Optoelectronics

Transversely tapered hybrid electro-optic polymer/sol-gel Mach--Zehnder waveguide modulators

Y. Enami, D. Mathine, C. T. DeRose, R. A. Norwood, J. Luo et al.
We show results of a proposed hybrid modulator structure that reduces both the optical loss and half wave voltage (V). A sol-gel waveguide core transversely sandwiched between two MachZehnder arms of electro-optic (EO) polymer cores enables an adiabatic transverse transition between the sol-gel and ... [Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 193508 (2008)] published Thu May 15, 2008.

Interband cascade laser emitting at lambda = 3.75 mu m in continuous wave above room temperature

M. Kim, C. L. Canedy, W. W. Bewley, C. S. Kim, J. R. Lindle et al.
We report a five-stage interband cascade laser that operates at lambda=3.75 [mu]m in cw mode up to a maximum temperature of 319 K. With gold electroplating, epitaxial-side-up mounting, and one facet coated for high reflectivity, a 3 mm x 9.2 [mu]m ridge emits over 10 mW of cw power at 300 K. ... [Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 191110 (2008)] published Thu May 15, 2008.

Temperature insensitive linewidth enhancement factor of p-type doped InAs/GaAs quantum-dot lasers emitting at 1.3 mu m

D.-Y. Cong, A. Martinez, K. Merghem, A. Ramdane, J.-G. Provost et al.
The temperature dependence of microwave propertiesrelaxation frequency and Henry factorof undoped and p-type doped ten InAs/GaAs quantum-dot layer lasers is reported in the 2080 degrees C range. It is shown that the linewidth enhancement factor of the p-type doped devices is temperature insensitiv ... [Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 191109 (2008)] published Thu May 15, 2008.

From single-cycle self-compressed filaments to isolated attosecond pulses in noble gases

Arnaud Couairon, Himadri S. Chakraborty, and Mette B. Gaarde
We investigate numerically the recently proposed technique of pulse self-compression by filamentation in noble gases. We show that propagation of a 30 fs infrared pulse containing a few mJ of energy leads to a few-cycle pulse in xenon, krypton, argon, and neon. We describe the different mechanisms a ... [Phys. Rev. A 77, 053814 (2008)] published Thu May 15, 2008.

Spatially localized modes in two-dimensional chirped photonic lattices

Mario I. Molina, Yaroslav V. Kartashov, Lluis Torner, and Yuri S. Kivshar
We numerically study both linear and nonlinear surface modes in semi-infinite chirped two-dimensional photonic lattices in the framework of an effective discrete nonlinear model. We demonstrate that the lattice chirp can dramatically change the conditions for the mode localization near the surface e ... [Phys. Rev. A 77, 053813 (2008)] published Thu May 15, 2008.

Generation of high-flux hyperentangled photon pairs using a microstructure-fiber Sagnac interferometer

Jun Chen, Jingyun Fan, Matthew D. Eisaman, and Alan Migdall
We demonstrate generation of hyperentangled (time-bin and polarization) photon pairs via four-wave mixing in a microstructure-fiber Sagnac interferometer. The two-photon interference visibility in the time-bin (polarization) degree of freedom is 88%2% (84%1%) without subtraction of accidental coinci ... [Phys. Rev. A 77, 053812 (2008)] published Thu May 15, 2008.

Freestanding diffractive optical elements as light extractors for burning plasma experiments

D. Stutman, G. Caravelli, M. Finkenthal, G. Wright, D. Whyte et al.
Optical diagnostics will be critical for the operation and performance assessment of burning plasma experiments, such as ITER. At the same time, extracting light for these diagnostics with reflective mirrors becomes difficult in the burning plasma environment due to the deleterious effects of the pr ... [J. Appl. Phys. 103, 093307 (2008)] published Thu May 15, 2008.

Antireflection coating for improved optical trapping

Ying Hu, Timo A. Nieminen, Norman R. Heckenberg, and Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop
An antireflection coating improves the trapping of high-index particles in optical tweezers by reducing the scattering force. This can allow the strong trapping of high-index particles that cannot normally be trapped, and the use of lower numerical aperture objectives while still obtaining strong tr ... [J. Appl. Phys. 103, 093119 (2008)] published Thu May 15, 2008.

Three-dimensional measurement of microchips using structured light techniques

Javier Vargas, Thomas Koninckx, Juan Antonio Quiroga, and Luc Van Gool
The industry dealing with microchip inspection requires fast, flexible, repeatable, and stable 3-D measuring systems. The typical devices used for this purpose are coordinate measurement machines (CMMs). These systems have limitations such as high cost, low measurement speed, and small quantity of m ... [Opt. Eng. 47, 053602 (2008)] published Thu May 15, 2008.

Guillon, Stout, and Moine Reply:

Marc Guillon, Brian Stout, and Olivier Moine
A Reply to the Comment by Shiyang Liu and Ji-tong Yu. ... [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 199404 (2008)] published Thu May 15, 2008.

Comment on ``Longitudinal Optical Binding of High Optical Contrast Microdroplets in Air''

Shiyang Liu and Ji-tong Yu
A Comment on the Letter by Marc Guillon, Olivier Moine, and Brian Stout, [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 143902 (2006)]. The authors of the Letter offer a Reply. ... [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 199403 (2008)] published Thu May 15, 2008.

Tuning the polarization state of enhanced transmission in gratings

David Crouse, Alastair P. Hibbins, and Matthew J. Lockyear
The polarization characteristics of enhanced transmission of lamellar gratings with structural dimensions on the subwavelength scale were studied and experimental results were compared to numerical models. The ability to tune the polarization state of the transmitted beam by varying the grating's st ... [Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 191105 (2008)] published Wed May 14, 2008.

Quantum phase transition in the generalized Dicke model: Inhomogeneous coupling and universality

Hayato Goto and Kouichi Ichimura
The Dicke model generalized to the case where the dependence of the coupling constant on individual atoms is taken into account is investigated. It is shown that the generalized Dicke model exhibits a quantum phase transition from the normal phase to the superradiant phase in the thermodynamic limit ... [Phys. Rev. A 77, 053811 (2008)] published Wed May 14, 2008.

Comment on ``Intensity Correlations and Mesoscopic Fluctuations of Diffusing Photons in Cold Atoms''

B. Gremaud, D. Delande, C. A. Muller, and C. Miniatura
A Comment on the Letter by O. Assaf and E. Akkermans, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 083601 (2007). The authors of the Letter offer a Reply. ... [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 199301 (2008)] published Wed May 14, 2008.

Assaf and Akkermans Reply:

O. Assaf and E. Akkermans
A Reply to the Comment by B. Gremaud et al. ... [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 199302 (2008)] published Wed May 14, 2008.

Spectral tuning of liquid microdroplets standing on a superhydrophobic surface using electrowetting

A. Kiraz, Y. Karadag, and A. F. Coskun
Using electrowetting, we demonstrate reversible spectral tuning of the whispering gallery modes of glycerol/water microdroplets standing on a superhydrophobic surface by up to 4.7 nm at 400 V. Our results can inspire electrically tunable optical switches and filters based on microdroplets on a sup ... [Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 191104 (2008)] published Tue May 13, 2008.

Two-dimensional tungsten photonic crystals as selective thermal emitters

Ivan Celanovic, Natalija Jovanovic, and John Kassakian
This paper presents theory, design, fabrication, and optical characterization of two-dimensional (2D) tungsten (W) photonic crystals (PhC) as selective thermal emitters. We use the photonic band gap of a 2D W PhC, radiating out of a plane of periodicity, to design a selective infrared thermal radiat ... [Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 193101 (2008)] published Tue May 13, 2008.

Wide-view and single cell gap transflective liquid crystal display using slit-induced multidomain structures

Ruibo Lu, Zhibing Ge, and Shin-Tson Wu
A wide-view transflective liquid crystal display (TR-LCD) using a single cell gap multidomain vertical alignment (MVA) cell is proposed. Unlike a conventional MVA which uses physical protrusions to form multidomain structures, our TR-LCD uses slit-induced longitudinal and fringe electric fields to g ... [Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 191102 (2008)] published Tue May 13, 2008.

Modeling of three-dimensional photonic crystal lasers in a frequency domain: A scattering matrix solution

Xinhua Hu, Jiangrong Cao, Ming Li, Zhuo Ye, Mamoru Miyawaki et al.
We derive a light-intensity-dependent dielectric constant for a gain medium based on the conventional rate equation model. A scattering-matrix method in conjunction with an efficient iteration procedure is proposed to simulate photonic crystal lasers (PCLs). The light output vs pumping (L-I) curve, ... [Phys. Rev. B 77, 205104 (2008)] published Tue May 13, 2008.

Selective manipulation of stop-bands in multi-component photonic crystals: Opals as an example

M. V. Rybin, A. V. Baryshev, A. B. Khanikaev, M. Inoue, K. B. Samusev et al.
We report on a comprehensive theoretical and experimental study of stop-band switching in photonic crystals. The suggested principles of light control are based on new Bragg diffraction effects discovered in multi-component periodic structures. The described analytical approach allows a detailed stu ... [Phys. Rev. B 77, 205106 (2008)] published Tue May 13, 2008.

Anisotropy of weak light scattering in thin opal films

Sergei G. Romanov
The forward and backward light scattering that accompanied the almost ballistic light propagation in opal-based three-dimensional photonic crystal (PhC) has been experimentally studied. The light path memory and the high anisotropy of scattering have been associated with low-order scattering at larg ... [J. Appl. Phys. 103, 093117 (2008)] published Tue May 13, 2008.

Laser oscillation in a highly anisotropic organic crystal with a refractive index of 4.0

Takeshi Yamao, Kazunori Yamamoto, Yuki Taniguchi, Tomoharu Miki, and Shu Hotta
We have determined a refractive index of an organic single crystal of a thiophene/phenylene co-oligomer in its laser oscillation wavenumbers. We estimated the refractive index to be 4.0 on the basis of the mode intervals of the well-resolved longitudinal multimodes that are highly polarized along th ... [J. Appl. Phys. 103, 093115 (2008)] published Tue May 13, 2008.

Brownian soliton motion

Yaroslav V. Kartashov, Victor A. Vysloukh, and Lluis Torner
We reveal fundamental analogies between soliton dynamics in light-induced random photonic lattices and Brownian motion of particles. In particular, we discover that the average squared soliton displacement increases linearly with distance after an initial ballistic regime of propagation. We also fin ... [Phys. Rev. A 77, 051802 (2008)] published Tue May 13, 2008.

Publisher's Note: Ultrabroadband Biphotons Generated via Chirped Quasi-Phase-Matched Optical Parametric Down-Conversion [Phys. Rev. Lett. [bold 100], 183601 (2008)]

Magued B. Nasr, Silvia Carrasco, Bahaa E. A. Saleh, Alexander V. Sergienko, Malvin C. Teich et al.
... [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 199903 (2008)] published Tue May 13, 2008.

Graded wavelength one-dimensional photonic crystal reveals spectral characteristics of enhanced fluorescence

Patrick C. Mathias, Nikhil Ganesh, Wei Zhang, and Brian T. Cunningham
One-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) slabs are capable of enhancing the excitation of fluorescent material adsorbed on their surface. In this report, we demonstrate and verify by electromagnetic computer simulations that resonant leaky modes spectrally overlapping the laser wavelength used for fluo ... [J. Appl. Phys. 103, 094320 (2008)] published Mon May 12, 2008.

Near and intermediate fields of an ultrashort pulse transmitted through Young's double-slit experiment

A. M. Nugrowati, S. F. Pereira, and A. S. van de Nes
We present a systematic study of the transmitted field of an ultrashort pulse through Young's double slit. We show how the spatial-temporal distribution of the field in the near and intermediate zone is affected by the input polarization state of the pulse. The analysis has been separated to study t ... [Phys. Rev. A 77, 053810 (2008)] published Mon May 12, 2008.

Subhertz linewidth diode lasers by stabilization to vibrationally and thermally compensated ultralow-expansion glass Fabry-P[e-acute]rot cavities

J. Alnis, A. Matveev, N. Kolachevsky, Th. Udem, and T. W. Hansch
We achieved a 0.5 Hz optical beat note linewidth with ~0.1 Hz/s frequency drift at 972 nm between two external cavity diode lasers independently stabilized to two vertically mounted Fabry-Perot (FP) reference cavities with a finesse of 400 000. Vertical FP reference cavities are suspended in midpla ... [Phys. Rev. A 77, 053809 (2008)] published Mon May 12, 2008.

Construction of an optical wire imprinted in potassium lithium tantalate niobate by He[sup +] implantation

Har'el Ilan, Alexander Gumennik, Galina Perepelitsa, Abraham Israel, and Aharon J. Agranat
A channel waveguide constructed in potassium lithium tantalate niobate (KLTN) substrate by the implantation of He ions at 1.65 MeV is presented. The waveguide has a trapezoidal profile with a crystalline KLTN core surrounded by amorphized KLTN created by the implantation. The implantation was done ... [Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 191101 (2008)] published Mon May 12, 2008.

Characteristics of a laser beam spot focused by a binary diffractive axicon

Yuko Kizuka, Makoto Yamauchi, and Yoshihiko Matsuoka
Bessel beams formed by an axicon are nondiffracting beams. Such beams are used in the field of laser machining because they have several desirable characteristics, including a micron-sized focal spot and a deep focal depth. Conical lenses are generally employed for producing Bessel beams. A binary d ... [Opt. Eng. 47, 053401 (2008)] published Mon May 12, 2008.

Laser Ablation of Metals: A 3D Process Simulation for Industrial Applications

Giovanni Tani, Leonardo Orazi, Alessandro Fortunato, and Gabriele Cuccolini
A model for laser milling simulation is presented in this paper. A numerical model able to predict the physical phenomena involved in laser ablation of metals was developed where the heat distribution in the work piece, the prediction of the velocity of the vapor/liquid front, and the physical state ... [J. Manuf. Sci. Eng. 130, 031111 (2008)] published Mon May 12, 2008.

Introduction to the Diffraction Theory

Valery E. Grikurov
Valeriy Grikurov passed away on February 15, 2008. We published the brief thesis of the lecture he presented during the Conference Workshop. He had a lot of plans for collaboration with our University. I am sure that somewhere and somehow these plans will be accomplished. Klaudia Oleschko. ... [AIP Conf. Proc. 1009, 61 (2008)] published Mon May 12, 2008.

Yellow He--Ne going red: A one-minute optics demonstration

Christopher Hopper and Andrzej Sieradzan
A sudden change in the emission wavelength is observed for some types of helium-neon lasers, when their beams are retroreflected. We discuss the physics behind the effect, and propose a novel classroom demonstration for use in optics courses. ... [Am. J. Phys. 76, 596 (2008)] published Mon May 12, 2008.

Static tuning band gaps of three-dimensional photonic crystals in subterahertz frequencies

Weiwu Chen, Soshu Kirihara, and Yoshinari Miyamoto
Microscale three-dimensional photonic crystals with different dielectric volume fractions (beta) were fabricated to tune the band gaps in the subterahertz frequency range. When changed beta from 33% to 20% in the SiOAlO ceramic-resin photonic crystals with a lattice constant of 500 [mu]m, the measu ... [Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 183504 (2008)] published Fri May 9, 2008.

Continuous wave single mode operation of GaInAsSb/GaSb quantum well lasers emitting beyond 3 mu m

T. Lehnhardt, M. Hummer, K. Rossner, M. Muller, S. Hofling et al.
We report on room temperature continuous wave single mode GaInAsSb-GaSb quantum well lasers emitting beyond 3 [mu]m. Quantum well strain and composition were carefully adjusted to enhance the hole confinement without increasing electron confinement in order to avoid inhomogeneous quantum well pumpi ... [Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 183508 (2008)] published Fri May 9, 2008.

A terahertz quantum cascade laser grown by low-pressure metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

Lorenzo Sirigu, Alok Rudra, Eli Kapon, Maria I. Amanti, Giacomo Scalari et al.
Demonstration of a terahertz quantum cascade laser grown by a low-pressure metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy is reported. The structural analysis of the grown structure shows a very high degree of vertical uniformity and sharp interfaces. Lasing emission at lambda=90 [mu]m up to 93 K with a thresho ... [Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 181111 (2008)] published Fri May 9, 2008.

Phasematching in semiconductor nonlinear optics by linear long-period gratings

Alex Hayat, Yotam Elor, Eran Small, and Meir Orenstein
We experimentally demonstrate a phasematching technique for frequency conversion in nonlinear semiconductor structures by employing linear long-period gratings. We designed a specific semiconductor photonic device for second harmonic generation using coupled-mode equations with parameters extracted ... [Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 181110 (2008)] published Fri May 9, 2008.

Quantum interference structures in trapped-ion dynamics beyond the Lamb-Dicke and rotating wave approximations

Dong Wang, Tony Hansson, Asa Larson, Hans O. Karlsson, and Jonas Larson
We apply wave-packet methods to study an ion-trap system imposing neither the rotating wave nor the Lamb-Dicke approximations. By this approach we show the existence of states with restricted phase-space evolution as a genuine consequence of quantum interference between wave-packet fractions. A part ... [Phys. Rev. A 77, 053808 (2008)] published Fri May 9, 2008.

Laser-scanning structural health monitoring with wireless sensor motes

Benjamin D. Buckner, Vladimir Markov, Li-Chung Lai, and James C. Earthman
A highly compact laser-scanning device that can be used as an in situ detection and monitoring device for metal fatigue is described. A prototype is built on a Mica2 wireless sensor mote platform with TinyOS-based firmware. This device is shown to be capable of detecting fatigue-related changes in t ... [Opt. Eng. 47, 054402 (2008)] published Fri May 9, 2008.

Novel distributed optical fiber acoustic sensor array for leak detection

Lijun Hang, Cunfu He, and Bin Wu
We develop an in-line distributed optical fiber acoustic sensor array based on Sagnac interferometer use it to measure and locate leaks for the fluid-filled (or gas-filled) pipelines in real time. The advantage of the sensor array is that it can monitor two or many pipelines at the same time. The tr ... [Opt. Eng. 47, 054401 (2008)] published Fri May 9, 2008.

Robustness analysis of image watermarking based on discrete fractional random transform

Qing Guo, Zhengjun Liu, and Shutian Liu
The robustness of a watermarking scheme based on the discrete fractional random transform has been investigated and demonstrated to be superior to those based on the discrete cosine transform, discrete fractional Fourier transform, and discrete Fourier transform. The spectrum distribution of the dis ... [Opt. Eng. 47, 057003 (2008)] published Fri May 9, 2008.

Optimal keyframe selection algorithm for three-dimensional reconstruction in uncalibrated multiple images

Yung-Ho Seo, Sang-Hoon Kim, Kyoung-Soo Doo, and Jong-Soo Choi
A keyframe selection algorithm is the process of selecting the essential image for 3-D reconstruction from among many uncalibrated images. Camera autocalibration between images is also essential for 3-D reconstruction. This paper proposes a keyframe selection algorithm that selects the best image to ... [Opt. Eng. 47, 053201 (2008)] published Fri May 9, 2008.

Impact of feature-size dependent etching on the optical properties of photonic crystal devices

A. Berrier, R. Ferrini, A. Talneau, R. Houdre, and S. Anand
Feature size dependence in Ar/Cl chemically assisted ion beam etching of InP-based photonic crystals (PhCs) and its influence on the optical properties of PhC devices operating in the band gap are investigated. The analysis of the measured quality factors, the determined mirror reflectivities, and l ... [J. Appl. Phys. 103, 096106 (2008)] published Fri May 9, 2008.

Channel-drop filters in three-dimensional woodpile photonic crystals

Rong-Juan Liu, Zhi-Yuan Li, Zhi-Fang Feng, Bing-Ying Cheng, and Dao-Zhong Zhang
Optical waveguides are characterized by high-efficiency transmission of electromagnetic (EM) waves and optical cavities have frequency selective property. The combination of optical waveguides and cavities can result in a large amount of devices in optical integrated circuit, among which a channel-d ... [J. Appl. Phys. 103, 094514 (2008)] published Fri May 9, 2008.