The use of nonlinear absorbers in coherent optical data processing

Yaqian Tang, Do Hyeok Jeon, Tsampikos Kottos

Joseph H. Eberly, Ljubomir Matulac

A. Kozma

Angelos Xomalis, Yongmin Jung, Iosif Demirtzioglou +5 more

All-optical data processing continues to attract significant interest as a way to overcome the electronic signal processing bottleneck of fiber telecommunication networks. Nonlinear optical devices such as limiters and saturable absorbers rely on intensity-dependent attenuation of light. However, making such devices using intensity-dependent multiphoton dissipation processes is an issue as these make complete absorption and transmission impossible. Here, we show that nonlinear phase retardation in an optical fiber can control the dissipation of coherent light waves interacting on a thin plasmonic absorber from total absorption to perfect transmission. The fiber’s instantaneous Kerr nonlinearity and the femtosecond coherent absorption time scale make this approach ultrafast. We report proof-of-principle demonstrations of all-optical intensity discrimination, power limiting, pulse restoration, pulse splitting, and signal transfer between carrier wavelengths within a fiber circuit. Our results indicate that nonlinear control of coherent absorption can imitate and outperform saturable and multiphoton absorption in terms of bandwidth and contrast.

Anton N. Vetlugin, Angelos Xomalis, Salih Yanikgonul +10 more

We report on the use of fiber-integrated plasmonic metamaterial absorbers in signal processing applications in coherent information networks. Quantum states filtering, perfect nonlinear absorption, all-optical gating and encrypted signal distribution are demonstrated.