Applications of ultra-long Raman lasers in Photonics

超长拉曼激光器在光子学中的应用

• 批准号: EP/E015646/1
• 负责人: Paul Harper
• 金额: $ 44.32万
• 依托单位: Aston University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2007 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FE015646%2F1
• 关键词: Applications; ultra; long; Raman; lasers

Raman scattering is a fundamental process that affects electromagnetic radiation when this is transmitted through matter. The effect was first reported in 1928 by C. V. Raman, who was awarded the 1930 Nobel Prize for his discovery, and in 1972 stimulated Raman scattering was observed for the first time in single-mode optical fibres. In the process of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in optical, a photon that is being transmitted through the material medium gives up its energy to create a new photon at a higher wavelength corresponding to some other radiation simultaneously travelling through the fibre, plus some residual energy which is absorbed by the fibre in the form of vibrational states (phonons). The energy of these vibrational states is dependent on the material properties, so the way the energy is transferred from the lower wavelengths to the higher wavelengths (gain spectrum) is a characteristic of the particular medium. For a silica fibre, the maximum Raman conversion efficiency is achieved when the energy is transferred from the pump to radiation with frequency about 13.2 THz lower.In recent years, the exploitation of the Raman effect in optical fibre has opened the door to many important applications in photonics that have had an immediate impact in the photonics and communications industry. The possibility of shifting energy from one frequency to another by relying solely on the properties of the material is a very powerful and attractive one that has translated, for example, in the creation of Raman fibre lasers, distributed amplifiers and frequency converters. Of the previously mentioned applications, distributed amplification is perhaps the technology with the potential for a higher short-term effect in the future of telecomms industry, as it seems to hold the key for the deployment of future high-capacity optical communication links, thanks to its ability to increase system performance and expand the range of operating wavelengths. Recently, we have demonstrated that the Raman effect can be used to transform long fibre optic communication links as a whole into ultra-long lasers, creating in the process the longest cavity laser in existence. When transmitting information through such an ultra-long laser, Raman gain distribution is close to ideal, and the signal is spared from suffering power variations during transmission, which can bring important benefits in terms of noise reduction and improved system performance.Lossless transmission has been a long-term dream goal of optical communications that would bring with it a reduction of the noise in the line, as well as create exciting possibilities for research in the fields of nonlinear physics and applied mathematics. But ultra-long lasers are very interesting devices that can be used not only as virtually lossless communication channels, but also as light sources.Ultra-long Raman laser transmission spans represent a simple but quite radical new concept that has attracted much interest in recent times, both due to their numerous potential applications and to the exciting underlying physics associated with the concept itself.As originators of the idea, the principal investigator and the Photonics Research Group at Aston University are perfectly suited to the task of expanding and advancing it. The funding of this proposal would prove invaluable for acquiring the manpower and basic equipment required to take this original research to the next level.

拉曼散射是一个基本的过程，当电磁辐射通过物质时，它会影响电磁辐射。1928年，C.V.拉曼首次报道了这一效应，他因这一发现而获得1930年的诺贝尔奖。1972年，人们首次在单模光纤中观察到了受激拉曼散射。在光学中的受激拉曼散射(SRS)过程中，通过材料介质传输的光子放弃其能量以创建与同时通过光纤的某些其他辐射相对应的更高波长的新光子，加上一些以振动态(声子)的形式被光纤吸收的剩余能量。这些振动态的能量取决于材料的性质，因此能量从较低波长转移到较高波长(增益谱)的方式是特定介质的特征。对于石英光纤，当能量从泵浦转移到频率低约13.2太赫兹的辐射时，可以实现最大的拉曼转换效率。近年来，光纤中拉曼效应的开发打开了光子学中许多重要应用的大门，这些应用在光子学和通信行业中产生了立竿见影的影响。仅依靠材料的性质将能量从一个频率转换到另一个频率的可能性是一种非常强大和有吸引力的可能性，例如，在拉曼光纤激光器、分布式放大器和频率转换器的创造中。在前面提到的应用中，分布式放大可能是在电信行业未来具有更高短期效果的潜在技术，因为它似乎掌握着未来大容量光通信链路部署的关键，这要归功于它能够提高系统性能和扩大工作波长范围。最近，我们已经证明，拉曼效应可以用来将长距离的光纤通信链路整体转化为超长激光，在这个过程中创造出现存最长的腔激光。利用这种超长激光传输信息时，拉曼增益分布接近理想，信号在传输过程中不会受到功率变化的影响，这在降低噪声和提高系统性能方面可以带来重要的好处。无损传输一直是光通信的一个长期梦想目标，它将减少线路上的噪声，并为非线性物理和应用数学领域的研究创造令人兴奋的可能性。但超长激光是非常有趣的设备，不仅可以用作几乎无损的通信通道，还可以用作光源。超长拉曼激光传输跨度代表了一个简单但相当激进的新概念，由于其众多的潜在应用和与该概念本身相关的令人兴奋的基础物理，近年来吸引了许多人的兴趣。作为该想法的发起者，首席研究员和阿斯顿大学的光子学研究小组非常适合扩展和推进该概念的任务。事实证明，这项建议的资金对于获得将这项原始研究推向下一阶段所需的人力和基本设备将是非常宝贵的。

项目成果

High efficiency supercontinuum generation using ultra-long Raman fiber cavities.

• DOI: 10.1364/oe.17.017909
• 发表时间: 2009-09
• 期刊: Optics express
• 影响因子: 3.8
• 作者: A. El-Taher;J. Ania-Castañón;V. Karalekas;P. Harper

Long-distance soliton transmission through ultralong fiber lasers.

通过超长光纤激光器进行长距离孤子传输。

• DOI: 10.1364/ol.34.003104
• 发表时间: 2009
• 期刊: Optics letters
• 影响因子: 3.6
• 作者: Alcon-Camas M