| Abstract [eng] |
Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) are unique media for supercontinuum generation: the ability to engineer PCF dispersion, nonlinearity, birefringence, etc. by changing structural parameters of the microstructure region has given a significant impulse to supercontinuum generation research. This doctoral dissertation aims at developing novel photonic crystal fiber dispersion characterization methods and investigation of supercontinuum generation in highly nonlinear polarization-maintaining PCF with two zero dispersion wavelengths using chirped femtosecond or subnanosecond pulses. The first two chapters of this doctoral dissertation address the important issue of PCF dispersion characterization. Novel experimental method for PCF group velocity dispersion (GVD) characterization is demonstrated. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, the first experimental method for PCF fundamental mode phase refractive index measurement is demonstrated. The third chapter of this doctoral dissertation presents a comparative study of supercontinuum generated in the aforementioned PCF using chirped pump pulses and bandwidth-limited pump pulses at the same peak power. In the final chapter, supercontinuum extension in the whole visible range and beyond using subnanosecond pump pulses is demonstrated in the same PCF without any sophisticated technological PCF modifications or complicated experimental setups. Moreover, using streak camera we could observe how a portion of supercontinuum radiation propagates not in the fundamental PCF spatial mode. |
