Novel photonic devices based on the concept of space-time duality

基于时空二象性概念的新型光子器件

基本信息

批准号：
1933328
负责人：
Govind Agrawal
金额：
$ 40万
依托单位：
University of Rochester
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2019
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2019-09-01 至 2023-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1933328&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Novel photonic devices based concept

项目摘要

Nontechnical Description This project explores the interaction of light pulses inside optical fibers. Specifically, intense light pulses can change the optical properties, like the index of refraction, of a glass fiber. Just as the change in the index of refraction between air and a piece of window glass causes some of the incident light to be reflected, the index of refraction change caused by an intense optical pulse can also alter the propagation of light. This change is transient and propagates at the speed of light in the fiber. If two light pulses of different frequencies propagate in an optical fiber, they will travel at different velocities. If one of those pulses is intense enough to change the material properties of the fiber, the second pulse will split into two pulses at two new frequencies. A temporal version of total internal reflection can also occur such that the entire pulse energy never crosses the temporal boundary across which the index of refraction changes its numerical value. These phenomena have been predicted but have not yet been observed. Observing these interactions will enable a new class of photonic devices where light is controlled by light. The proposed research will further advance our understanding in the field of ultrafast optics and provide us new tools for pulse manipulation and shaping. Such devices are likely to find applications in a variety of technical areas ranging from telecommunications to biomedical engineering.Technical Description The concept of space-time duality will allow us to apply the techniques known from spatial diffraction of optical beams to control short pulses in the time domain. The proposed research will develop novel photonic devices through well-thought experiments that will be guided by the theoretical and numerical expertise the PIs have developed in recent years. The initial experiments will realize a temporal waveguide using the nonlinear phenomena of cross-phase modulation inside an optical fiber. The resulting waveguide will be used to control timing jitter between two pulse trains emitted by independently running mode-locked lasers. Another objective is to synthesize pulses of arbitrary shapes using an electro-optic phase modulator. Since our approach is based mostly on phase changes, it is expected to have lower insertion losses compared to alternatives and would be suitable for applications where energy efficiency is a top requirement. We shall also employ the temporal version of the Talbot effect to convert a continuous-wave signal into a source of optical pulses whose repetition rate is tunable. In this project, we will work with graduate and undergraduate students to explore fully the implications of space-time duality and develop novel photonic devices with functionalities and applications in the areas of ultrafast science and technology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

非技术描述该项目探讨光纤内光脉冲的相互作用。具体来说，强光脉冲可以改变玻璃纤维的光学特性，例如折射率。正如空气和窗玻璃之间的折射率变化导致部分入射光被反射一样，强光脉冲引起的折射率变化也会改变光的传播。这种变化是瞬态的，并以光纤中的光速传播。如果两个不同频率的光脉冲在光纤中传播，它们将以不同的速度传播。如果其中一个脉冲强度足以改变光纤的材料特性，第二个脉冲将分裂成两个新频率的两个脉冲。全内反射的时间版本也可以发生，使得整个脉冲能量永远不会穿过折射率改变其数值的时间边界。这些现象已被预测但尚未被观察到。观察这些相互作用将使光受光控制的新型光子器件成为可能。拟议的研究将进一步增进我们对超快光学领域的理解，并为我们提供脉冲操纵和整形的新工具。此类设备可能会在从电信到生物医学工程的各种技术领域中找到应用。技术描述时空二元性的概念将使我们能够应用光束空间衍射中已知的技术来控制时间中的短脉冲领域。拟议的研究将通过深思熟虑的实验开发新型光子器件，这些实验将以 PI 近年来开发的理论和数值专业知识为指导。最初的实验将利用光纤内部交叉相位调制的非线性现象来实现时间波导。由此产生的波导将用于控制独立运行的锁模激光器发射的两个脉冲串之间的定时抖动。另一个目标是使用电光相位调制器合成任意形状的脉冲。由于我们的方法主要基于相变，因此与替代方案相比，它预计具有更低的插入损耗，并且适用于能源效率是首要要求的应用。我们还将利用塔尔博特效应的时间版本将连续波信号转换为重复率可调的光脉冲源。在这个项目中，我们将与研究生和本科生合作，充分探索时空二象性的影响，开发具有超快科学技术领域功能和应用的新型光子器件。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被视为值得通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。