Thermal Analysis of InAlAs/InGaAs/InP Mid-infrared QCLs Operating in CW Mode

A simulation method for the thermal analysis of InAlAs/InGaAs/InP mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) based on finite-element method (FEM) is presented. The thermal distribution of the QCLs on substrate-side or epilayer-side mounting forms is simulated and the results are compared. Results show that the epilayer-side mounting form has much better heat dissipation capability than the substrate-side mounting.

Broadband third-order optical nonlinearities of layered franckeite towards mid-infrared regime

The study of nonlinear optical responses in the mid-infrared(mid-IR)regime is essential for advancing ultrafast mid-IR laser applications.However,nonlinear optical effects under mid-IR excitation are rarely reported due to the lack of suitable nonlinear optical materials.The natural van derWaals heterostructure franckeite,known for its narrow bandgap and stability in air,shows great potential for developing mid-IR nonlinear optical devices.We have experimentally demonstrated that layered franckeite exhibits a broadband wavelength-dependent nonlinear optical response in the mid-IR spectral region.Franckeite nanosheets were prepared using a liquid-phase exfoliation method,and their nonlinear optical response was characterized in the spectral range of 3000 nm to 5000 nm.The franckeite nanosheets exhibit broadband wavelengthdependent third-order nonlinearities,with nonlinear absorption and refraction coefficients estimated to be about 10^(-7)cm/W and 10^(-11)cm^(2)/W,respectively.Additionally,a passively Q-switched fluoride fiber laser operating around a wavelength of 2800 nm was achieved,delivering nanosecond pulses with a signal-to-noise ratio of 43.6 dB,based on the nonlinear response of franckeite.These findings indicate that layered franckeite possesses broadband nonlinear optical characteristics in the mid-IR region,potentially enabling new possibilities for mid-IR photonic devices.

Mid-infrared Optical Frequency Comb-based Fourier Transform Spectrometer for Broadband Molecular Spectroscopy

Optical frequency combbased Fourier transform spectroscopy has the features of broad spectral bandwidth,high sensitivity,andmultiplexed trace gas detection,which has valuable application potential in the fields of precision spectroscopy and trace gas detection.Here,we report the development of a mid-infrared Fourier transform spectrometer based on an optical frequency comb combined with a Herriott-type multipass cell.Using this instrument,the broadband absorption spectra of several important molecules,including methane,acetylene,water molecules and nitrous oxide,are measured by near real-time data acquisition in the 2800-3500 cm^(-1)spectral region.The achieved minimum detectable absorption of the instrument is 4.4×10^(-8)cm^(-1)·Hz^(-1/2)per spectral element.Broadband spectra of H_(2)0 are fited using the Voigt profile multispectral fitting technique and the consistency of the concentration inversion is 1%.Our system also enables precise spectroscopic measurements,and it allows the determination of the spectral line positions and upper state constants of N_(2)O in the(0002)-(1000)band,with results in good agreement with those reported by Toth[Appl.Opt.30,5289(1991)].

Mid-infrared lightly Er^(3+)-doped CaF_(2)laser under acousto–optical modulation

A 1.7-at.%Er:CaF_(2)crystal was synthesized by temperature gradient method.The Er:CaF_(2)crystal was applied in acousto-optically Q-switched laser at mid-infrared region for the first time.Using a Te O_(2)-based crystal as Q-switcher,we obtained a laser diode(LD)end-pumped Er:CaF_(2)laser with the highest single pulse energy up to 0.49 mJ and maximum peak power of 0.56 kW under 6.34-W absorbed pump power.The implication of these results is that the low-doped Er:CaF_(2)crystal exhibits promising optical properties in solid-state lasers.

Rapid Detection of Accelerants in Fire Debris Using a Field Portable Mid-Infrared Quantum Cascade Laser Based Analyzer

Arson presents a challenging crime scene for fire investigators worldwide. Key to the investigation of suspected arson cases is the analysis of fire debris for the presence of accelerants or ignitable liquids. This study has investigated the application and method development of vapor phase mid-Infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy using a field portable quantum cascade laser (QCL) based system for the detection and identification of accelerant residues such as gasoline, diesel, and ethanol in fire debris. A searchable spectral library of various ignitable fluids and fuel components measured in the vapor phase was constructed that allowed for real-time identification of accelerants present in samples using software developed in-house. Measurement of vapors collected from paper material that had been doused with an accelerant followed by controlled burning and then extinguished with water showed that positive identification could be achieved for gasoline, diesel, and ethanol. This vapor phase mid-IR QCL method is rapid, easy to use, and has the sensitivity and discrimination capability that make it well suited for non-destructive crime scene sample analysis. Sampling and measurement can be performed in minutes with this 7.5 kg instrument. This vibrational spectroscopic method required no time-consuming sample pretreatment or complicated solvent extraction procedure. The results of this initial feasibility study demonstrate that this portable fire debris analyzer would greatly benefit arson investigators performing analysis on-site.

A Comparison of CNN and PLSR for Glucose Monitoring Using Mid-Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy

With the development of mid-infrared (MIR) photoelectric devices, mid-infrared spectroscopy has become one of the important methods for non-invasive detection of blood glucose. The mid-infrared region (4000 - 400 cm-1) has the well-known fingerprint region (1200 - 800 cm-1) of glucose, which has clearer characteristic absorption peaks and better specificity. There is a lot of molecular information about glucose in the MIR. The non-invasive detection of blood glucose by mid-infrared spectroscopy needs to achieve certain accuracy, and the quantitative model is an important factor affecting the accuracy of glucose detection. In this paper, the samples of imitation solution containing only glucose and the samples of imitation mixed solution are taken as the research objects, and the mid-infrared spectral data of the samples are collected. The full spectrum partial least squares Regression (PLSR) model, SNV + Ctr-PLSR model, MSC + Ctr-PLSR model, and convolutional neural networks (CNN) model of 3000 - 900 cm-1 band were constructed. Full spectrum PLS model and CNN model of 1200 - 900 cm-1 band were constructed. The experimental results show that the optimal model of the two bands is CNN, then the correlation coefficient of prediction set (Rp) of 3000 - 900 cm-1 band is 0.95, and the root mean square error of pre-diction set (RMSEP) value is 22.10. The Rp of 1200 - 900 cm-1 band is 0.95, and the RMSEP value is 22.54. The research results show that CNN is a promising method, which has higher accuracy than PLSR, and is especially suitable for modeling human complex environment. In addition, the study provides a theoretical and practical basis for CNN in feature selection and model interpretation.

基于8.309μm QCL的硫化氢/甲烷开路式检测方法研究

H_(2)S,CH_(4)多组分气体浓度测量技术的研究对石油石化行业的安全生产有重要意义。基于中红外TDLAS技术,选用中心波长为8.309μm的量子级联激光器(Quantum Cascade Laser,QCL)为检测光源,搭建30 m长距离的遥测实验系统,使用WMS波长调制法对H2S,CH4气体的吸收谱线进行连续调谐与扫描,并对高频正弦载波进行了最优深化调制,实现了H2S,CH4多组分气体的同时测量。实验将H2S与5%体积分数的高浓度水汽进行混合测量,分析并验证了该波段的水汽吸收难以对测量造成交叉干扰的优良特性,并利用Savitzky-Golay平滑滤波器提高了检测信号的信噪比。通过遥测实验,分析了15 m,30 m不同遥测距离对检测信号的影响,并利用增加积分时间与计算信噪比的方法,得到了128.75×10^(-9)m的遥测最低限。最后,Allan方差的计算结果表明,当积分时间为183 s,142 s时,系统对H2S,CH4气体的最低检测下限分别为0.593×10^(-9)和1.160×10^(-9)。本文的研究结果为中红外波段H2S,CH4多组分气体的高灵敏度、同时测量提供了一种有效途径,为多组分气体的遥测应用提供了参考。

Rapidly determining kinematic viscosity of aviation lubricating oil 50-1-4Φ by mid-infrared spectrometry

This paper analyzed 11 lubricating oil 50-1-4Ф samples of different base oil content （standard oil） and 28 used oil samples by Fourier transform mid-infrared spectrometer （FTIR）. First, the absorption peak of 1 465 cm 1 was selected as the characteristic peak for determining their kinematic viscosities. And then correlation of the kinematic viscosity and the absorbance at characteristic peaks of corresponding infrared spectrum of standard oil and used oil samples was analyzed, re- spectively, and two regression equations were proposed. Finally, the regression equation of standard oil was corrected through other 20 new oil samples. The results show that determining kinematic viscosity of new lubricating oil 50-1-4Ф and the used one by FTIR is feasible and reliable.

Rapidly determining fuel pollution level of aviation lubricating oil 50-1-4Φby mid-infrared spectrometry

A series of aviation lubrication oil 50-1-4φ samples were prepared with different RP-3 content, and then these sam- ples were analyzed by Fourier transform mid-infrared spectrometer （FTIR）. The infrared region of 805--755 cm-1 was selected as quantitative area for determining fuel pollution level of aviation lubrication oil. Finally, correlation of the testing peak area and the fuel pollution level of corresponding samples were analyzed, and the regression equation was proposed. The results show that determining jet fuel pollution level of aviation lubricating oil by FTIR is feasible and reliable.

Continuous-wave mid-infrared intracavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate

This paper reports a continuous-wave （CW） mid-infrared intracavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate （PPLN） pumped by a diode-end-pumped CW Nd：YVO4 laser. Considering the thermal lens effects, it adopted an optical ballast lens and the near-concentric cavity for better operation. At the PPLN＇s grating period of 28.5 μm and the temperature of 140℃, the maximum idler output power of 155 mW at 3.86 μm has been achieved when the 808 nm pump power is 8.5 W, leading to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 1.82%.

Up-conversion detection of mid-infrared light carrying orbital angular momentum

Frequency up-conversion is an effective method of mid-infrared(MIR) detection by converting long-wavelength photons to the visible domain, where efficient detectors are readily available. Here, we generate MIR light carrying orbital angular momentum(OAM) from a difference frequency generation process and perform up-conversion on it via sum frequency conversion in a bulk quasi-phase-matching crystal. The maximum quantum conversion efficiencies from MIR to visible are 34.0%, 10.4%, and 3.5% for light with topological charges of 0, 1, and 2, respectively, achieved by utilizing an optimized strong pump light. We also verify the OAM conservation with a specially designed interferometer, and the results agree well with the numerical simulations. Our study opens up the possibilities for generating, manipulating, and detecting MIR light that carries OAM, and will have great potential for optical communications and remote sensing in the MIR regime.

Wideband mid-infrared thermal emitter based on stacked nanocavity metasurfaces

Efficient thermal radiation in the mid-infrared(M-IR)region is of supreme importance for many applications including thermal imaging and sensing,thermal infrared light sources,infrared spectroscopy,emissivity coatings,and camouflage.The ability to control light makes metasurfaces an attractive platform for infrared applications.Recently,different metamaterials have been proposed to achieve high thermal radiation.To date,broadening the radiation bandwidth of a metasurface emitter(meta-emitter)has become a key goal to enable extensive applications.We experimentally demonstrate a broadband M-IR thermal emitter using stacked nanocavity metasurface consisting of two pairs of circular-shaped dielectric(Si;N;)–metal(Au)stacks.A high thermal radiation can be obtained by engineering the geometry of nanocavity metasurfaces.Such a meta-emitter provides wideband and broad angular absorptance of both p-and s-polarized light,offering a wideband thermal radiation with an average emissivity of more than 80%in the M-IR atmospheric window of 8–14μm.The experimental illustration together with the theoretical framework establishes a basis for designing broadband thermal emitters,which,as anticipated,will initiate a promising avenue to M-IR sources.

A novel 2-μm pulsed fiber laser based on a supercontinuum source and its application to mid-infrared supercontinuum generation

A new method to achieve 2-μm pulsed fiber lasers based on a supercontinuum （SC） is demonstrated. The incident pump light is a pulsed SC which contains a pump light and a signal light at the same time. The initial signal of the seed laser is provided by the incident pump light and amplified in the cavity. Based on this, we obtain a 2-μm pulsed laser with pulse repetition rate of 50 kHz and pulse width of 2 ns from the Tm-doped fiber laser. This 2-μm pulsed laser is amplified by two stages of fiber amplifiers, then the amplified laser is used for mid-infrared （mid-IR） SC generation in a 10-m length of ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AIF3-NaF （ZBLAN） fiber. An all-fiber-integrated mid-IR SC with spectrum ranging from 1.8 ~tm to 4.3 μm is achieved. The maximal average output power of the mid-IR SC from the ZBLAN fiber is 1.24 W （average output power beyond 2.5 μm is 340 mW）, corresponding to an output efficiency of 6.6% with respect to the 790-nm pump power.

Theoretical study and optimization of a high power mid-infrared erbium-doped ZBLAN fibre laser

Based on the rate equations describing the erbium-doped fluoride glass （ZBLAN） fibre lasers with different pumping configurations being taken into account, this paper presents theoretical calculations related to the dynamic population density and the operation performance of a high power mid-infrared all-fibre erbium-doped ZBLAN fibre laser. It shows that the ground-state absorption, excited-state absorption and energy-transfer-upconversion processes co-exist and produce a population balance, causing the laser to operate stably at a continuous wave state. A good agreement between the theoretical results and recent experimental measurement is obtained. Furthermore, the laser structure parameters including fibre length, reflectance of output fibre Bragg grating and pumping configurations are quantitatively optimised to achieve the best performance. The results show, as expected, that the slope efficiency of the fibre laser can be improved significantly through optimisation, which then provides an important guide for the design of high-performance mid-infrared erbium-doped ZBLAN fibre lasers.

Mid-infrared supercontinuum generation and its application on all-optical quantization with different input pulses

Supercontinuum generation(SCG) and its application on all-optical quantization of all-optical analog-to-digital conversions(AOADCs) at the mid-infrared region in an Al GaAs strip waveguide are investigated numerically. The simulation results show that when the parabolic pulse is input, not only broader and higher-coherence SCG is obtained and a higher effective number of bits(ENOB) can be achieved, compared with the input pulse with hyperbolic-secant and Gaussian shaping. A four-bit quantization resolution is achieved along with a signal-to-noise ratio of 24.02 dB and an ENOB of3.99 bit, and the required input peak power is 760 mW.

Research on Determination of Nitrogen Content in Petroleum Using Mid-infrared Spectroscopy

Nitrogen content is an important parameter for petroleum refining processes. The combined use of mid-infrared attenuated total reflection spectroscopy and multivariate calibration allows accurate determination of nitrogen content in petroleum and its products. The calibration models of nitrogen content in crude oils have been established by partial least squares (PLS) method. The results predicted by this method were very close to those determined by standard methods. Compared with standard methods, this method is provided with advantages such as high-speed, simplicity and good-repeat- ability without any needs for pretreatment.

Highly-sensitive NO,NO2,and NH3 measurements with an open-multipass cell based on mid-infrared wavelength modulation spectroscopy

A compact prototype based on mid-infrared wavelength modulation spectroscopy（WMS）is developed for the simul-taneous monitoring of NO,NO2,and NH3 in the urban area.Three quantum cascade lasers（QCLs）with central frequencies around 1900.0 cm^-1,1600.0 cm^-1,and 1103.4 cm^-1are used for NO,NO2,and NH3detections,respectively,by timedivision multiplex.An open-path multi-pass cell of 60-m optical path length is applied to the instrument for high sensitivity and reducing the response time to less than 1 s.The prototype achieves a sub-ppb detection limit for all the three target gases with an average time of about 100 s.The instrument is installed in the Jiangsu environmental monitoring center to conduct performance tests on ambient air.Continuous 24-hour measurements show good agreement with the results of a reference instrument based on the chemiluminescence technique.

High-Efficiency Mid-Infrared Picosecond MgO:PPLN Single Resonant Optical Parametric Oscillator

We demonstrate a high-emciency mid-infrared picosecond optical parametric oscillator （OPO） based on MgO doped periodically poled lithium niobate （MgO：PPLN） with a laser diode array （LDA） pumped Innoslab amplifier as the pumping source. Under a 16 W synchronously pumping power, 4.5 W of idler light at 2896nm is obtained. A tuning range of idler light from 2688nm to 3016nm is achieved, within which the highest optical-optical conversion ettlciency from pump power to OPO output is 35.1%. Moreover, a signal light of -500mW from 1644 to 1700nm with a repetition rate of 233.8 MHz is generated.

The application of Fourier transform mid-infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy to identify variation in cell wall composition of Setaria italica ecotypes

Cell wall composition in monocotyledonous grasses has been identified as a key area of research for developing better feedstocks for forage and biofuel production.Setaria viridis and its close domesticated relative Setaria italica have been chosen as suitable monocotyledonous models for plants possessing the C4 pathway of photosynthesis including sorghum,maize,sugarcane,switchgrass and Miscanthus×giganteus.Accurate partial least squares regression（PLSR）models to predict S.italica stem composition have been generated,based upon Fourier transform mid-infrared（FTIR）spectra and calibrated with wet chemistry determinations of ground S.italica stem material measured using a modified version of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory（NREL）acid hydrolysis protocol.The models facilitated a high-throughput screening analysis for glucan,xylan,Klason lignin and acid soluble lignin（ASL）in a collection of 183 natural S.italica variants and clustered them into classes,some possessing unique chemotypes.The predictive models provide a highly efficient screening tool for large scale breeding programs aimed at identifying lines or mutants possessing unique cell wall chemotypes.Genes encoding key catalytic enzymes of the lignin biosynthesis pathway exhibit a high level of conservation with matching expression profiles,measured by RT-q PCR,among accessions of S.italica,which closely mirror profiles observed in the different developmental regions of an elongating internode of S.viridis by RNASeq.

High performance GaSb based digital-grown InGaSb/AlGaAsSb mid-infrared lasers and bars

InGaSb/AlGaAsSb double-quantum-well diode lasers emitting around 2 μm are demonstrated. The AlGaAsSb barriers of the lasers are grown with digital alloy techniques consisting of binary AlSb/AlAs/GaSb short-period pairs. Peak power conversion efficiency of 26% and an efficiency higher than 16% at 1 W are achieved at continuous-wave operation for a 2-mm-long and 100-μm-wide stripe laser. The maximum output power of a single emitter reaches to 1.4 W at 7 A.19-emitter bars with maximum efficiency higher than 20% and maximum power of 16 W are fabricated. Lasers with the short-period-pair barriers are proved to have improved temperature properties and wavelength stabilities. The characteristic temperature(T_0) is up to 140?C near room temperature(25–55?C).