(c) Dr Paul Kinsler. [Acknowledgements & Feedback]

Anomalous Tuning Behaviour of a Synchronously Pumped OPO

LOCATION: IQEC, Moscow, Russia, 2002: poster.
WORK DONE AT: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews
WORK DONE AT: Physics Department, Imperial College.
SIZE: 1.6Mb total
AUTHORS: P. Loza-Alvarez, M.B. Flynn, W. Sibbet (St Andrews)
AUTHORS: P. Kinsler, G.H.C. New (Imperial)

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AUTHORS: P Kinsler, G.H.C. New

Abstract, Summary

(not present)

Poster

Title (GIF 92k)
Introduction (GIF 150k)
OPO at 1300nm (a) (GIF 208k)
OPO at 1300nm (b) (GIF 134k)
OPO at 1300nm (c) (GIF 170k)
OPO at 1500nm (a) (GIF 158k)
OPO at 1500nm (b) (GIF 139k)

Numerical Simulations

A sophisticated computer code has been developed to simulate the OPO. Though presently based on a plane-wave approximation, the code features almost all known features of the device including:

• synchronisation (cavity length) control
• material dispersion (to all orders)
• dispersion compensation
• periodically-poled nonlinear media
• stochastic background noise
• chirped pulses
• ...

Numerical Simulations: Key parameter values

• Pump wavelength: 820nm
• Pump duration: 120fs
• Pump energy: 10-15nJ
• Cross-sectional area: $1.25 \times 10^{-3}$mm$^2$
• Nonlinear coefficient: 17.5pm/V
• Crystal (PPLN) length: 1mm
• Domain period: 21.5$\mu$m
• Mesh Unit: 2fs
• Time Window: 4.096ps
• Dispersion: all orders
• Dispersion factor: $\times 2$

Numerical: Tuning, Wavelength and Power vs synch. time(JPG 53k)
Numerical: synch -60fs (JPG 58k)
Numerical: synch +0fs (JPG 59k)
Numerical: synch +60fs (JPG 60k)

Conclusions

• An anomalous cavity length tuning behaviour was observed in the OPO as pulses shift towards shorter wavelengths for larger cavity lengths. The effect was enhanced in the 1500nm OPO when an intracavity prism pair was inserted.
• The total tuning range at the signal wavelength was 250nm. This was achieved by cavity length tuning only.
• Autocorrelations suggest that it is possible to generate OPO pulses having square intensity profiles.
• Pulse spectral bandwidths in excess of 100nm at around 1300nm were generated in a simple three mirror OPO cavity. This gives the potential to compress pulses to 25fs.
• Numerical simulations are in good agreement with the experimental tuning characteristics at around 1300nm, and with some of the temporal and spectral characteristics of the output pulses. The wider tuning range of the laboratory OPO may arise from mirror dispersion.

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Date=20020620 Author=P.Kinsler