Fourier information optics for the ultrafast time domain

Abstract

Ultrafast photonic signal processing based on Fourier optics principles offers exciting possibilities to go beyond the processing speeds of electronics technologies for applications in high-speed fiber communications and ultrawideband wireless. I review our recent work on processing of ultrafast optical signals via conversion between time, space, and optical frequency (Fourier) domains. Specific topics include optical arbitrary waveform generation, application of optical pulse shaping technologies for wavelength-parallel compensation of fiber transmission impairments and for experimental studies of optical code-division multiple-access communications, and application of photonic methods for precompensation of dispersion effects in wireless transmission of radio-frequency signals over ultrawideband antenna links.

Superradiant Lasing and Collective Dynamics of Active Centers with Polarization Lifetime Exceeding Photon Lifetime

“…Similar observations are made for the superfluorescent recombination in semiconductor samples with modest inhomogeneous broadening of active particles, which include free electrons and holes in magnetized GaAs quantum wells [21,22], degenerate electronhole gas in semiconductors [29], excitons in ZnTe crystals [10,34], and In-centers in Cd 0.8 Zn 0.2 T e crystals [13]. Based on CW pumping, the class D lasers are expected [31] to have variety of operation regimes, rich multi-mode spectra, and flexible pulse profiles, which are promising for the pulse shaping technologies and the pulse processing in "information optics" [18,39,45].…”

All optical arbitrary waveform generation by optical frequency comb based on cascading intensity modulation

“…Different from DDS, the OAWG can generate microwave with frequency from GHz to hundreds of GHz, and bandwidth more than 10 GHz. Many technologies have been proposed for OAWG, among them line-by-line control according to Fourier transform theory has been widely adopted [5][6][7]. It generates microwave waveforms by independent manipulation of individual spectral lines, which can be achieved by diffraction gratings with a spatial light modulator [5,6], or high resolution arrayed-waveguide gratings with a modulator array [7].…”

Optical frequency comb based on cascading intensity modulation for optical arbitrary waveform generation

“…Optical arbitrary waveform generation(OAWG), which is capable of generating wideband microwave signals with arbitrary pulse shape, is considered as a promising technology in many military and commercial applications, such as high resolution radar, high capacity optical transmission and so on [1][2][3]. Line-by-line control technique for OAWG according to Fourier transform theory has been widely adopted [1][2][3].…”

“…Line-by-line control technique for OAWG according to Fourier transform theory has been widely adopted [1][2][3]. Independent manipulation of individual spectral lines can be achieved by diffraction gratings with a spatial light modulator [2], or high resolution arrayed-waveguide gratings with modulators array [3].…”