Intensity correlation time of an optical field

Irfan Ahmed, Zhengjun Liu, Yan Pan +5 more

We report dressed intensity noise correlation and intensity-difference squeezing based on spontaneous parametric four-wave mixing (SP-FWM) in Pr³⁺:Y₂SiO₅ crystal both experimentally and theoretically. We found such intensity noise correlation and intensity-difference squeezing can be controlled by using the dressing effect to manipulate the nonlinear optical coefficient of the SP-FWM process. By changing detuning and power of the optical field, we manipulate the nonlinear optical coefficient of the SP-FWM process, thus control the correlation and squeezing. The results show stronger correlation and squeezing with single dressing, while weaker near the resonant point due to destructive double dressing. Furthermore,we observed the dependence of correlation times on the power of dressing field, and explained by the combination of the dressing effect and induced dipole-dipole interaction. We also showed the fourth-order fluorescence signals accompanying with the SP-FWM process.

V. P. Vykov, G V Shepelev

E. Wolf

F. Davidson

A procedure for the measurement of intensity correlations of the type $〈:\stackrel{^}{I}(\mathrm{x}, t)\stackrel{^}{I}(\mathrm{x}, t+\ensuremath{\tau}):〉$ and $〈:\stackrel{^}{I}(\mathrm{x}, t)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\stackrel{^}{I}(\mathrm{x}, t+{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{1})\stackrel{^}{I}(\mathrm{x}, t+{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{2}):〉$ with the use of a time-to-amplitude converter is developed. The procedure is used to measure second- and third-order intensity fluctuation correlation functions of the optical field produced by a gas laser operated at various levels near its threshold of oscillation. The results are shown to be in agreement with the predictions of laser theories.

Vittorio Degiorgio, J. B. Lastovka

In recent years the utilization of "optical mixing" spectroscopic techniques in laser light scattering experiments has proved to be a successful method for the investigation of the dynamical properties of physical systems. By illuminating a photosensitive detector with the scattered light and measuring the spectrum or autocorrelation function of the resulting photocurrent, one can, in general, obtain the ensemble-average time dependence of specific collective excitations within the scattering medium. We present here a detailed quantitative analysis of the statistical errors inherent in such measurements due to the stochastic nature of both the scattering and photoemission processes. We determine the statistical errors on the optical-intensity correlation function as measured by two photocounting digital correlator models and on the intensity spectrum as measured by a "self-beat" optical mixing spectrometer. From these errors and a generalized least-mean-squares fitting procedure we calculate the uncertainty on the measured correlation time (linewidth) for the case of a Gaussian optical field with an exponential intensity correlation function (a Lorentzian spectrum). Scaling relationships are given which permit our numerical results to be applied to an arbitrary set of experimental parameters.

Gy. Farkas, Lajos Jánossy, Zs. Náray +1 more