Optical sources for the 2-12 um spectral band of the mid-infrared

中红外光源用于识别和量化气体、液体和固体表面的分子物种，应用于医疗仪器、工业过程、环境监测和国防。可调谐、紧凑、坚固、低功耗的中红外光源将是便携式化学传感器的关键部件。在过去的几年里，我的研究成功地展示了在1.5-2.0微米波长范围内发射的新设计的光纤光源的独特功能，如光学参量振荡器、波长转换器、超连续谱光源和量子通信光源。硫系玻璃由于其极高的非线性系数而被用于制造这些光源，使得在短波导中发生强烈的非线性效应，并且需要较低的输入功率来工作。然而，硫系玻璃的另一个重要特性是其在1.5-12.0微米波长范围内的透明度，这使得制造发射中红外的光源成为可能。为了应对中红外光源的高需求和硫系玻璃在该波长范围内的巨大潜力，在未来5年内，我的研究计划将致力于开发广泛可调、紧凑、坚固和低功耗的中红外光源。

Mid-infrared sources are in demand for the identification and quantification of molecular species in gases, liquids and at the surface of solids, with applications for medical instrumentation, industrial processes, environment monitoring, and defence. Mid-infrared sources that are tunable, compact, robust, and with low power consumption would be key components within portable chemical sensors. In the past years, my research has successfully demonstrated the unique functionality of new designs of optical fiber sources emitting in the 1.5-2.0 um wavelength range such as optical parametric oscillators, wavelength converters, supercontinuum sources, and quantum communications sources. Chalcogenide glasses have been used for the fabrication of those sources because of their exceptionally high nonlinearity coefficient, enabling strong nonlinear effects to take place in a short waveguide and requiring low input power to operate. However, another important quality of chalcogenide glasses is their transparency in the wavelength range of 1.5-12.0 um, enabling the fabrication of optical sources emitting in the mid-infrared. In response to the high demand for mid-infrared optical sources and the strong potential of chalcogenide glasses in this wavelength range, within the next 5 years, my research program will target the development of mid-infrared optical sources that are broadly tunable, compact, robust, and with low power consumption.