Final Activity Report Summary - OASIS (Optical amplifier similaritons in Southampton)
This document reports on the work achieved during a one-year stay by Dr Christophe Finot at the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton (November 2005 - October 2006) funded by the European Union through the Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship scheme (contract MEIF-CT-2005-022859). The 'Optical amplifier similaritons in Southampton' (OASIS) project was focused on the generation and use of the unique features of similariton pulses, a new kind of optical pulse with a parabolic temporal intensity profile and a linear frequency chirp. The project targeted applications in the telecommunication area as well as in the field of high-power ultrashort pulse amplification in optical fibre.
In the telecommunication field, we have investigated both theoretically and experimentally the suitability and potential applications of alternative passive methods of parabolic pulse generation (specifically generation by linear pulse shaping in superstructured fibre Bragg gratings and generation through the progressive nonlinear reshaping of optical pulses in a normally dispersive fibre). In parallel with this research a study into the regeneration of high-speed optical signals has been conducted and very general design laws have been proposed to optimise the performances of an all-optical regenerator based on spectral broadening followed by spectral filtering.
In the field of high power pulse amplification we have successfully applied similariton pulse concepts to Ytterbium-doped optical fibre amplifiers. We have theoretically outlined two regimes of amplification of parabolic pulses, one dominated by self-phase modulation, the other one dominated by self-similar dynamics. The differences between the two regimes has been experimentally confirmed and optimised similariton pulse generation has lead to the amplification of pulses from a VCSEL running at a repetition-rate of 1.1 GHz up to a record average power of 53 W. Excellent recompressed pulses have been demonstrated with pulse-durations as short as 110 fs.
The project also included various ambitious goals in terms of research training with the ultimate long-term goal of providing Dr Finot with the critical skills needed to develop an international career. Dr Finot gained several new theoretical and experimental skills during his visit and the trans-national mobility action has already provided a critical advantage for his career development allowing participation at various international and national conferences, and the publication of results in leading scientific refereed journals.
Dr Finot obtained a permanent academic position of assistant professor at the University of Burgundy starting October 2006, resulting in a premature end to the project. However, given the scientific success of OASIS (which resulted in more than 20 technical publications), and the strong personal bonds forged during the visit, we anticipate a close ongoing collaborative research relationship stretching well into the future.
In the telecommunication field, we have investigated both theoretically and experimentally the suitability and potential applications of alternative passive methods of parabolic pulse generation (specifically generation by linear pulse shaping in superstructured fibre Bragg gratings and generation through the progressive nonlinear reshaping of optical pulses in a normally dispersive fibre). In parallel with this research a study into the regeneration of high-speed optical signals has been conducted and very general design laws have been proposed to optimise the performances of an all-optical regenerator based on spectral broadening followed by spectral filtering.
In the field of high power pulse amplification we have successfully applied similariton pulse concepts to Ytterbium-doped optical fibre amplifiers. We have theoretically outlined two regimes of amplification of parabolic pulses, one dominated by self-phase modulation, the other one dominated by self-similar dynamics. The differences between the two regimes has been experimentally confirmed and optimised similariton pulse generation has lead to the amplification of pulses from a VCSEL running at a repetition-rate of 1.1 GHz up to a record average power of 53 W. Excellent recompressed pulses have been demonstrated with pulse-durations as short as 110 fs.
The project also included various ambitious goals in terms of research training with the ultimate long-term goal of providing Dr Finot with the critical skills needed to develop an international career. Dr Finot gained several new theoretical and experimental skills during his visit and the trans-national mobility action has already provided a critical advantage for his career development allowing participation at various international and national conferences, and the publication of results in leading scientific refereed journals.
Dr Finot obtained a permanent academic position of assistant professor at the University of Burgundy starting October 2006, resulting in a premature end to the project. However, given the scientific success of OASIS (which resulted in more than 20 technical publications), and the strong personal bonds forged during the visit, we anticipate a close ongoing collaborative research relationship stretching well into the future.