Ultrafast time-to-space conversion of phase by the method of spectral nonlinear optics

Abstract

We propose a method for direct conversion of an ultrashort pulse into a monochromatic beam whose wave front either repeats or is related to the phase structure of the pulse or its spectrum. This can be done by sum-frequency generation of the spectrally resolved pulses. Experimentally, we projected two spectra of the same chirped pulse onto the nonlinear crystal so that the dispersions were opposite. After sum-frequency generation, a converging or diverging monochromatic beam was formed that was the analog of the pulse spectrum. We could determine the chirp value by the measurement of the wave-front radius.

Femtosecond pulse shaping for synthesis, processing, and time-to-space conversion of ultrafast optical waveforms

“…In order to obtain an output field which is a function of frequency (or time) only, one must perform an appropriate spatial filtering operation. Thurston et al [56] analyze pulse shaping by expanding the masked field (2) into Hermite-Gaussian modes and assuming that all of the spatial modes except for the fundamental Gaussian mode are eliminated by the spatial filtering. In real experiments the Gaussian mode selection operation could be performed by focusing into a fiber (for communications applications) or by coupling into a regenerative amplifier (for high-power applications).…”

“…A key issue in applying such methods for real applications is the response time of the space-to-time and time-to-space converters, which should be able to operate at frame rates in the gigabitper-second range. A time-to-space conversion technique that can meet this requirement was recently demonstrated in [2], [3], where the time-to-space conversion was accomplished by using a modified spectral holography approach where a second-harmonic crystal acts as the "holographic" (actually Fig. 1.…”

Time-to-space conversion of Tbits/s optical pulses using a self-organized quantum-well material

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] They are useful for the realization of ultrahigh bit-rate optical communication because they form easily parallel-to-serial transmitters and serial-to-parallel receivers. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] They are useful for the realization of ultrahigh bit-rate optical communication because they form easily parallel-to-serial transmitters and serial-to-parallel receivers.…”

All-optical parallel-to-serial conversion by holographic spatial-to-temporal frequency encoding

“…3 -5 Dynamic spectral holography or spectral nonlinear optics can realize these conversions in real time, thus providing the possibility for all-optical time-division multiplexing and demultiplexing of broadband data streams. Dynamic time-to-space conversions of ultrashort light pulses (all-optical serial-to-parallel conversion) based on this principle have been demonstrated with four-wave 4,5 and three-wave 6 interactions. In this Letter we analyze and experimentally demonstrate this principle with a holographic optical processor that permits parallel-to-serial (i.e., space-to-time) optical signal conversion.…”