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Title: NONLINEAR FEMTOSECOND NEAR INFRARED LASER STRUCTURING IN OXIDE GLASSES.
Creator: Royon, Arnaud, Richardson, Martin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Three-dimensional femtosecond laser structuring has a growing interest because of its ease of implementation and the numerous possible applications in the domain of photonic components. Structures such as waveguides, diffraction gratings, optical memories or photonic crystals can be fabricated thanks to this technique. Its use with oxide glasses is promising because of several advantages; they are resistant to flux and ageing, their chemical composition can easily be changed to fit the well...
Show moreThree-dimensional femtosecond laser structuring has a growing interest because of its ease of implementation and the numerous possible applications in the domain of photonic components. Structures such as waveguides, diffraction gratings, optical memories or photonic crystals can be fabricated thanks to this technique. Its use with oxide glasses is promising because of several advantages; they are resistant to flux and ageing, their chemical composition can easily be changed to fit the well-defined requirements of an application. They can already be found in Raman amplifiers, optical fibers, fiber lasers, and other devices. This thesis is based on two axes. The first axis consists in characterizing the linear and nonlinear optical properties of bulk vitreous materials in order to optimize their composition with a particular application in view. Within this context, the nonlinear optical properties, their physical origins (electronic and nuclear) as well as their characteristic response times (from a few femtoseconds to a few hundreds of picoseconds) are described within the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. Fused silica and several sodium-borophosphate glasses containing different concentrations in niobium oxide have been studied. Results show that the nonlinear optical properties of fused silica are mainly from electronic origin, whereas in the sodium-borophosphate glasses, the contribution from nuclear origin becomes predominant when the concentration of niobium oxide exceeds 30%. The second axis is based on the structuring of materials. Three commercially available fused silica samples presenting different fabrication conditions (therefore distinct impurity levels) and irradiated with a near infrared femtosecond laser have been studied. The laser induced defects have been identified by means of several spectroscopic techniques. They show the formation of color centers as well as a densification inside the irradiated area. Their linear refractive index and nonlinear third-order susceptibility properties have been measured. Moreover, the structuring of fused silica at the subwavelength scale into "nanogratings" is observed and the form of birefringence induced by these structures is discussed. In addition to the fused silica samples, several oxide glasses presenting very distinct chemical compositions have been studied. A sodium-borophosphate glass containing niobium oxide exhibits micro-cracks and nano-crystallites following irradiation. A silicate glass with or without a silver component reveals fluorescent rings or "nanograting" structures. A zinc phosphate glass containing silver also presents fluorescent ring structures, with a size of the order of 80 nm, well below the diffraction limit. Pump-probe microscope techniques have been performed on this glass to investigate the laser-glass interaction. The absorption mechanism is determined to be four-photon absorption. The generated free electron density is ~ 1017 cm-3, which suggests the conclusion that an electron gas rather than a plasma is formed during the laser irradiation.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: CFE0002666, ucf:48200
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002666

Title: A NOVEL EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH USING A RECONFIGURABLE TEST SETUP FOR COMPLEX NONLINEAR DYNAMIC SYSTEMS.
Creator: Rank, Aaron, Yun, Hae-Bum, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Experimental nonlinear dynamics is an important area of study in the modern engineering field, with engineering applications in structural dynamics, structural control, and structural health monitoring. As a result, the discipline has experienced a great influx of research efforts to develop a versatile and reliable experimental methodology. A technical challenge in many experimental studies is the procurement of a device that exhibits the desired nonlinear behavior. As a result, many...
Show moreExperimental nonlinear dynamics is an important area of study in the modern engineering field, with engineering applications in structural dynamics, structural control, and structural health monitoring. As a result, the discipline has experienced a great influx of research efforts to develop a versatile and reliable experimental methodology. A technical challenge in many experimental studies is the procurement of a device that exhibits the desired nonlinear behavior. As a result, many researchers have longed for a versatile, but accurate, testing methodology that has complete freedom to simulate a wide range of nonlinearities and stochastic behaviors. The objective of this study is to develop a reconfigurable test setup as a tool to be used in a wide range of nonlinear dynamic studies. The main components include a moving mass whose restoring force can accurately be controlled and reprogrammed (with software) based upon measured displacement and velocity readings at each time step. The device offers control over nonlinear characteristics and the equation of dynamic motion. The advantage of having such an experimental setup is the ability to simulate various types of nonlinearities with the same test setup. As a result, the data collected can be used to help validate nonlinear modeling, system identification, and stochastic analysis studies. A physical test apparatus was developed, and various mechanical, electrical, and programming calibrations were performed for reliable experimental studies. To display potential uses for the reconfigurable approach, examples are presented where the device has been used to create physical data for use in change detection and deterioration studies. In addition, a demonstration is presented of the device's ability to physically simulate a large-scale orifice viscous damper, devices commonly used for vibration mitigation in bridges and buildings. For a large-scale viscous damper, physical testing is required to ensure structural design properties. However, due to the large scale of the dampers, expensive dynamic loading tests can be carried out at a very limited number of facilities. Using the reconfigurable test setup, the dynamic signature of the large-scale viscous damper can accurately be simulated with pre-collected data. The development of a system capable of emulating the restoring force of a nonlinear device with software is a novel approach and requires further calibration for increased reliability and accuracy. A discussion regarding the challenges faced when developing the methodology is presented and possible solutions are recommended. The methodology introduced by this apparatus is very promising. The device is a valuable experimental tool for researchers and designers, allowing for physical data collection, modeling, analysis, and validation of a wide class of nonlinear phenomena that commonly occur in a wide variety of engineering applications.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003982, ucf:48654
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003982

Title: Nano and nanostructured materials for optical applications.
Creator: Chantharasupawong, Panit, Thomas, Jayan, Hagan, David, Kik, Pieter, Gaume, Romain, Chanda, Debashis, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Nano and nanostructured materials offer unique physical and chemical properties that differ considerably from their bulk counterparts. For decades, due to their fascinating properties, they have been extensively explored and found to be beneficial in numerous applications. These materials are key components in many cutting-edge optic and photonic technologies, including photovoltaics, waveguides and sensors. In this dissertation, the uses of nano and nanostructured materials for optical...
Show moreNano and nanostructured materials offer unique physical and chemical properties that differ considerably from their bulk counterparts. For decades, due to their fascinating properties, they have been extensively explored and found to be beneficial in numerous applications. These materials are key components in many cutting-edge optic and photonic technologies, including photovoltaics, waveguides and sensors. In this dissertation, the uses of nano and nanostructured materials for optical applications are investigated in the context of optical limiting, three dimensional displays, and optical sensing. Nanomaterials with nonlinear optical responses are promising candidates for self-activating optical limiters. In the first part of this study, optical limiting properties of unexplored nanomaterials are investigated. A photoacoustic detection technique is developed as an alternative characterization method for studying optical nonlinearities. This was done with an indigenously developed setup for measuring the photoacoustic signals generated from samples excited with a pulse laser. A theoretical model for understanding the experimental observations is presented. In addition, the advantages of this newly developed technique over the existing methods are demonstrated. Blending optical sensitizers with photoconducting polymers and chromophores results in a polymer composite that is able to record a light grating. This composite can be used as recording media in 3D holographic display technology. Here, 2D nano materials, like graphenes, are used as optical sensitizers to improve the response time of a photorefractive polymer. The addition of graphenes to a PATPD/ECZ/7-DCST composite results in a three-fold enhancement in response time and therefore faster recording speed of the medium. The faster build-up time is attributed to better charge generation and mobility due to the presence of graphenes in the composite. Lastly, a facile nanofabrication technique is developed to produce metallic nanostructures with a tunable plasmonic response. The enhancement of the light-matter interactions due to these nanostructures in sensing an analyte is demonstrated.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0006029, ucf:51016
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006029

Title: Two-photon absorption in bulk semiconductors and quantum well structures and its applications.
Creator: Pattanaik, Himansu, Vanstryland, Eric, Hagan, David, Delfyett, Peter, Schoenfeld, Winston, Peale, Robert, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a study and possible applications of two-photon absorption (2PA), in direct-gap semiconductors and quantum-well (QW) semiconductor structures. One application uses extremely nondegenerate (END) 2PA, for mid-infrared (mid-IR) detection in uncooled semiconductors. The use of END, where the two photons have very different energies gives strong enhancement comapared to degenerate 2PA. This END-2PA enhanced detection is also applied to mid-IR imaging...
Show moreThe purpose of this dissertation is to provide a study and possible applications of two-photon absorption (2PA), in direct-gap semiconductors and quantum-well (QW) semiconductor structures. One application uses extremely nondegenerate (END) 2PA, for mid-infrared (mid-IR) detection in uncooled semiconductors. The use of END, where the two photons have very different energies gives strong enhancement comapared to degenerate 2PA. This END-2PA enhanced detection is also applied to mid-IR imaging and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) in uncooled direct-gap photodiodes. A theoretical study of degenerate 2PA (D-2PA) in quantum wells, QWs, is presented, along with a new theory of ND 2PA in QWs is developed. Pulsed mid-IR detection of femtosecond pulses is investigated in two different semiconductor p-i-n photodiodes (GaAs and GaN). With the smaller gap materials having larger ND-2PA, it is observed that they have better sensitivity to mid-IR detection, but unwanted background from D-2PA outweighs this advantage. A comparison of responsivity and signal-to-background ratio for GaAs and GaN in END-2PA based detection is presented. END-2PA enhancement is utilized for CW IR detection in uncooled GaAs and GaN p-i-n photodiodes. The pulsed mid-IR detection experiments are further extended to perform mid-IR imaging in uncooled GaN p-i-n photodetectors. A 3-D automated scanning gated imaging system is developed to obtain 3-D mid-IR images of various objects. The gated imaging system allows simultaneous 3-D and 2-D imaging of objects. The 3-D gated imaging system described in the dissertation could be used for examination of buried structures (microchannels, defects etc.) or laser written volumetric structures and could also be suitable for in-vivo imaging applications in biology in the mid-IR spectral region. As an example, 3-D imaging of buried semiconductor structures is presented.A theoretical study of D-2PA of QWs for transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) fields is carried out and an analytical expression for the D-2PA coefficient in QWs using second-order perturbation theory is derived. A theory for ND-2PA in QW semiconductor using second-order perturbation theory is developed for the first time and an analytical expression for the ND-2PA coefficient for TE, TM, and the mixed case of TE and TM is derived. The shape of the 2PA curve for the D-2PA and ND-2PA for QWs in the TE case is similar to that of bulk semiconductors. As governed by the selection rules both the D-2PA and ND-2PA curves for the TE case does not show a step-like signature for the density of states of the QWs whereas 2PA curve for the TM case shows such step like sharp features. The ND-2PA coefficient for TE, TM, and the mixed case is compared with that obtained for bulk semiconductors. Large enhancement in ND-2PA of QW semiconductors for the TM case over bulk semiconductors is predicted.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005684, ucf:50164
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005684

Title: CONAE MicroWave Radiometer (MWR) Counts to Brightness Temperature Algorithm.
Creator: Ghazi, Zoubair, Jones, W Linwood, Wei, Lei, Mikhael, Wasfy, Wu, Thomas, Junek, William, Piepmeier, Jeffrey, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This dissertation concerns the development of the MicroWave Radiometer (MWR) brightness temperature (Tb) algorithm and the associated algorithm validation using on-orbit MWR Tb measurements. This research is sponsored by the NASA Earth Sciences Aquarius Mission, a joint international science mission, between NASA and the Argentine Space Agency (Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales, CONAE). The MWR is a CONAE developed passive microwave instrument operating at 23.8 GHz (K-band) H-pol...
Show moreThis dissertation concerns the development of the MicroWave Radiometer (MWR) brightness temperature (Tb) algorithm and the associated algorithm validation using on-orbit MWR Tb measurements. This research is sponsored by the NASA Earth Sciences Aquarius Mission, a joint international science mission, between NASA and the Argentine Space Agency (Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales, CONAE). The MWR is a CONAE developed passive microwave instrument operating at 23.8 GHz (K-band) H-pol and 36.5 GHz (Ka-band) H- (&) V-pol designed to complement the Aquarius L-band radiometer/scatterometer, which is the prime sensor for measuring sea surface salinity (SSS). MWR measures the Earth's brightness temperature and retrieves simultaneous, spatially collocated, environmental measurements (surface wind speed, rain rate, water vapor, and sea ice concentration) to assist in the measurement of SSS.This dissertation research addressed several areas including development of: 1) a signal processing procedure for determining and correcting radiometer system non-linearity; 2) an empirical method to retrieve switch matrix loss coefficients during thermal-vacuum (T/V) radiometric calibration test; and 3) an antenna pattern correction (APC) algorithm using Inter-satellite radiometric cross-calibration of MWR with the WindSat satellite radiometer. The validation of the MWR counts-to-Tb algorithm was performed using two years of on-orbit data, which included special deep space calibration measurements and routine clear sky ocean/land measurements.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005496, ucf:50366
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005496

Title: Online Path Planning and Control Solution for a Coordinated Attack of Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in a Dynamic Environment.
Creator: Vega-Nevarez, Juan, Qu, Zhihua, Haralambous, Michael, Xu, Yunjun, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The role of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has significantly expanded in the military sector during the last decades mainly due to their cost effectiveness and their ability to eliminate the human life risk. Current UAV technology supports a variety of missions and extensive research and development is being performed to further expand its capabilities. One particular field of interest is the area of the low cost expendable UAV since its small price tag makes it an attractive solution for...
Show moreThe role of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has significantly expanded in the military sector during the last decades mainly due to their cost effectiveness and their ability to eliminate the human life risk. Current UAV technology supports a variety of missions and extensive research and development is being performed to further expand its capabilities. One particular field of interest is the area of the low cost expendable UAV since its small price tag makes it an attractive solution for target suppression. A swarm of these low cost UAVs can be utilized as guided munitions or kamikaze UAVs to attack multiple targets simultaneously. The focus of this thesis is the development of a cooperative online path planning algorithm that coordinates the trajectories of these UAVs to achieve a simultaneous arrival to their dynamic targets. A nonlinear autopilot design based on the dynamic inversion technique is also presented which stabilizes the dynamics of the UAV in its entire operating envelope. A nonlinear high fidelity six degrees of freedom model of a fixed wing aircraft was developed as well that acted as the main test platform to verify the performance of the presented algorithms
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004613, ucf:49925
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004613

Title: EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO CHARACTERIZATION OF ELECTRONIC NONLINEARITIES IN DIRECT-GAP SEMICONDUCTORS.
Creator: Cirloganu, Claudiu, Van Stryland, Eric, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The general goal of this dissertation is to provide a comprehensive description of the limitations of established theories on bound electronic nonlinearities in direct-gap semiconductors by performing various experiments on wide and narrow bandgap semiconductors along with developing theoretical models. Nondegenerate two-photon absorption (2PA) is studied in several semiconductors showing orders of magnitude enhancement over the degenerate counterpart. In addition, three-photon absorption ...
Show moreThe general goal of this dissertation is to provide a comprehensive description of the limitations of established theories on bound electronic nonlinearities in direct-gap semiconductors by performing various experiments on wide and narrow bandgap semiconductors along with developing theoretical models. Nondegenerate two-photon absorption (2PA) is studied in several semiconductors showing orders of magnitude enhancement over the degenerate counterpart. In addition, three-photon absorption (3PA) is studied in ZnSe and other semiconductors and a new theory using a Kane 4-band model is developed which fits new data well. Finally, the narrow gap semiconductor InSb is studied with regard to multiphoton absorption, free-carrier nonlinearities and decay mechanisms. The non-degenerate two-photon absorption was investigated in several direct-gap semiconductors with picosecond and femtosecond pulses. Large enhancements in 2PA were demonstrated when employing highly non-degenerate photon pairs and the results were shown to be consistent to a simple 2-parabolic band theory based on a Ã‚Â"dressedÃ‚Â" state approach. The nonlinear refractive index induced in such configurations was also calculated and possible implications of such extreme behavior are discussed. A large number of measurements of 3PA were taken at multiple wavelengths and in several semiconductors. The subsequent analysis has shown that simple 2-band model calculations (based on either perturbative or tunneling approaches) do not adequately describe the experimental trends. A more comprehensive model, based on KaneÃ‚Â's 4-band theory was developed and we calculate three-photon spectra for zincblende structures within the perturbative framework. We have confirmed the results of our calculations performing a series of Z-scans in semiconductors ZnSe and ZnS, yielding complete experimental three-photon spectra. A systematic approach based on using a large variety of pulse durations was needed to quantify the wealth of nonlinear optical processes in InSb, accessible in the mid-infrared range. Femtosecond pulses provided a lower limit to measurements of the instantaneous effects (absorptive and refractive), while picosecond pulses allowed further characterization of the free-carrier effects, including population dynamics in the high density regime (Auger effects). The model developed permitted us to verify the temperature dependence of free-carrier absorption recently predicted, and to successfully model optical limiting data with longer, nanosecond pulses.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003401, ucf:48417
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003401

Title: White Light Continuum for Broadband Nonlinear Spectroscopy.
Creator: Ensley, Trenton, Hagan, David, Vanstryland, Eric, Zeldovich, Boris, Christodoulides, Demetrios, Schulte, Alfons, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Supercontinuum (SC) generation, oftentimes referred to as white-light continuum (WLC), has been a subject of interest for more than 40 years. From the first observation of WLC in condensed media in the early 1970s to the first observation of WLC in gases in the mid-1980s, much work has been devoted to developing a framework for understanding the complex nature of this phenomenon as well as discovering its utility in various applications. The main effort of this dissertation is to develop a...
Show moreSupercontinuum (SC) generation, oftentimes referred to as white-light continuum (WLC), has been a subject of interest for more than 40 years. From the first observation of WLC in condensed media in the early 1970s to the first observation of WLC in gases in the mid-1980s, much work has been devoted to developing a framework for understanding the complex nature of this phenomenon as well as discovering its utility in various applications. The main effort of this dissertation is to develop a WLC for the purpose of broadband nonlinear spectroscopy and use it in spectroscopic measurements. The ability to generate a high-quality, high-spectral-irradiance source of radiation confined in a single beam that spans the visible and near-infrared spectral regimes has great utility for nonlinear measurement methods such as the Z-scan technique. Using a broadband WLC instead of conventional tunable sources of radiation such as optical parametric generators/amplifiers has been shown to increase the efficiency of such measurements by nearly an order of magnitude. Although WLC generation has many complex processes involved, and complete models of the process involve highly complex numerical modeling, simple models can still guide us in the optimization of systems for WLC generation. In this dissertation the effects of two key mechanisms behind WLC generation in gaseous media are explored: self-phase modulation (SPM) and ionization leading to plasma production. The effects of SPM are largely dependent upon the third-order nonlinear refractive index, n2, of the gaseous medium whereas the effects of plasma production are dependent upon many parameters including the initial number density, ionization potential/energy, and the rate of ionization production. It is found that in order to generate a stable WLC suitable for nonlinear spectroscopy, the phase contributions from SPM and plasma production should be nearly equal. This guided our experiments in inert gases using mJ level, 150 fs-FWHM (full-width at half-maximum) pulses at 780 nm as well as 40 fs-FWHM pulses primarily at 1800 nm to create a stable, high-spectral-irradiance WLC. The generated WLC is shown to have sufficient spectral energy and spatial quality suitable for nonlinear spectroscopic measurements. In addition to extending the WLC bandwidth by using a long wavelength (1800 nm) pump source, it is found that by using a secondary weak seed pulse with a peak irradiance three orders of magnitude less than the main pulse, the spectral energy density is enhanced by more than a factor of 3 in Krypton gas for a WLC spectrum that spans over 2 octaves. Numerical simulations are presented which qualitatively describe the experimental results. The spectral enhancement of the WLC by seeding is also demonstrated for other inert gases and condensed media. Other efforts described in this dissertation include the development of the Dual-Arm Z-scan technique and its extension to measuring thin film nonlinearities in the presence of large substrate signals as well as predicting the n2 spectra of organic molecules (where we can approximate their behavior as if they were centrosymmetric) from knowledge of the one-photon and two-photon absorption spectra using a simplified sum-over-states quantum perturbative model by utilizing a quasi 3-level and quasi 4-level system.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005608, ucf:50264
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005608

Title: Hybrid integration of second- and third-order highly nonlinear waveguides on silicon substrates.
Creator: Camacho Gonzalez, Guillermo Fernando, Fathpour, Sasan, Likamwa, Patrick, Amezcua Correa, Rodrigo, Peale, Robert, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In order to extend the capabilities and applications of silicon photonics, other materials and compatible technologies have been developed and integrated on silicon substrates. A particular class of integrable materials are those with high second- and third-order nonlinear optical properties. This work presents contributions made to nonlinear integrated photonics on silicon substrates, including chalcogenide waveguides for over an octave supercontinuum generation, and rib-loaded thin-film...
Show moreIn order to extend the capabilities and applications of silicon photonics, other materials and compatible technologies have been developed and integrated on silicon substrates. A particular class of integrable materials are those with high second- and third-order nonlinear optical properties. This work presents contributions made to nonlinear integrated photonics on silicon substrates, including chalcogenide waveguides for over an octave supercontinuum generation, and rib-loaded thin-film lithium niobate waveguides for highly efficient second-harmonic generation. Through the pursuit of hybrid integration of the two types of waveguides for applications such as on-chip self-referenced optical frequency combs, we have experimentally demonstrated fabrication integrability of chalcogenide and thin-film lithium niobate waveguides in a single chip and a pathway for both second- and third-order nonlinearities occurring therein. Accordingly, design specifications for an efficient nonlinear integrated waveguide are reported, showing over an octave supercontinuum generation and frequency selectivity for second-harmonic generation, enabling potentials of on-chip interferometry techniques for carrier-envelope offset detection, and hence stabilized optical combs.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007607, ucf:52560
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007607

Title: Stability and Control in Complex Networks of Dynamical Systems.
Creator: Manaffam, Saeed, Vosoughi, Azadeh, Behal, Aman, Atia, George, Rahnavard, Nazanin, Javidi, Tara, Das, Tuhin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Stability analysis of networked dynamical systems has been of interest in many disciplines such as biology and physics and chemistry with applications such as LASER cooling and plasma stability. These large networks are often modeled to have a completely random (Erd\"os-R\'enyi) or semi-random (Small-World) topologies. The former model is often used due to mathematical tractability while the latter has been shown to be a better model for most real life networks.The recent emergence of cyber...
Show moreStability analysis of networked dynamical systems has been of interest in many disciplines such as biology and physics and chemistry with applications such as LASER cooling and plasma stability. These large networks are often modeled to have a completely random (Erd\"os-R\'enyi) or semi-random (Small-World) topologies. The former model is often used due to mathematical tractability while the latter has been shown to be a better model for most real life networks.The recent emergence of cyber physical systems, and in particular the smart grid, has given rise to a number of engineering questions regarding the control and optimization of such networks. Some of the these questions are: \emph{How can the stability of a random network be characterized in probabilistic terms? Can the effects of network topology and system dynamics be separated? What does it take to control a large random network? Can decentralized (pinning) control be effective? If not, how large does the control network needs to be? How can decentralized or distributed controllers be designed? How the size of control network would scale with the size of networked system?}Motivated by these questions, we began by studying the probability of stability of synchronization in random networks of oscillators. We developed a stability condition separating the effects of topology and node dynamics and evaluated bounds on the probability of stability for both Erd\"os-R\'enyi (ER) and Small-World (SW) network topology models. We then turned our attention to the more realistic scenario where the dynamics of the nodes and couplings are mismatched. Utilizing the concept of $\varepsilon$-synchronization, we have studied the probability of synchronization and showed that the synchronization error, $\varepsilon$, can be arbitrarily reduced using linear controllers.We have also considered the decentralized approach of pinning control to ensure stability in such complex networks. In the pinning method, decentralized controllers are used to control a fraction of the nodes in the network. This is different from traditional decentralized approaches where all the nodes have their own controllers. While the problem of selecting the minimum number of pinning nodes is known to be NP-hard and grows exponentially with the number of nodes in the network we have devised a suboptimal algorithm to select the pinning nodes which converges linearly with network size. We have also analyzed the effectiveness of the pinning approach for the synchronization of oscillators in the networks with fast switching, where the network links disconnect and reconnect quickly relative to the node dynamics.To address the scaling problem in the design of distributed control networks, we have employed a random control network to stabilize a random plant network. Our results show that for an ER plant network, the control network needs to grow linearly with the size of the plant network.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005834, ucf:50902
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005834

Title: CHEMICAL STRUCTURE - NONLINEAR OPTICAL PROPERTY RELATIONSHIPS FOR A SERIES OF TWO-PHOTON ABSORBING FLUORENE MOLECULES.
Creator: Hales, Joel McCajah, Van Stryland, Eric W., University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This dissertation reports on the investigation of two-photon absorption (2PA) in a series of fluorenyl molecules. Several current and emerging technologies exploit this optical nonlinearity including two-photon fluorescence imaging, three-dimensional microfabrication, site-specific photodynamic cancer therapy and biological caging studies. The two key features of this nonlinearity which make it an ideal candidate for the above applications are its quadratic dependence on the incident...
Show moreThis dissertation reports on the investigation of two-photon absorption (2PA) in a series of fluorenyl molecules. Several current and emerging technologies exploit this optical nonlinearity including two-photon fluorescence imaging, three-dimensional microfabrication, site-specific photodynamic cancer therapy and biological caging studies. The two key features of this nonlinearity which make it an ideal candidate for the above applications are its quadratic dependence on the incident irradiance and the improved penetration into absorbing media that it affords. As a consequence of the burgeoning field which exploits 2PA, it is a goal to find materials that exhibit strong two-photon absorbing capabilities. Organic materials are promising candidates for 2PA applications because their material properties can be tailored through molecular engineering thereby facilitating optimization of their nonlinear optical properties. Fluorene derivatives are particularly interesting since they possess high photochemical stability for organic molecules and are generally strongly fluorescent. By systematically altering the structural properties in a series of fluorenyl molecules, we have determined how these changes affect their two-photon absorbing capabilities. This was accomplished through characterization of both the strength and location of their 2PA spectra. In order to ensure the validity of these results, three separate nonlinear characterization techniques were employed: two-photon fluorescence spectroscopy, white-light continuum pump-probe spectroscopy, and the Z-scan technique. In addition, full linear spectroscopic characterization was performed on these molecules along with supplementary quantum chemical calculations to obtain certain molecular properties that might impact the nonlinearity. Different designs in chemical architecture allowed investigation of the effects of symmetry, solvism, donor-acceptor strengths, conjugation length, and multi-branched geometries on the two-photon absorbing properties of these molecules. In addition, the means to enhance 2PA via intermediate state resonances was investigated. To provide plausible explanations for the experimentally observed trends, a conceptually simple three level model was employed. The subsequent correlations found between chemical structure and the linear and nonlinear optical properties of these molecules provided definitive conclusions on how to properly optimize their two-photon absorbing capabilities. The resulting large nonlinearities found in these molecules have already shown promise in a variety of the aforementioned applications.
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Date Issued: 2004
Identifier: CFE0000005, ucf:46103
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000005

Title: THREE-PHOTON ABSORPTION PROCESS IN ORGANIC DYES ENHANCED BY SURFACE PLASMON RESONANCE.
Creator: Cohanoschi, Ion, Hernandez, Florencio, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Multi-photon absorption processes have received significant attention from the scientific community during the last decade, mainly because of their potential applications in optical limiting, data storage and biomedical fields. Perhaps, one of the most investigated processes studied so far has been two-photon absorption (2PA). These investigations have resulted in successful applications in all the fields mentioned above. However, 2PA present some limitations in the biomedical field when...
Show moreMulti-photon absorption processes have received significant attention from the scientific community during the last decade, mainly because of their potential applications in optical limiting, data storage and biomedical fields. Perhaps, one of the most investigated processes studied so far has been two-photon absorption (2PA). These investigations have resulted in successful applications in all the fields mentioned above. However, 2PA present some limitations in the biomedical field when pumping at typical 2PA wavelengths. In order to overcome these limitations, three-photon absorption (3PA) process has been proposed. However, 3PA in organic molecules has a disadvantage, typical values of σ3' are small (10-81 cm6s2/photon2), therefore, 3PA excitation requires high irradiances to induce the promotion of electrons from the ground state to the final excited state. To overcome this obstacle, specific molecules that exhibit large 3PA cross-section must be designed. Thus far, there is a lack of systematic studies that correlate 3PA processes with the molecular structure of organic compounds. In order to fill the existent gap in 3PA molecular engineering, in this dissertation we have investigated the structure/property relationship for a new family of fluorene derivatives with very high three-photon absorption cross-sections. We demonstrated that the symmetric intramolecular charge transfer as well as the -electron conjugation length enhances the 3PA cross-section of fluorene derivatives. In addition, we showed that the withdrawing electron character of the attractor groups in a pull-pull geometry proved greater 3PA cross-section. After looking for alternative ways to enhance the effective σ3' of organic molecules, we investigated the enhancement of two- and three-photon absorption processes by means of Surface Plasmon. We demonstrated an enhancement of the effective two- and three-photon absorption cross-section of an organic compound of 480 and 30 folds, respectively. We proved that the enhancement is a direct consequence of the electric field enhancement at a metal/buffer interface. Next, motivated by the demands for new materials with enhanced nonlinear optical properties, we studied the 3PA of Hematoporphyrin IX and J-aggregate supramolecular systems. As a result, we were able to propose the use of 3PA in photodynamic therapy using Photofrin, the only drug approved by the FDA for PDT.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: CFE0001362, ucf:46981
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001362

Title: DISSIPATIVE SOLITONS IN THE CUBIC–QUINTIC COMPLEX GINZBURG–LANDAU EQUATION:BIFURCATIONS AND SPATIOTEMPORAL STRUCTURE.
Creator: Mancas, Ciprian, Choudhury, Roy S., University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Comprehensive numerical simulations (reviewed in Dissipative Solitons, Akhmediev and Ankiewicz (Eds.), Springer, Berlin, 2005) of pulse solutions of the cubic--quintic Ginzburg--Landau equation (CGLE), a canonical equation governing the weakly nonlinear behavior of dissipative systems in a wide variety of disciplines, reveal various intriguing and entirely novel classes of solutions. In particular, there are five new classes of pulse or solitary waves solutions, viz. pulsating, creeping,...
Show moreComprehensive numerical simulations (reviewed in Dissipative Solitons, Akhmediev and Ankiewicz (Eds.), Springer, Berlin, 2005) of pulse solutions of the cubic--quintic Ginzburg--Landau equation (CGLE), a canonical equation governing the weakly nonlinear behavior of dissipative systems in a wide variety of disciplines, reveal various intriguing and entirely novel classes of solutions. In particular, there are five new classes of pulse or solitary waves solutions, viz. pulsating, creeping, snake, erupting, and chaotic solitons. In contrast to the regular solitary waves investigated in numerous integrable and non--integrable systems over the last three decades, these dissipative solitons are not stationary in time. Rather, they are spatially confined pulse--type structures whose envelopes exhibit complicated temporal dynamics. The numerical simulations also reveal very interesting bifurcations sequences of these pulses as the parameters of the CGLE are varied. In this dissertation, we develop a theoretical framework for these novel classes of solutions. In the first part, we use a traveling wave reduction or a so--called spatial approximation to comprehensively investigate the bifurcations of plane wave and periodic solutions of the CGLE. The primary tools used here are Singularity Theory and Hopf bifurcation theory respectively. Generalized and degenerate Hopf bifurcations have also been considered to track the emergence of global structure such as homoclinic orbits. However, these results appear difficult to correlate to the numerical bifurcation sequences of the dissipative solitons. In the second part of this dissertation, we shift gears to focus on the issues of central interest in the area, i.e., the conditions for the occurrence of the five categories of dissipative solitons, as well the dependence of both their shape and their stability on the various parameters of the CGLE, viz. the nonlinearity, dispersion, linear and nonlinear gain, loss and spectral filtering parameters. Our predictions on the variation of the soliton amplitudes, widths and periods with the CGLE parameters agree with simulation results. For this part, we develop and discuss a variational formalism within which to explore the various classes of dissipative solitons. Given the complex dynamics of the various dissipative solutions, this formulation is, of necessity, significantly generalized over all earlier approaches in several crucial ways. Firstly, the two alternative starting formulations for the Lagrangian are recent and not well explored. Also, after extensive discussions with David Kaup, the trial functions have been generalized considerably over conventional ones to keep the shape relatively simple (and the trial function integrable!) while allowing arbitrary temporal variation of the amplitude, width, position, speed and phase of the pulses. In addition, the resulting Euler--Lagrange equations are treated in a completely novel way. Rather than consider the stable fixed points which correspond to the well--known stationary solitons or plain pulses, we use dynamical systems theory to focus on more complex attractors viz. periodic, quasiperiodic, and chaotic ones. Periodic evolution of the trial function parameters on stable periodic attractors constructed via the method of multiple scales yield solitons whose amplitudes are non--stationary or time dependent. In particular, pulsating, snake (and, less easily, creeping) dissipative solitons may be treated in this manner. Detailed results are presented here for the pulsating solitary waves --- their regimes of occurrence, bifurcations, and the parameter dependences of the amplitudes, widths, and periods agree with simulation results. Finally, we elucidate the Hopf bifurcation mechanism responsible for the various pulsating solitary waves, as well as its absence in Hamiltonian and integrable systems where such structures are absent. Results will be presented for the pulsating and snake soliton cases. Chaotic evolution of the trial function parameters in chaotic regimes identified using dynamical systems analysis would yield chaotic solitary waves. The method also holds promise for detailed modeling of chaotic solitons as well. This overall approach fails only to address the fifth class of dissipative solitons, viz. the exploding or erupting solitons.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001571, ucf:47116
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001571

Title: FEMTOSECOND LASER WRITTEN VOLUMETRIC DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENTS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS.
Creator: Choi, Jiyeon, Richardson, Martin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Since the first demonstration of femtosecond laser written waveguides in 1996, femtosecond laser direct writing (FLDW) has been providing a versatile means to fabricate embedded 3-D microstructures in transparent materials. The key mechanisms are nonlinear absorption processes that occur when a laser beam is tightly focused into a material and the intensity of the focused beam reaches the range creating enough free electrons to induce structural modification. One of the most useful features...
Show moreSince the first demonstration of femtosecond laser written waveguides in 1996, femtosecond laser direct writing (FLDW) has been providing a versatile means to fabricate embedded 3-D microstructures in transparent materials. The key mechanisms are nonlinear absorption processes that occur when a laser beam is tightly focused into a material and the intensity of the focused beam reaches the range creating enough free electrons to induce structural modification. One of the most useful features that can be exploited in fabricating photonic structures is the refractive index change which results from the localized energy deposition. The laser processing system for FLDW can be realized as a compact, desktop station, implemented by a laser source, a 3-D stage and focusing optics. Thus, FLDW can be readily adopted for the fabrication of the photonic devices. For instance, it has been widely employed in various areas of photonic device fabrication such as active and passive waveguides, couplers, gratings, opto-fluidics and similar applications. This dissertation describes the use of FLDW towards the fabrication of custom designed diffractive optical elements (DOE's). These are important micro-optical elements that are building blocks in integrated optical devices including on-chip sensors and systems. The fabrication and characterization of laser direct written DOEs in different glass materials is investigated. The design and performance of a range of DOE's is described, especially, laser-written embedded Fresnel zone plates and linear gratings. Their diffractive efficiency as a function of the fabrication parameters is discussed and an optimized fabrication process is realized. The potential of the micro-DOEs and their integration shown in this dissertation will impact on the fabrication of future on-chip devices involving customized DOEs that will serve great flexibility and multi-functional capability on sensing, imaging and beam shaping.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: CFE0002958, ucf:47984
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002958

Title: PHASE-SHIFTING HAAR WAVELETS FOR IMAGE-BASED RENDERING APPLICATIONS.
Creator: Alnasser, Mais, Foroosh, Hassan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In this thesis, we establish the underlying research background necessary for tackling the problem of phase-shifting in the wavelet transform domain. Solving this problem is the key to reducing the redundancy and huge storage requirement in Image-Based Rendering (IBR) applications, which utilize wavelets. Image-based methods for rendering of dynamic glossy objects do not truly scale to all possible frequencies and high sampling rates without trading storage, glossiness, or computational time,...
Show moreIn this thesis, we establish the underlying research background necessary for tackling the problem of phase-shifting in the wavelet transform domain. Solving this problem is the key to reducing the redundancy and huge storage requirement in Image-Based Rendering (IBR) applications, which utilize wavelets. Image-based methods for rendering of dynamic glossy objects do not truly scale to all possible frequencies and high sampling rates without trading storage, glossiness, or computational time, while varying both lighting and viewpoint. This is due to the fact that current approaches are limited to precomputed radiance transfer (PRT), which is prohibitively expensive in terms of memory requirements when both lighting and viewpoint variation are required together with high sampling rates for high frequency lighting of glossy material. At the root of the above problem is the lack of a closed-form run-time solution to the nontrivial problem of rotating wavelets, which we solve in this thesis. We specifically target Haar wavelets, which provide the most efficient solution to solving the tripleproduct integral, which in turn is fundamental to solving the environment lighting problem. The problem is divided into three main steps, each of which provides several key theoretical contributions. First, we derive closed-form expressions for linear phase-shifting in the Haar domain for one-dimensional signals, which can be generalized to N-dimensional signals due to separability. Second, we derive closed-form expressions for linear phase-shifting for two-dimensional signals that are projected using the non-separable Haar transform. For both cases, we show that the coefficients of the shifted data can be computed solely by using the coefficients of the original data. We also derive closed-form expressions for non-integer shifts, which has not been reported before. As an application example of these results, we apply the new formulae to image shifting, rotation and interpolation, and demonstrate the superiority of the proposed solutions to existing methods. In the third step, we establish a solution for non-linear phase-shifting of two-dimensional non-separable Haar-transformed signals, which is directly applicable to the original problem of image-based rendering. Our solution is the first attempt to provide an analytic solution to the difficult problem of rotating wavelets in the transform domain.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002214, ucf:47882
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002214

Title: Thin-film Lithium Niobate Photonics for Electro-optics, Nonlinear Optics, and Quantum Optics on Silicon.
Creator: Rao, Ashutosh, Fathpour, Sasan, Delfyett, Peter, Li, Guifang, Thomas, Jayan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Ion-sliced thin-film lithium niobate (LN) compact waveguide technology has facilitated the resurgence of integrated photonics based on lithium niobate. These thin-film LN waveguides offer over an order of magnitude improvement in optical confinement, and about two orders of magnitude reduction in waveguide bending radius, compared to conventional LN waveguides. Harnessing the improved confinement, a variety of miniaturized and efficient photonic devices are demonstrated in this work. First,...
Show moreIon-sliced thin-film lithium niobate (LN) compact waveguide technology has facilitated the resurgence of integrated photonics based on lithium niobate. These thin-film LN waveguides offer over an order of magnitude improvement in optical confinement, and about two orders of magnitude reduction in waveguide bending radius, compared to conventional LN waveguides. Harnessing the improved confinement, a variety of miniaturized and efficient photonic devices are demonstrated in this work. First, two types of compact electrooptic modulators are presented (-) microring modulators, and Mach-Zehnder modulators. Next, two distinct approaches to nonlinear optical frequency converters are implemented (-) periodically poled lithium niobate, and mode shape modulation (grating assisted quasi-phase matching). Following this, stochastic variations are added to the mode shape modulation approach to demonstrate random quasi-phase matching. Afterward, broadband photon-pair generation is demonstrated in the miniaturized periodically poled lithium niobate, and spectral correlations of the biphoton spectrum are reported. Finally, extensions of the aforementioned results suitable for future work are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007085, ucf:52013
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007085

Title: Flutter Stability of Shrouded Turbomachinery Cascades with Nonlinear Frictional Damping.
Creator: Torkaman, Alex, Kauffman, Jeffrey L., Kapat, Jayanta, Raghavan, Seetha, Mackie, Kevin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Prediction of flutter in shrouded turbomachinery cascades is difficult due to i) coupling of aerodynamic drivers and structural dynamics of the cascade through shrouds, and ii) presence of nonlinear dry friction damping as a result of relative motion between adjacent shrouds. An analytical framework is developed in this dissertation to determine flutter stability of shrouded cascades with consideration of friction damping. This framework is an extension to the well-established energy method,...
Show morePrediction of flutter in shrouded turbomachinery cascades is difficult due to i) coupling of aerodynamic drivers and structural dynamics of the cascade through shrouds, and ii) presence of nonlinear dry friction damping as a result of relative motion between adjacent shrouds. An analytical framework is developed in this dissertation to determine flutter stability of shrouded cascades with consideration of friction damping. This framework is an extension to the well-established energy method, and it includes all contributing factors affecting stability of the cascade such as aerodynamic excitation and the stabilizing effects of dry friction damping caused by nonlinear contact forces between adjacent blades. This framework is developed to address a shortcoming in current analytical methods for flutter assessment in the industry. The influence of dry friction damping is typically not included due to complexity associated with nonlinearity, leading to uncertainty about exact threshold of flutter occurrence. The new analytical framework developed in this dissertation will increase the accuracy of flutter prediction method that is used for design and optimization of gas turbines.A hybrid time-frequency-time domain solution method is developed to solve aeroelastic equations of motion in both fluid and structural domains. Solution steps and their sequencing are optimized for computational efficiency with large scale realistic models and analytical accuracy in determining nonlinear friction force. Information exchange between different domains is used to couple aerodynamic and structural solutions together for a comprehensive and accurate analysis of shrouded cascade flutter problem in presence of nonlinear friction.Example application to a shrouded IGT blade shows that the influence of nonlinear friction damping in flutter suppression of an aerodynamically unstable cascade is significant. Comparison with engine test data shows that at observed vibration amplitudes in operation friction damping is sufficient to overcome aerodynamic excitation of this aerodynamically unstable cascade, resulting in overall cascade stability.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007379, ucf:52077
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007379

Title: 2 micron fiber lasers: power scaling concepts and limitations.
Creator: Sincore, Alex, Richardson, Martin, Amezcua Correa, Rodrigo, Schulzgen, Axel, Shah, Lawrence, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Thulium- and holmium-doped fiber lasers (TDF and HDF) emitting at 2 micron offer unique benefits and applications compared to common ytterbium-doped 1 micron lasers. This dissertation details the concepts, limitations, design, and performance of four 2 micron fiber laser systems. While these lasers were developed for various end-uses, they also provide further insight into two major power scaling limitations. The first limitation is optical nonlinearities: specifically stimulated Brillouin...
Show moreThulium- and holmium-doped fiber lasers (TDF and HDF) emitting at 2 micron offer unique benefits and applications compared to common ytterbium-doped 1 micron lasers. This dissertation details the concepts, limitations, design, and performance of four 2 micron fiber laser systems. While these lasers were developed for various end-uses, they also provide further insight into two major power scaling limitations. The first limitation is optical nonlinearities: specifically stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and modulation instability (MI). The second limitation is thermal failure due to inefficient pump conversion. First, a 21.5 W single-frequency, single-mode laser with adjustable output from continuous-wave to nanosecond pulses is developed. Measuring the SBS threshold versus pulse duration enables the Brillouin gain coefficient and gain bandwidth to be determined at 2 micron. Second, a 23 W spectrally-broadband, nanosecond pulsed laser is constructed for materials processing applications. The temporally incoherent multi-kW peak power pulses can also efficiently produce MI and supercontinuum generation by adjusting the input spectral linewidth. Third, the measured performance of in-band pumped TDF and HDF lasers are compared with simulations. HDF displays low efficiencies, which is explained by including ion clustering in the simulations. The TDF operates with impressive (>)90% slope efficiencies. Based on this result, a system design for (>)1 kW average power TDF amplifier is described. The designed final amplifier will be in-band pumped to enable high efficiency and low thermal load. The amplifier efficiency, operating bandwidth, thermal load, and nonlinear limits are modeled and analyzed to provide a framework for execution. Overall, this dissertation provides further insight and understanding on the various processes that limit power scaling of 2 micron fiber lasers.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007374, ucf:52105
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007374

Title: Analytical and Numerical Investigations of the Kudryashov Generalized KdV Equation.
Creator: Hilton, William, Schober, Constance, Moore, Brian, Choudhury, Sudipto, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis concerns an analytical and numerical study of the Kudryashov Generalized Korteweg-de Vries (KG KdV) equation. Using a refined perturbation expansion of the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) equations of motion, the KG KdV equation, which arises at sixth order, and general higher order KdV equations are derived. Special solutions of the KG KdV equation are derived using the tanh method. A pseudospectral integrator, which can handle stiff equations, is developed for the higher order KdV...
Show moreThis thesis concerns an analytical and numerical study of the Kudryashov Generalized Korteweg-de Vries (KG KdV) equation. Using a refined perturbation expansion of the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) equations of motion, the KG KdV equation, which arises at sixth order, and general higher order KdV equations are derived. Special solutions of the KG KdV equation are derived using the tanh method. A pseudospectral integrator, which can handle stiff equations, is developed for the higher order KdV equations. The numerical experiments indicate that although the higher order equations exhibit complex dynamics, they fail to reach energy equipartition on the time scale considered.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007754, ucf:52395
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007754

Title: Third-order optical nonlinearities for integrated microwave photonics applications.
Creator: Malinowski, Marcin, Fathpour, Sasan, Delfyett, Peter, Christodoulides, Demetrios, Lyakh, Arkadiy, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The field of integrated photonics aims at compressing large and environmentally-sensitive opticalsystems to micron-sized circuits that can be mass-produced through existing semiconductor fabri-cation facilities. The integration of optical components on single chips is pivotal to the realizationof miniature systems with high degree of complexity. Such novel photonic chips find abundant ap-plications in optical communication, spectroscopy and signal processing. This work concentrateson...
Show moreThe field of integrated photonics aims at compressing large and environmentally-sensitive opticalsystems to micron-sized circuits that can be mass-produced through existing semiconductor fabri-cation facilities. The integration of optical components on single chips is pivotal to the realizationof miniature systems with high degree of complexity. Such novel photonic chips find abundant ap-plications in optical communication, spectroscopy and signal processing. This work concentrateson harnessing nonlinear phenomena to this avail.The first part of this dissertation discusses, both from component and system level, the developmentof a frequency comb source with a semiconductor mode-locked laser at its heart. New nonlinear de-vices for supercontinuum and second-harmonic generations are developed and their performance isassessed inside the system. Theoretical analysis of a hybrid approach with synchronously-pumpedKerr cavity is also provided. The second part of the dissertation investigates stimulated Brillouinscattering (SBS) in integrated photonics. A fully-tensorial open-source numerical tool is developedto study SBS in optical waveguides composed of crystalline materials, particularly silicon. SBS isdemonstrated in an all-silicon optical platform.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007674, ucf:52497
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007674

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