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

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Control Of Transient Raman Amplifiers

Michael D. Duncan, Rita Mahon, Lawrence L. Tankersley, John F. Reintjes

Published Apr 8, 1988• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

We have studied the phase pulling and locking of an injected Stokes pulse in a transient Raman amplifier both experimentally and theoretically. In addition, we have investigated the pulse energy statistics and related spatial modes of a high gain amplified Stokes pulse. Experiments reported here show that in the unsaturated case, the phase of the amplified Stokes is pulled almost instantaneously to that of the pump, as soon as integrated gain levels of slightly greater than unity are reached. For higher input seed-Stokes levels, such that the amplified Stokes energy is saturated, the phase locking is completed early, and the phase of the amplified Stokes then follows the phase excursion of the pump. The phase pulling has been modelled theoretically for the specific parameters of our experiment. We have also used the pulse energy statistics to study the seed-Stokes control of a high gain Raman amplifier. For an input seed-Stokes beam to control a transient, high gain Raman amplifier, operated near threshold, it must dominate the self-generated Raman which builds from quantum noise. For a near-unity-Fresnel-number Raman amplifier we have measured the number of input seed-Stokes photons needed to produce an unchanged statistical signature on the amplified Stokes pulse and have found that a surprisingly large number (109) were needed. For a larger Fresnel number Raman amplifier, a near-field camera was used to study the level at which the seed-Stokes pulse controlled the spatial output of the amplifier. Control of the spatial modes seems to have a sharp threshold with input Stokes energy and was fully established with an input of 2x103 photons per mode.

DOI
10.1117/12.943855

Related papers

Control of transverse spatial modes in transient stimulated Raman amplification

Michael D. Duncan, Rita Mahon, Lawrence L. Tankersley +1 more

We have studied the transverse modes of a transient stimulated Raman signal generated in unsaturated Raman amplifiers with Fresnel numbers from one to seven, both with and without a seed Stokes pulse. In the absence of a seed Stokes pulse and for a pump Fresnel number greater than 1.5, the spatial intensity pattern of the stimulated Stokes signal is highly variable from shot to shot, reflecting the random nature of the quantum-noise source. However, when a separately generated and sufficiently strong seed Stokes pulse with a Gaussian spatial profile is injected into the amplifier, the spatial mode of the output Stokes beam assumes a smooth Gaussian spatial pattern that is significantly smaller in diameter than either the pump or the seed Stokes beam. This spatial mode control, which is due to the injected Stokes signal, persists down to a level of approximately 300 seed Stokes photons per spatial mode and, surprisingly, is observed to suppress the noise-initiated signal by at least a factor of 10 in the outer regions of the amplified Stokes beam. We have also studied the Stokes pulse-energy statistics over a range of Fresnel numbers. Data taken with systems having Fresnel numbers between 4 and 7 follow the same pattern as the spatial-mode-control results in that the statistical character of the Stokes pulse energies changes rapidly from that characteristic of a quantum-noise-initiated process to one characteristic of a stable source as the level of the injected seed Stokes is increased. However, for interaction regions with Fresnel numbers of 1 or smaller, the Stokes pulse-energy statistics show a gradual change as the level of the seed Stokes signal is increased and do not become stabilized until the seed Stokes is more than 100 times the total level needed to control the spatial character of the output Stokes in the larger-Fresnel-number cases. This slow change in the statistics for the Fresnel 1 system, and the suppression of the quantum-noise-initiated signal in the larger-Fresnel-number systems, is not fully understood at this time.

Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Jul 1, 1990•33 citations

Imaging and quantum interference in a low light level Raman amplifier

Michael D. Duncan, Rita Mahon, John F. Reintjes +1 more

We have previously reported experimental results of Raman amplification of a low-light-level seed-Stokes beam in the transient limit.1 Here we present results of measurements which used a 10-nsec seed-injected Nd:YAG laser. The 532-nm frequency-doubled output had a duration of 8.5 ns and was used both to generate a 4.5-ns duration seed-Stokes pulse at 683 nm and to pump the 1-m long Raman amplifier. The seed-Stokes beam was spatially filtered, apertured at the Airy minimum, and collimated before the amplifier at a diameter of 5.2 mm. Likewise, the spatial mode of the pump was optimized to be as smooth as possible and was collimated into the Raman amplifier at a diameter of 3.4 mm. With no seed Stokes incident in the amplifier, random spatial patterns characteristic of the quantum-noise initiated, self­generated Stokes light were observed over a spatially gain-narrowed beam size supporting ~ 12 spatial modes. For the Raman gains of ~105 used in these experiments the number of temporal modes was 1.8. The seed-Stokes light was used to illuminate a bar chart of line-width 0.315 mm, and either a direct image of the bar chart, or its Fourier transform, was amplified in the Raman amplifier. The original bar chart image was then observed using an intensified camera. As the level of seed-Stokes was reduced to that approaching one photon per spatial-temporal mode, we were able to observe intensity modulations approaching 100% within the amplified bar chart images. Modulation levels of a few percent persist out to input levels of ~103 photons per mode. This observation is consistent with an interpretation of interference between electric field of the seed-Stokes beam and the vacuum fluctuations present in the amplifier but is inconsistent with a photon number description where the maximum predicted modulation would be only 50%.

Annual Meeting Optical Society of America•Jan 1, 1991•0 citations

Near quantum-limited phase memory in an optical amplifier

D. T. Smithey, Michael Scott Belsley, K. Wedding +1 more

Probing the quantum noise level with respect to a coherent input has recently received much attention. Several researchers have probed this question by examining the level of external optical input needed to influence the output field of a quantum noise amplifier. For example, it has been found that it takes, on average, about one photon per (temporal) mode to control the phase of the output field of a Raman amplifier.1 A similar result has been seen in optical parametric amplification.2 In contrast to using light to seed the amplification, we have investigated the level of initial molecular coherence needed to control the phase of the output field of a Raman amplifier. Two laser pulses, separated in time, were used to pump a common set of hydrogen molecules producing two Stokes pulses via stimulated Raman scattering. The relative phase of the two Stokes pulses was measured interferometrically. The variance of this relative phase is a direct measure of the memory of the molecular coherence that was induced by the first scattering process. Correlations between the two Stokes phases were observed even after nine molecular dephasing times, when the level of coherence had decayed by a factor of e−9. We show that this extraordinarily long-lived phase memory comes about because a molecular coherence corresponding to order ten vibrational photons per mode is sufficient to influence the phase of the output field.

Annual Meeting Optical Society of America•Jan 1, 1991•0 citations

Spatial correlation of Stokes generation in transient stimulated Raman scattering

S. J. Kuo, Michael G. Raymer

We have carried out an experiment to study the spatial correlation of the Stokes pulses in transient stimulated Raman scattering. The spatial pattern of Stokes pulses is known to fluctuate from shot to shot due to the buildup of the pulses from quantum noise. We have measured a series of spatial profiles of the Stokes intensity for different Fresnel numbers and Raman gains. A correlation area of the Stokes pulses is obtained by calculating the autocorrelation function of an ensemble of the intensity profiles for each set of parameters. The measured results are compared to existing theories.1

Annual Meeting Optical Society of America•Jan 1, 1988•0 citations

Raman soliton generation and spectral biasing

Kai J. Drühl

The exact resonance of pump and Stokes with the Raman transition is essential for successful generation of Raman solitons.1 Even slight detuning (~1 % of the Raman linewidth) leads to rapid soliton decay. Viewed in frequency space, this is due to an asymmetric gain profile for the injected Stokes seed. Through the frequency dependence of gain and Raman dispersion, this leads to the rapid growth of an out-of-phase component of the Stokes beam, which does not participate in the transient reversal of pump depletion. The asymmetric gain profile can be compensated by suitably modifying the total phase shift of the injected seed, resulting in an enhancement of those frequency components that see lower gain. We show that almost complete soliton stability can be achieved this way.

Annual Meeting Optical Society of America•Jan 1, 1988•0 citations

Quantum Fluctuations in Picosecond Transient Stimulated Raman Scattering

N. Fabricius, Kurt Nattermann, Dietrich von der Linde

From a classical point of view the generation of Stokes light by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) is not possible unless a Stokes input signal is supplied. On the other hand, the gain in SRS can be so large that without input the spontaneous build-up of strong Stokes waves can be observed. A proper quantum theoretical description1 shows that this spontaneous initiation of Stokes generation is due to microscopic random fluctuations originating from quantum noise associated with the dynamical variable Q(t) which is active in the Raman process, e.g., a molecular normal mode coordinate. In highly transient SRS -when the duration of the excitation pulse is shorter than the dephasing time- the Stokes field is proportional to the initial Heisenberg operator Q(0) describing the state of the system just before the excitation pulse is turned on (t=0). In this case the statistics of the final Stokes pulse energy is determined by quantum mechanical uncertainties associated with the random Raman polarization of the initial state2. On the other hand, in a steady state situation the Stokes pulse fluctuations are substantially reduced and the Stokes pulse energy is stabilized as a result of damping processes.

International Conference on Ultrafast Phenomena•Jan 1, 1984•0 citations
We have studied the phase pulling and locking of an injected Stokes pulse in a transient Raman amplifier both experimentally and theoretically. In addition, we have investigated the pulse energy statistics and related spatial modes of a high gain amplified Stokes pulse. Experiments reported here show that in the unsaturated case, the phase of the amplified Stokes is pulled almost instantaneously to that of the pump, as soon as integrated gain levels of slightly greater than unity are reached. For higher input seed-Stokes levels, such that the amplified Stokes energy is saturated, the phase locking is completed early, and the phase of the amplified Stokes then follows the phase excursion of the pump. The phase pulling has been modelled theoretically for the specific parameters of our experiment. We have also used the pulse energy statistics to study the seed-Stokes control of a high gain Raman amplifier. For an input seed-Stokes beam to control a transient, high gain Raman amplifier, operated near threshold, it must dominate the self-generated Raman which builds from quantum noise. For a near-unity-Fresnel-number Raman amplifier we have measured the number of input seed-Stokes photons needed to produce an unchanged statistical signature on the amplified Stokes pulse and have found that a surprisingly large number (109) were needed. For a larger Fresnel number Raman amplifier, a near-field camera was used to study the level at which the seed-Stokes pulse controlled the spatial output of the amplifier. Control of the spatial modes seems to have a sharp threshold with input Stokes energy and was fully established with an input of 2x103 photons per mode.
We have studied the transverse modes of a transient stimulated Raman signal generated in unsaturated Raman amplifiers with Fresnel numbers from one to seven, both with and without a seed Stokes pulse. In the absence of a seed Stokes pulse and for a pump Fresnel number greater than 1.5, the spatial intensity pattern of the stimulated Stokes signal is highly variable from shot to shot, reflecting the random nature of the quantum-noise source. However, when a separately generated and sufficiently strong seed Stokes pulse with a Gaussian spatial profile is injected into the amplifier, the spatial mode of the output Stokes beam assumes a smooth Gaussian spatial pattern that is significantly smaller in diameter than either the pump or the seed Stokes beam. This spatial mode control, which is due to the injected Stokes signal, persists down to a level of approximately 300 seed Stokes photons per spatial mode and, surprisingly, is observed to suppress the noise-initiated signal by at least a factor of 10 in the outer regions of the amplified Stokes beam. We have also studied the Stokes pulse-energy statistics over a range of Fresnel numbers. Data taken with systems having Fresnel numbers between 4 and 7 follow the same pattern as the spatial-mode-control results in that the statistical character of the Stokes pulse energies changes rapidly from that characteristic of a quantum-noise-initiated process to one characteristic of a stable source as the level of the injected seed Stokes is increased. However, for interaction regions with Fresnel numbers of 1 or smaller, the Stokes pulse-energy statistics show a gradual change as the level of the seed Stokes signal is increased and do not become stabilized until the seed Stokes is more than 100 times the total level needed to control the spatial character of the output Stokes in the larger-Fresnel-number cases. This slow change in the statistics for the Fresnel 1 system, and the suppression of the quantum-noise-initiated signal in the larger-Fresnel-number systems, is not fully understood at this time.
We have previously reported experimental results of Raman amplification of a low-light-level seed-Stokes beam in the transient limit.1 Here we present results of measurements which used a 10-nsec seed-injected Nd:YAG laser. The 532-nm frequency-doubled output had a duration of 8.5 ns and was used both to generate a 4.5-ns duration seed-Stokes pulse at 683 nm and to pump the 1-m long Raman amplifier. The seed-Stokes beam was spatially filtered, apertured at the Airy minimum, and collimated before the amplifier at a diameter of 5.2 mm. Likewise, the spatial mode of the pump was optimized to be as smooth as possible and was collimated into the Raman amplifier at a diameter of 3.4 mm. With no seed Stokes incident in the amplifier, random spatial patterns characteristic of the quantum-noise initiated, self­generated Stokes light were observed over a spatially gain-narrowed beam size supporting ~ 12 spatial modes. For the Raman gains of ~105 used in these experiments the number of temporal modes was 1.8. The seed-Stokes light was used to illuminate a bar chart of line-width 0.315 mm, and either a direct image of the bar chart, or its Fourier transform, was amplified in the Raman amplifier. The original bar chart image was then observed using an intensified camera. As the level of seed-Stokes was reduced to that approaching one photon per spatial-temporal mode, we were able to observe intensity modulations approaching 100% within the amplified bar chart images. Modulation levels of a few percent persist out to input levels of ~103 photons per mode. This observation is consistent with an interpretation of interference between electric field of the seed-Stokes beam and the vacuum fluctuations present in the amplifier but is inconsistent with a photon number description where the maximum predicted modulation would be only 50%.
Probing the quantum noise level with respect to a coherent input has recently received much attention. Several researchers have probed this question by examining the level of external optical input needed to influence the output field of a quantum noise amplifier. For example, it has been found that it takes, on average, about one photon per (temporal) mode to control the phase of the output field of a Raman amplifier.1 A similar result has been seen in optical parametric amplification.2 In contrast to using light to seed the amplification, we have investigated the level of initial molecular coherence needed to control the phase of the output field of a Raman amplifier. Two laser pulses, separated in time, were used to pump a common set of hydrogen molecules producing two Stokes pulses via stimulated Raman scattering. The relative phase of the two Stokes pulses was measured interferometrically. The variance of this relative phase is a direct measure of the memory of the molecular coherence that was induced by the first scattering process. Correlations between the two Stokes phases were observed even after nine molecular dephasing times, when the level of coherence had decayed by a factor of e−9. We show that this extraordinarily long-lived phase memory comes about because a molecular coherence corresponding to order ten vibrational photons per mode is sufficient to influence the phase of the output field.
We have carried out an experiment to study the spatial correlation of the Stokes pulses in transient stimulated Raman scattering. The spatial pattern of Stokes pulses is known to fluctuate from shot to shot due to the buildup of the pulses from quantum noise. We have measured a series of spatial profiles of the Stokes intensity for different Fresnel numbers and Raman gains. A correlation area of the Stokes pulses is obtained by calculating the autocorrelation function of an ensemble of the intensity profiles for each set of parameters. The measured results are compared to existing theories.1
The exact resonance of pump and Stokes with the Raman transition is essential for successful generation of Raman solitons.1 Even slight detuning (~1 % of the Raman linewidth) leads to rapid soliton decay. Viewed in frequency space, this is due to an asymmetric gain profile for the injected Stokes seed. Through the frequency dependence of gain and Raman dispersion, this leads to the rapid growth of an out-of-phase component of the Stokes beam, which does not participate in the transient reversal of pump depletion. The asymmetric gain profile can be compensated by suitably modifying the total phase shift of the injected seed, resulting in an enhancement of those frequency components that see lower gain. We show that almost complete soliton stability can be achieved this way.
From a classical point of view the generation of Stokes light by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) is not possible unless a Stokes input signal is supplied. On the other hand, the gain in SRS can be so large that without input the spontaneous build-up of strong Stokes waves can be observed. A proper quantum theoretical description1 shows that this spontaneous initiation of Stokes generation is due to microscopic random fluctuations originating from quantum noise associated with the dynamical variable Q(t) which is active in the Raman process, e.g., a molecular normal mode coordinate. In highly transient SRS -when the duration of the excitation pulse is shorter than the dephasing time- the Stokes field is proportional to the initial Heisenberg operator Q(0) describing the state of the system just before the excitation pulse is turned on (t=0). In this case the statistics of the final Stokes pulse energy is determined by quantum mechanical uncertainties associated with the random Raman polarization of the initial state2. On the other hand, in a steady state situation the Stokes pulse fluctuations are substantially reduced and the Stokes pulse energy is stabilized as a result of damping processes.