Direct space-to-time pulse shaping and applications in arbitrary electromagnetic waveform generation
Abstract
Direct space-to-time (DST) pulse shaping, with its straightforward mapping of an input spatial pattern to an output temporal pattern, has been shown to be an effective method to create ultrafast optical data packets. To our knowledge, we introduce the first DST pulse shaper operating in the 1.5 μm lightwave communications band, which is compatible with high-speed (≥100 Gb/s) optical communication systems. Novel features of our pulse shaper include polarization-independent operation, utilization of diffractive optical elements for spatial pattern generation, and a telescopic, fiber-coupled configuration. These features collectively enable the creation of equal intensity optical pulse sequences over a time aperture in excess of 100 ps and at rates of ∼100 GHz. These pulse sequences enable us to overcome electrical limitations and generate arbitrary electromagnetic waveforms in the GHz to multiple tens of GHz range through a novel optical technique. Although creation of arbitrary optical waveforms is achievable through established methods—such as Fourier transform pulse shaping—arbitrary waveform generation capabilities in the microwave and millimeter-wave range are quite limited. We demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, cycle-by-cycle generation of broadband burst and continuous electromagnetic waveforms at center frequencies from ∼2–50 GHz. Our simple, reconfigurable method uses tailored optical pulse sequences from our 1.5 μm DST pulse shaper to drive a high-speed optical-to-electrical converter. By appropriately tailoring the input optical spatial pattern of the pulse shaper, arbitrarily phase- and frequency-modulated electromagnetic waveforms are achieved.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Weiner, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Electrical engineering|Optics
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