beam combining (CBC) system. We presented the first, to the best of our knowledge, successful generation of a 1.5 kW continuous wave fractional vortex beam. Moreover, real-time tuning of the topological charge (TC) from -2/3 to +2/3 was easily achieved using the programmable liquid crystals (LCs). More importantly, the fractional vortex beam copier was presented as well, and the generated fractional vortex beam could be easily transformed into a fractional vortex beam array by changing the fill factor of the laser array. This work can pave the path for the practical implementation of high average power structured light beams.

Over 30 W single-frequency all-fiber amplifier at 1120 nm with high ASE suppression.

A 1120 nm linearly polarized all-fiber single-frequency amplifier based on Yb-doped fiber (YDF) is reported. A maximum output power of 30 W is achieved by 976 nm clad-pumping and 1018 nm core-pumping, with corresponding slope efficiencies of 51.9% and 70.0%, respectively. With the 976 nm clad-pumping configuration, a signal to amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) ratio of more than 45 dB is realized at maximum output power. The polarization extinction ratio of the amplifier is measured to be more than 21 dB in the whole power scaling process. In addition, the intensity noise of the amplifier at maximum output power is also characterized to be around -130d B c/H z at frequencies above 2 kHz and is comparable to that of the seed laser. Moreover, the deterioration of frequency noise and linewidth of the amplified laser is negligible. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest output power of a single-frequency all-fiber amplifier that exploits the fundamental transition of YDF at 1120 nm, even without any external intervention for suppressing ASE in the short wavelength range.

Intensity noise transfer properties of a Yb-doped single-frequency fiber amplifier.

In this work, the intensity noise transfer properties of a two-stage single-frequency fiber amplifier at 1 µm are systematically investigated in the frequency domain. By applying an artificial modulation signal to the driving current of the first- and second-stage pump sources, the pump and signal transfer functions of the second-stage amplifier are experimentally measured from 10 Hz to 100 kHz. By associating the theoretical model, the effects of pump power, the operating wavelength, and the absorption coefficient of the gain fiber on the pump and signal transfer properties are analyzed based on the experimental measurements. It turns out that the gain dynamics of the last-stage amplifier play an important role in determining the noise performances of the final amplified laser. Because the pump and signal transfer functions essentially behave as a low pass and damped high pass filter, the pump intensity noise of the last-stage amplifier dominates the amplifier system's overall noise performance. In addition, the effects of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) on the intensity noise transfer properties are nontrivial, although it is not included in the theoretical model. It is believed that the current work provides a useful guideline for optimizing the design of high-power single-frequency fiber amplifiers with low-intensity noise.

Numerical simulation of the internal active phase-locking coherent beam combining system.

As a promising way to realize high output power while maintaining high beam quality, coherent beam combining (CBC) of fiber lasers has drawn much interest. Phase control is one of the main technologies to fulfill CBC, which is employed to keep the phases of different fiber lasers consistent. Traditional phase control techniques employ beam splitters after the emitting array to obtain phase mismatch information. Different from the traditional phase-locking technique, the internal phase control technique can obtain phase mismatch information before the laser array output to free space, and the technique is compact and easy to expand to a lager array. In this paper, a CBC system based on an internal phase-locking technique is designed, and relative numerical simulations are studied. By using the cascaded technique, the phase control bandwidth can be greatly increased. The simulation results show that hundreds of laser beams can be effectively combined based on the technique. The results of the numerical simulations can provide significant reference for the compact CBC system design and phase control.

Single-frequency pulsed fiber laser based on an electro-optic modulator with injection seeding technique.

A single-frequency linearly polarization pulsed fiber laser based on an electro-optic modulator with injection seeding technique is demonstrated. The single-frequency performance of the fiber ring-cavity laser is guaranteed by the seed source, which is a distributed-feedback fiber laser based on the π-phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating. The electro-optic modulator triggers active Q-switching of the laser for pulse generation. The devices used in the fiber laser are all polarization-maintaining to ensure linear polarization laser output. Through parameter optimization, the laser generates a single-frequency linearly polarization pulsed laser with a central wavelength of 1064.22 nm, linewidth of 35 MHz, and polarization extinction ratio of better than 40 dB. This type of fiber laser can be applied in lidar, beam combining, nonlinear frequency conversion, and other fields.

Design considerations and performance analysis of a fiber laser array system for structuring orbital angular momentum beams: a simulation study.

Since the advent of optical orbital angular momentum (OAM), advances in the generation and manipulation of OAM beams have continuously impacted on intriguing applications including optical communication, optical tweezers, and remote sensing. To realize the generation of high-power and fast switchable OAM beams, coherent combining of fiber lasers offers a promising way. Here in this contribution, we comprehensively investigate the coherent fiber laser array system for structuring OAM beams in terms of the design considerations and performance analysis. The performance metric and evaluation method of the laser array system are presented and introduced. Accordingly, the effect of the main sections of the laser array system, namely the high-power laser sources, emitting array configuration, and dynamic control system, on the performance of the output coherently combined OAM beams is evaluated, which reveals the system tolerance of perturbative factors and provides the guidance on system design and optimization. This work could provide beneficial reference on the practical implementation of spatially structuring high-power, fast switchable OAM beams with fiber laser arrays.

Stable noise-like pulse generation from a NALM-based all-PM Tm-doped fiber laser.

An all-polarization maintaining (PM) noise-like pulse (NLP) generation from a Tm-doped fiber oscillator based on nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM) that incorporated with a phase shifter and a chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) is experimentally demonstrated. The 3 dB bandwidth of the output spectrum is 25 nm at the central wavelength of 1950 nm, and the maximum output average power is 13.6 mW with the repetition rate of 3.25 MHz. The noise performances of the NLP are for the first time systematically examined, and it shows an improving tendency with the increasing of the output power. At an integration frequency range from 1 kHz to 1 MHz, the minimum estimated timing jitter and the rms RIN is 139 ps and 0.58%, respectively. In addition, the long-term stable operation of the laser is verified through monitoring the output spectrum and average power.