Enhanced White Light Sources Using Stimulated Rogue Wave Phenomenon

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Objective: We propose to study and harness a new form of supercontinuum generation to produce novel sources of broadband radiation with high stability and/or low power generation requirements. Such sources would have a significant impact on applications, including imaging, communications, and spectroscopy. Intellectual Merit: Recent experiments have identified a new phenomenon known as optical rogue waves, highly-rare, brief pulses of intense, broadband light mathematically and physically analogous to infamous ocean waves,propagating through optical fiber [Solli et al., Nature 450, 1054 (2007)]. Real-time capture of these events has shown they follow extreme-value statistics. Subsequent work has shown that optical rogue waves can be actively controlled to produce enhanced broadband light sources through stimulated supercontinuum generation [Solli et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 233902 (2008)].Broader Impact: There is a practical and functional technology gap in available supercontinuum sources, particularly at visible and near-IR wavelengths. Existing sources either produce unstable supercontinuum or are difficult to deploy outside of regulated laboratory environments. This research aims to utilize stimulated supercontinuum generation, a new physical concept inspired by nature, to produce high-quality, compact, and potentially low-cost white light sources at visible/near-IR wavelengths. This research also seeks to apply stimulated supercontinuum generation in silicon waveguides in order to overcome physical effects that have significantly limited chip-scale spectral broadening.This research effort involves cutting-edge optical and electronic experimental work, simulations, and theoretical analysis. It will provide students and postdoctoral scholars with versatile skills that are highly desirable in both the industrial and academic workplaces.