Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physica Scripta

Spectral Hole Burning and its Applications for Picosecond Optical Data-Processing

Karl K. Rebane, Peeter Saari

Published Jan 1, 1987• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Zero-phonon lines in impurity optical spectra and their inhomogeneous broadening are discussed. Photoburning of persistent spectral holes is not only an effective method to eliminate the inhomogeneous broadening and perform high resolution spectroscopy, but it serves also as a powerful tool to control by means of illumination the absorption coefficient and refractive index of the matter. It opens new horizons for frequency-selective optical memories, data storage and data processing. Hole burning by picosecond pulses and the time-and space-domain holography based on it are discussed and the results of the experiments described.

DOI
10.1088/0031-8949/1987/t19b/046

Related papers

Persistent spectral hole burning and optical data processing

Karl K. Rebane

Persistent spectral hole-burning (PSHB) and its applications in data storage and processing are described. Purely electronic zero-phonon lines having very high peak values in the low temperature impurity spectra of solids are considered. Limitations for very large capacity PSHB memories put by the number of impurity molecules to store one bit are discussed. Doped with impurities optical fiber memory is proposed as a means to have low impurity concentration simultaneously with a large number of the impurities to store one bit. Bit-by-bit (digital) storage is compared to the distributed one and the advantages of the two versions of the latter -- PSHB holography and PSHB modeling of neural networks -- are considered. An experiment of simultaneous read-out over coordinates and frequency in neural network modeling is described. Requirements to PSHB materials and possibilities of the existence of materials effective at high temperatures are discussed.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Apr 27, 1993•0 citations

Persistent Spectral Hole Burning: Time- and Space-Domain Holography

Karl K. Rebane, Alexander Rebane

Persistent spectral hole burning (PHSB) provides a unique possibility of controlling, by means of illumination with high spectral resolution, optical properties, the coefficient of absorption and the index of refraction in the impurity absorption band of doped solid materials. New versions of holography are the most successful application of PSHB data storage and processing. It utilizes both distributed storage and parallel processing and demonstrates the advantages and potentials of PSHB in this field. An interesting property of time and space-domain holograms occurs in connection with external electric fields: the pseudo-Stark splitting of narrow spectral holes due to the linear Stark effect in an external electric field manifests itself as an additional modulation of holographically stored signals in the time domain. The idea of PSHB time- and space-domain holography is simple. When a PSHB sample is illuminated by a pulse of light, the intensity (more precisely, the doses of illumination), in dependence of the frequency, is stored in the hole profile.

CRC Press eBooks•Jul 29, 2020•1 citation

Time Domain Holography

Alexander Rebane

It is acknowledged that inhomogeneous absorption bands consisting of narrow homogeneous zero-phonon lines (ZPL) can be used for the purpose of optical data storage in the frequency dimension /1/. Persistent spectral hole-burning (PSHB) /2,3/ has made it feasible to preserve the recorded frequency domain information for a practically unlimited period of time. Via PSHB the inhomogeneous distribution function of the resonance frequencies of the impurity zero-phonon lines can be altered in an almost arbitrary fashion. This, in turn, makes it possible to manipulate the absorption coefficient and correlated to it index of refraction of the optical storage media. On this basis it has been proposed to use PSHB for the shaping of laser pulses via Fourier synthesis /4/. Holographic storage of time domain optical signals in PSHB media was proposed by Mossberg /5/. In the first experiments on the PSHB time domain holography the reproduction of various temporal shapes of picosecond pulses was demonstrated in dye doped polymers cooled to liquid helium temperature /6/. Earlier Zuikov et al. observed correlation between the temporal shapes of nanosecond excitation laser pulses and photon echo signals /7/. Since that time a variety of experiments on time domain holography in different resonant media have been reported (see /8/ and references therein).

Spectral Hole-Burning and Related Spectroscopies: Science and Applications•Jan 1, 1992•0 citations

Electric Field Effects on Persistent Spectral Holes: Applications in Photonics

Udo Bogner

Persistent spectral hole burning (PSHB) is a new method in the laser spectroscopy of solids. This method is based on the existence of zero-phonon lines in the spectra of light-absorbing species, such as impurities (molecules, ions, etc.) or color centers in crystalline or amorphous materials. This chapter describes the electric field effects on persistent spectral holes and in particular special applications in electrooptics and photonics. It demonstrates that PSHB is useful not only for digital processes, such as data storage in the electric field domain, but also for analog processes concerning, in particular, the modulation and pulse forming of laser beams and hybrid optical bistability. The chapter also discusses the future prospects of the possible applications of PSHB and electric field effects. For future possible applications involving PSHB techniques in everyday appliances, it is important to provide room-temperature operation.

CRC Press eBooks•Jul 29, 2020•1 citation

Materials for spectral hole-burning storage

W. E. Moerner

One very exciting application of laser spectroscopy would be to use the high-resolution capabilities of today’s lasers and the phenomenon of persistent spectral hole-burning to form a frequency domain optical storage system.1 In such a system, bits of information would be stored by locally modifying (in the frequency domain) the shape of an inhomogeneously broadened absorption line of an absorber in a solid at low temperatures. Because typical homogeneous widths are 1000X (or more) narrower than typical inhomogeneous widths, as many as 1000 bits could be written in one diffraction-limited 1-μm spot In a sample, yielding the impressive storage density of 1011 bits/cm2.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 1983•1 citation

Requirements to impurity activated solids as materials for optical data storage and processing

K. -S. K. Rebane

Persistent spectral hole burning (PSHB) has remarkable applications in optical data storage and processing, including space-frequency and space-time domain holographies. Experiments have proven practically everything predicted and proposed by theory. The bottleneck between laboratory experiments and commercial applications is the need in low (liquid He) temperatures, as the main parameter of the data storage efficiency-the ratio between the inhomogeneous and homogeneous zero-phonon line (ZPL) widths α(T) = Γinh/Γhom(T)-- decreases owing to the rapid increase of Γhom(T) with temperature. A few optical and Mossbauer ZPLs are narrow even at RT, but they have usually also narrow Γinh. It is proposed to enlarge Γinh by making use of the Doppler effect. Two possible manifestations of the Doppler effect in the Universe are also discussed.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Aug 3, 2005•0 citations
Zero-phonon lines in impurity optical spectra and their inhomogeneous broadening are discussed. Photoburning of persistent spectral holes is not only an effective method to eliminate the inhomogeneous broadening and perform high resolution spectroscopy, but it serves also as a powerful tool to control by means of illumination the absorption coefficient and refractive index of the matter. It opens new horizons for frequency-selective optical memories, data storage and data processing. Hole burning by picosecond pulses and the time-and space-domain holography based on it are discussed and the results of the experiments described.
Persistent spectral hole-burning (PSHB) and its applications in data storage and processing are described. Purely electronic zero-phonon lines having very high peak values in the low temperature impurity spectra of solids are considered. Limitations for very large capacity PSHB memories put by the number of impurity molecules to store one bit are discussed. Doped with impurities optical fiber memory is proposed as a means to have low impurity concentration simultaneously with a large number of the impurities to store one bit. Bit-by-bit (digital) storage is compared to the distributed one and the advantages of the two versions of the latter -- PSHB holography and PSHB modeling of neural networks -- are considered. An experiment of simultaneous read-out over coordinates and frequency in neural network modeling is described. Requirements to PSHB materials and possibilities of the existence of materials effective at high temperatures are discussed.
Persistent spectral hole burning (PHSB) provides a unique possibility of controlling, by means of illumination with high spectral resolution, optical properties, the coefficient of absorption and the index of refraction in the impurity absorption band of doped solid materials. New versions of holography are the most successful application of PSHB data storage and processing. It utilizes both distributed storage and parallel processing and demonstrates the advantages and potentials of PSHB in this field. An interesting property of time and space-domain holograms occurs in connection with external electric fields: the pseudo-Stark splitting of narrow spectral holes due to the linear Stark effect in an external electric field manifests itself as an additional modulation of holographically stored signals in the time domain. The idea of PSHB time- and space-domain holography is simple. When a PSHB sample is illuminated by a pulse of light, the intensity (more precisely, the doses of illumination), in dependence of the frequency, is stored in the hole profile.
It is acknowledged that inhomogeneous absorption bands consisting of narrow homogeneous zero-phonon lines (ZPL) can be used for the purpose of optical data storage in the frequency dimension /1/. Persistent spectral hole-burning (PSHB) /2,3/ has made it feasible to preserve the recorded frequency domain information for a practically unlimited period of time. Via PSHB the inhomogeneous distribution function of the resonance frequencies of the impurity zero-phonon lines can be altered in an almost arbitrary fashion. This, in turn, makes it possible to manipulate the absorption coefficient and correlated to it index of refraction of the optical storage media. On this basis it has been proposed to use PSHB for the shaping of laser pulses via Fourier synthesis /4/. Holographic storage of time domain optical signals in PSHB media was proposed by Mossberg /5/. In the first experiments on the PSHB time domain holography the reproduction of various temporal shapes of picosecond pulses was demonstrated in dye doped polymers cooled to liquid helium temperature /6/. Earlier Zuikov et al. observed correlation between the temporal shapes of nanosecond excitation laser pulses and photon echo signals /7/. Since that time a variety of experiments on time domain holography in different resonant media have been reported (see /8/ and references therein).
Persistent spectral hole burning (PSHB) is a new method in the laser spectroscopy of solids. This method is based on the existence of zero-phonon lines in the spectra of light-absorbing species, such as impurities (molecules, ions, etc.) or color centers in crystalline or amorphous materials. This chapter describes the electric field effects on persistent spectral holes and in particular special applications in electrooptics and photonics. It demonstrates that PSHB is useful not only for digital processes, such as data storage in the electric field domain, but also for analog processes concerning, in particular, the modulation and pulse forming of laser beams and hybrid optical bistability. The chapter also discusses the future prospects of the possible applications of PSHB and electric field effects. For future possible applications involving PSHB techniques in everyday appliances, it is important to provide room-temperature operation.
One very exciting application of laser spectroscopy would be to use the high-resolution capabilities of today’s lasers and the phenomenon of persistent spectral hole-burning to form a frequency domain optical storage system.1 In such a system, bits of information would be stored by locally modifying (in the frequency domain) the shape of an inhomogeneously broadened absorption line of an absorber in a solid at low temperatures. Because typical homogeneous widths are 1000X (or more) narrower than typical inhomogeneous widths, as many as 1000 bits could be written in one diffraction-limited 1-μm spot In a sample, yielding the impressive storage density of 1011 bits/cm2.
Persistent spectral hole burning (PSHB) has remarkable applications in optical data storage and processing, including space-frequency and space-time domain holographies. Experiments have proven practically everything predicted and proposed by theory. The bottleneck between laboratory experiments and commercial applications is the need in low (liquid He) temperatures, as the main parameter of the data storage efficiency-the ratio between the inhomogeneous and homogeneous zero-phonon line (ZPL) widths α(T) = Γinh/Γhom(T)-- decreases owing to the rapid increase of Γhom(T) with temperature. A few optical and Mossbauer ZPLs are narrow even at RT, but they have usually also narrow Γinh. It is proposed to enlarge Γinh by making use of the Doppler effect. Two possible manifestations of the Doppler effect in the Universe are also discussed.