Optics (physics.optics)

Abstract: The increasing amount of data exchange requires higher-capacity optical communication links. Mode division multiplexing (MDM) is considered as a promising technology to support the higher data throughput. In an MDM system, the mode generator and sorter are the backbone. However, most of the current schemes lack the programmability and universality, which makes the MDM link susceptible to the mode crosstalk and environmental disturbances. In this paper, we propose an intelligent multimode optical communication link using universal mode processing (generation and sorting) chips. The mode processor consists of a programmable 4*4 Mach Zehnder interferometer (MZI) network and can be intelligently configured to generate or sort both quasi linearly polarized (LP) modes and orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes in any desired routing state. We experimentally establish a chip-to-chip MDM communication system. The mode basis can be freely switched between four LP modes and four OAM modes. We also demonstrate the multimode optical communication capability at a data rate of 25 Gbit/s. The proposed scheme shows significant advantages in terms of universality, intelligence, programmability and resistance to mode crosstalk, environmental disturbances and fabrication errors, demonstrating that the MZI-based reconfigurable mode processor chip has great potential in long-distance chip-to-chip multimode optical communication systems.

Abstract: The engineering of chromatic dispersion opened new avenues of research and extended the level of control upon pattern formation in the temporal domain. In this manuscript, we propose the use of a nearly-degenerate laser cavity as a general framework allowing for the exploration of higher contributions to diffraction in the spatial domain. Our approach leverages the interplay between optical aberrations and the proximity to the self-imaging condition, which allows cancelling, or reverse, paraxial diffraction. As an example, we show how spherical aberrations materialize into a transverse bilaplacian operator and fully explain the stabilization of off-axis temporal solitons in an unstable cavity. We disclose a clear analogy between these quartic beams of temporal solitons and the dynamics of a quantum particle in a double well potential. Our predictions are in good agreement with the experimental results from a mode-locked broad-area Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting laser.

Abstract: Detection of cervical intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN) at the early stage enables prevention of cervical cancer, which is one of the leading cause of cancer deaths among women. Recently there is a great interest to use the optical polarimetry as a non-invasive diagnosis tool to characterize the cervical tissues. In this context, it is crucial to validate the performance of various Mueller matrix decomposition techniques, that are utilized to extract the intrinsic polarization properties of complex turbid media, such as biological tissues. The aim of the work is to quantitatively compare the performance of polar and differential MM decomposition methods for probing the polarization properties in various complex optical media. Complete polarization responses of the cervical tissue sections, and other media are recorded by preparing a home-built Mueller matrix imaging set up with a spatial resolution of 400 nm. The Mueller matrices are then processed with the polar and differential decomposition methods to separate, and quantify the individual polarization parameters. ronounced differences in the extracted polarization properties are observed for different CIN grades with both the decomposition methods. Our results indicate that the differential decomposition of MM have certain advantages over the polar decomposition method to extract the intrinsic polarization properties of a complex tissue medium. The quantified polarization parameters obtained through the decomposition methods can be used as useful metrics to distinguish between the different grades of CIN, and to describe the healing efficiency of a self-healing organic crystal. Thus the Mueller matrix polarimetry shows great potential as an label-free, non-invasive diagnostic and imaging tool with potential applications in biomedical clinical research, and in various other disciplines.

Abstract: Hyperspectral imaging provides optical information with high-dimensional spatial-temporal-spectral data cubes revealing intrinsic matter characteristics. It has been widely applied in various intelligent inspection applications. The existing hyperspectral imaging systems employ individual optical prism or grating to separate different spectra, which require complicated optical design that takes a heavy load for integration. The emerging multispectral imaging sensor integrates narrow-band filters on each pixel element, wasting most light throughput and trapped in the rigorous tradeoff between spatial and spectral resolution. In this work, we report an on-chip computational hyperspectral imaging framework with full spatial and temporal resolution. By integrating different broadband filtering materials on the imaging sensor, the target spectral information is non-uniformly and intrinsically coupled on each pixel with high light throughput. Using intelligent reconstruction algorithms, multi-channel images can be recovered from each frame, realizing real-time hyperspectral imaging. Following such a framework, we for the first time fabricated a broadband (400-1700 nm) hyperspectral imaging sensor with an average light throughput of 71.8$\%$ (enabling 32.5 dB peak signal-to-noise ratio of spectral reconstruction on ColorChecker Classic chart) and 89 wavelength channels (10 nm interval within 400-1000 nm and 25 nm interval within 1000-1700 nm). The average spectral resolution achieves 2.65 nm at 400-1000 nm and 8.59 nm at 1000-1700 nm. The demonstrated spatial resolution is 2048x2048 pixels at 47 fps, with $\sim$3.43 arc minute resolving ability at a 39-degree field of view. We employed the prototype sensor to collect a large-scale hyperspectral image dataset (210 scenes over 8 categories), and demonstrated the sensor's wide application potentials on a series of experiments, including chlorophyll and sugar quantification for agriculture growth, blood oxygen and water quality monitoring for human health, and face recognition for social security. The integrated hyperspectral imaging sensor is only 33.9 grams in weight without an imaging lens, and can be assembled on various resource-limited platforms such as unmanned aerial vehicles and nanosatellites, or equipped with off-the-shelf optical systems such as a microscope for direct real-time hyperspectral imaging. The technique integrates innovations from multiple fields of material, integrated circuits, computer science, and optics. It transforms the general challenge of high-dimensional imaging from one that is coupled to the physical limitations of high-cost optics manufacture and complex system design to one that is solvable through agile computation.

Abstract: Many precision applications in the mid-infrared spectral range have strong constraints based on quantum effects that are expressed in particular noise characteristics. They limit, e.g., sensitivity and resolution of mid-infrared imaging and spectroscopic systems as well as the bit-error rate in optical free-space communication. Interband cascade lasers (ICLs) are a class of mid-infrared laser exploiting interband transitions in type-II band alignment geometry. They are currently gaining significant importance for mid-infrared applications from <3 {\mu}m to >6 {\mu}m wavelength, enabled by novel types of high-performance ICLs such as ring-cavity devices. Their noise-behavior is an important feature that still needs to be thoroughly analyzed, including its potential reduction with respect to the shot noise limit. In this work, we provide a comprehensive characterization of {\lambda} = 3.8 {\mu}m-emitting, continuous-wave ring-ICLs operating at room temperature. It is based on an in-depth study of their main physical intensity noise features, such as their bias-dependent intensity noise power spectral density (INPSD) and relative intensity noise (RIN). We obtain shot-noise-limited statistics for Fourier frequencies above 100 kHz. This is an important result for precision applications, e.g. interferometry or advanced spectroscopy, which benefit from exploiting the advantage of using such a shot-noise limited source, enhancing the setup sensitivity. Moreover, it is an important feature for novel quantum optics schemes including testing specific light states below the shot noise level, such as squeezed states.

Abstract: A scalable source of single photons is a key constituent of an efficient quantum photonic architecture. To realize this, it is beneficial to have an ensemble of quantum emitters that can be collectively excited with high efficiency. Semiconductor quantum dots hold great potential in this context, due to their excellent photophysical properties. Spectral variability of quantum dots is commonly regarded as a drawback introduced by the fabrication method. However, this is beneficial to realize a frequency-multiplexed single-photon platform. Chirped pulse excitation, relying on the so-called adiabatic rapid passage, is the most efficient scheme to excite a quantum dot ensemble due to its immunity to individual quantum dot parameters. Yet, the existing methods of generating chirped laser pulses to excite a quantum emitter are bulky, lossy, and mechanically unstable, which severely hampers the prospects of a quantum dot photon source. Here, we present a compact, robust, and high-efficiency alternative for chirped pulse excitation of solid-state quantum emitters. Our simple plug-and-play module consists of chirped fiber Bragg gratings (CFBGs), fabricated via femtosecond inscription, to provide high values of dispersion in the near-infrared spectral range, where the quantum dots emit. We characterize and benchmark the performance of our method via chirped excitation of a GaAs quantum dot, establishing high-fidelity single-photon generation. Our highly versatile chirping module coupled to a photon source is a significant milestone toward realizing practical quantum photonic devices.

Abstract: Semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have gained significant attention as a gain medium for nanolasers, owing to their unique ability to be easily placed and stacked on virtually any substrate. However, the atomically thin nature of the active material in existing TMD nanolasers presents a challenge, as their limited output power makes it difficult to distinguish between true laser operation and other "laser-like" phenomena. Here, we present comprehensive evidence of lasing from a CVD-grown tungsten disulphide (WS$_2$) monolayer. The monolayer is placed on a dual-resonance dielectric metasurface with a rectangular lattice designed to enhance both absorption and emission; resulting in an ultralow threshold operation (threshold <1 W/cm$^2$). We provide a thorough study of the laser performance at room temperature, paying special attention to directionality, output power, and spatial coherence. Notably, our lasers demonstrated a coherence length of over 30 $\mu$m, which is several times greater than what has been reported for 2D material lasers so far. Our realisation of a single-mode laser from a wafer-scale CVD-grown monolayer presents exciting opportunities for integration and the development of novel applications.

Abstract: Effective light extraction from optically active solid-state spin centres inside high-index semiconductor host crystals is an important factor in integrating these pseudo-atomic centres in wider quantum systems. Here we report increased fluorescent light collection efficiency from laser-written nitrogen vacancy centers (NV) in bulk diamond facilitated by micro-transfer printed GaN solid immersion lenses. Both laser-writing of NV centres and transfer printing of micro-lens structures are compatible with high spatial resolution, enabling deterministic fabrication routes towards future scalable systems development. The micro-lenses are integrated in a non-invasive manner, as they are added on top of the unstructured diamond surface and bond by Van-der-Waals forces. For emitters at 5 micrometer depth, we find approximately 2x improvement of fluorescent light collection using an air objective with a numerical aperture of NA = 0.95 in good agreement with simulations. Similarly, the solid immersion lenses strongly enhance light collection when using an objective with NA = 0.5, significantly improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the NV center emission while maintaining the NV's quantum properties after integration.

Abstract: We verify the use of an evaporating sessile water droplet as a source of dynamic interference fringes in a Fizeau-like interferometer. Experimentally-obtained interference patterns are compared with those produced by a geometrical optics-based computational model to demonstrate the potential for classical optical theory to enhance the analysis of interfacial energetics. A detailed description of the process taken to optimize fringe visibility is presented, and a comparison is made between various droplet substrates. Silicon-based substrates appear to be superior than glass-based substrates in their ability to image a clear dynamic interference pattern.

Abstract: We systematically study the optical field localization in an active three-dimensional (3D) disordered percolating system with light nanoemitters incorporated in percolating clusters. An essential feature of such a hybrid medium is that the clusters are combined into a fractal radiation pattern, in which light is simultaneously emitted and scattered by the disordered structures. Theoretical considerations, based on systematic 3D simulations, reveal nontrivial dynamics in the form of propagation of localized field bunches in the percolating material. We obtain the length of the field localization and dynamical properties of such states as functions of the occupation probability of the disordered clusters. A transition between the dynamical states and narrow point-like fields pinned to the emitters is found. The theoretical analysis of the fractal field properties is followed by an experimental study of the light generation by nanoemitters incorporated in the percolating clusters. The experimental results corroborate theoretical predictions.

Abstract: In the anti-Stokes excitation of trivalent rare-earth ions (RE3+), the excitation photons energy is smaller than that of a given absorption transition, and the energy mismatch can be compensated by phonons annihilation from the host lattice. Since the phonon occupation number increases with temperature, heating the system generally increases the efficiency of anti-Stokes excitation. Here, we exploited the intrinsic heating associated with light-to-heat conversion in the interaction of excitation laser light with metallic nanoparticles (Ag or Au) on the surface of submicrometric particles of NdxY1.00-xAl3(BO3)4 (x = 0.10, 0.20, and 1.00) in order to enhance the efficiency of the anti-Stokes excitation at 1064 nm. Several upconversion emissions are observed from 600 nm to 880 nm, the most intense being at 750 nm due to the Nd3+ transition {4F7/2, 4S3/2} - 4I9/2. Giant enhancements are demonstrated, when compared to undecorated NdxY1.00-xAl3(BO3)4 particles. The present results can be expanded to other luminescent materials as well as excitation wavelengths.