Unidirectional amplification and shaping of optical pulses by three-wave mixing with negative phonons

Abstract

A possibility to greatly enhance frequency-conversion efficiency of stimulated Raman scattering is shown by making use of extraordinary properties of three-wave mixing of ordinary and backward waves. Such processes are commonly attributed to negative-index plasmonic metamaterials. This work demonstrates the possibility to replace such metamaterials that are very challenging to engineer by readily available crystals which support elastic waves with contra-directed phase and group velocities. The main goal of this work was to investigate specific properties of indicated nonlinear optical process in short-pulse regime and to show that it enables elimination of fundamental detrimental effect of fast damping of optical phonons on the process concerned. Among the applications is the possibility of creation of a family of unique photonic devices such as unidirectional Raman amplifiers and femtosecond pulse shapers with greatly improved operational properties.

Keywords

LEFT-HANDED METAMATERIALS, 2ND-HARMONIC GENERATION, INDEX METAMATERIALS, NONLINEAR OPTICS, PARAMETRIC AMPLIFICATION, COMPENSATING LOSSES, BACKWARD WAVES, OSCILLATOR, CRYSTALS

DOI

10.1007/s00339-013-8078-4

Date of this Version

5-2014

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