Subjects: Optics >> Quantum optics submitted time 2023-02-19
Lei Zhang
Huiru Zhang
Ni Tang
Xiren Chen
Fengjiang Liu
Xiaoyu Sun
Hongyan Yu
Xinyu Sun
Qiannan Jia
Boqu Chen
Benoit Cluzel
Philippe Grelu
Aurelien Coillet
Feng Qiu
Lei Ying
Wei Sha
Xiaofeng Liu
Jianrong Qiu
Ding Zhao
Wei Yan
Abstract： Metafibers expand the functionalities of conventional optical fibers to unprecedented nanoscale light manipulations by integrating metasurfaces on the fiber tips, becoming an emerging light-coupling platform for both nanoscience and fiber optics communities. Mostly exploring the isolated bare fibers, current metafibers remain as proof-of-concept demonstrations due to a lack of standard interfaces with the universal fiber networks. Here, we develop new methodologies to fabricate well-defined plasmonic metasurfaces directly on the end facets of commercial single mode fiber jumpers using standard planar technologies and provide a first demonstration of their practical applications in the nonlinear optics regime. Featuring plug-play connections with fiber circuitry and arbitrary metasurfaces landscapes, the metafibers with tunable plasmonic resonances are implemented into fiber laser cavities, yielding all-fiber sub-picosecond (minimum 513 fs) soliton mode locked lasers at optical wavelengths of 1.5 micrometer and 2 micrometer, demonstrating their unusual polarimetric nonlinear transfer functions and superior saturation absorption responses. Novel insights into the physical mechanisms behind the saturable absorption of plasmonic metasurfaces are provided. The nanofabrication process flow is compatible with existing cleanroom technologies, offering metafibers an avenue to be a regular member of functionalized fiber components. The work paves the way towards next generation of ultrafast fiber lasers, optical frequency combs, optical neural networks and ultracompact "all-in-fibers" optical systems for sensing, imaging, communications, and many others.
Peer Review Status:
Awaiting Review
Subjects: Optics >> Quantum optics submitted time 2023-02-19
Abstract： When a laser cavity supports the propagation of several ultrashort pulses, these pulses interact and can form compact bound states called soliton molecules. Soliton molecules are fascinating objects of nonlinear science, which present striking analogies with their matter molecules counterparts. The soliton pair, composed of two identical pulses, constitutes the chief soliton molecule of fundamental interest. The relative timing and phase between the two propagating pulses are the most salient internal degrees of freedom of the soliton molecule. These two internal degrees of freedom allow self-oscillating soliton molecules, which have indeed been repeatedly observed, whereas the lowdimensional chaotic dynamics of a soliton-pair molecule remains elusive, noting that it would require at least three degrees of freedom. We here report the observation of chaotic soliton-pair molecules within an ultrafast fiber laser, by means of a direct measurement of the relative optical pulse separation with sub-femtosecond precision in real time. Moreover, we demonstrate an all-optical control of the chaotic dynamics followed by the soliton molecule, by injecting a modulated optical signal that resynchronizes the internal periodic vibration of soliton molecule.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Optics >> Quantum optics submitted time 2023-02-19
Abstract： Solitons are self-reinforcing localized wave packets arising from a balance of linear and nonlinear effects. This definition encompasses the interplay of nonlinear gain and loss, leading to the concept of dissipative solitons that has been instrumental in understanding the wide variety of mode locking phenomena in ultrafast optics. To date, most studies have involved the group velocity dispersion as a key ingredient for soliton generation. Here, we report on a novel kind of soliton, both theoretically and experimentally, which builds up in spectrally confined cavities when dispersion is practically absent. Precisely, the interplay between the Kerr nonlinearity and spectral filtering results in an infinite hierarchy of eigenfunctions which, combined with optical gain, allow for the generation of stable dispersion-less dissipative solitons in a previously uncharted regime. When the filter order tends to be infinite, we find an unexpected link between dissipative and conservative solitons, in the form of Nyquist-pulse-like solitons endowed with an ultra-flat spectrum. In contrast to the dispersion-enabled solitons, these dispersion-less Nyquist solitons build on a fully confined spectrum and their energy scaling is not constrained by the pulse duration. This study broadens the fundamental scope of dissipative soliton physics and opens new avenues for engineering optical solitons endowed with superior temporal and spectral features.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Optics >> Quantum optics submitted time 2023-02-19
Abstract： Optical soliton molecules in ultrafast lasers present striking analogies with their matter molecule counterparts, such as internal vibrations. However, the vibrations of soliton molecules are nonlinear, with frequencies that are sensitive to the system parameters, thus presenting an opportunity of control. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the synchronization of the internal vibrations of self-excited vibrating soliton molecules through a modulated optical injection. We show efficient sub-harmonic, fundamental and super-harmonic synchronization, forming a pattern of Arnold tongues with respect to the injection strength. Our observations are supported by numerical simulations.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
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