AFOSR

EOARD
Lasers and Electro-Optics Program
16 March 2011

A. GAVRIELIDES
Program Manager
AFOSR/EOARD
Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Distribution A: Approved for public release; distribution unlimited. 88ABW-2011-0759
 2011 AFOSR Spring Review
Portfolio Overview

NAME: Dr. Tom Gavrielides

DESCRIPTION OF PORTFOLIO:
Provides international support to AFRL Technical Directorates in basic and
developmental research on Lasers and Coherent Sources, Optics, Beam
Control, Optical Materials, Detectors, Photonics, and RF.

SUB-AREAS IN PORTFOLIO:

Fiber-Nonlinear Optics THz propagation and detection

Nonlinear Optics Met materials
Nonlinear Optical Material Ceramics and Laser Materials
Fibers Lasers
Propagation Effects RF

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 Scientific Challenges

• Challenging and Exciting Opportunities:

– Met materials in visible and THz radiation
– THz Radiation-generation, detection-QCLs
– Fiber lasers components and devices
– Nonlinear frequency generation at Mid-IR and
visible
– New Laser Concepts, Optofluidic lasers, alkali-
metal lasers, THz room temperature QCLs
– Nonlinear coupled periodic structures

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 Current Research Portfolio
Czech Republic Denmark Estonia
Finland Russia
Physical Chemistry Solid State Physics
Optics Lasers and Masers
Optics
Poland Optical Material
Lasers
Optics

United Kingdom
Optics
Lasers and Masers
Optical Detectors

Ukraine
Netherlands Atomic & Molecular Physics
Photonic crystals
Belgium
Lasers and Masers

France
Semiconductors
Greece
Optics

Spain Germany Italy

Optics
Semiconductor Lasers and Masers
Nonlinear Optics 4
 Principal Collaborators
HANSCOM
Sensors

Dave Bliss, RYHX

MATERIALS & MFG WRIGHT-PATT

Nils Ferneries, RXPSO SENSORS

Dean Evans, RXPJE AFOSR

Ken Schaller, RYJP
Jim Grote, RXPS Vassilios Kovanis RYDP Gernot Pomrenke, NE
Tom Cooper RXPJE Jed Hurry RYHC Howe Schlossberg, NE
Arje Nachman, NE
Jon Sjogren, NM
Charles Lee, NA

Other
DIRECTED ENERGY KIRTLAND James Butler, NRL
Tim Madden RDLC Marshall Saylors, NSA
Space Vehicles
John Gonglewski, RDBS
Leanne Henry, RDLO Dave Cardimona RVSS
Paul Alsing RVS EGLIN
Rick Birdie, RDT
Peter Latham RDLS MUNITIONS

Mark Gruneisen, RDBS

Donald Snyder, RDGG
Gerry More, RDLS etc Ric Wehling, RDG 5
 Other Organizations That Fund or
Co-Fund Work

• Fibers RD and JTO

• Met materials RY and JTO
• Photorefractive and Liquid Crystals RX
• Ceramics RD
• Femtosecond propagation JTO, AFOSR
• Semiconductor QCLs QDs RY
• RF and Nonlinear optics AFOSR
• Biophotonics RW
• THz and fiber Communications NSA
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 Guiding of Long-Distance Electric
Discharges
PI: A. Ionin
Lebedev Physics Institute AFRL/DELO, JTO

• Triggering and guiding long-distance HV electric

Ti:Sapphire front-end facility 10 Hz, 0.1-1 ps
Berdysh: E-beam Pumped KrF preamplifier 100 ns , 25 J
GARPUN: E-beam Pumped KrF, amplifier 100 ns, 100J
discharges in air
• Use of UV short-pulse train or combination of short
and long pulses.
• The short pulse produces long-distance partially
ionized tracks in a gas due to multi-photon ionization
• Primary photoelectrons are attached quickly (for ~10
ns) to molecular oxygen,
• Long UV pulse with relatively low intensity detach
electrons and keep the electron density for a discharge
triggering.

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Short pulse amplification in preamplifier Short pulse amplification in master amplifier
Guiding of Long-Distance Electric
Discharges

Train of pulses without

amplification

Single short pulse

Train of pulses
amplification

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 OPTOFLUIDS

• Adaptive photonic devices

• Compact and wavelength-

tunable light sources,

• Biosensors-Chemical –
weapon sensor

• Switches and Memory

devices

Optofluid memory system based on nanowells and QD

Optical filter based on

optifluid micro-ring resonator

The all-optical switch based on optofluidic beam manipulation 9

 TUNABLE MICROFLUIDIC
MICROLASERS
AFRL/DE, RY
PI: Prof. Francesco Simoni
Universita Politecnica delle Marche

• SEM of a SU-8 (epoxy based photoresist or liquid crystal) grating.

• Grating pitch is 1.8 μm.
• High resolution gratings with pitch 180 nm recorded .

• Optofluidic cell made by a PDMS channel

structure crossing the SU-8 grating
• Silicon tubes used as fluid inlet and outlet

• A poly (dimethylsiloxane ) (PDMS) matrix in which the microfluid channel is

impressed by soft nano-lithography .
• Small holes are drilled with needles into the PDMS to form the in and outlets.
• The PMDS seals itself to other flat surfaces and grating by conformal contact
(Van de Waals forces).

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 TUNABLE MICROFLUIDIC
MICROLASERS
B

Device A: Device B: 50-100 m

• Grating is recorded between the ends of a • Grating is recorded on Mylar and PMDS
multi-mode optical fiber 105/125 μm; NA=0.22) channel is formed.

• Pumped by second harmonic of Nd

• Laser emission with Rhodamine 6G.

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 CERAMICS
• Larger and more uniform optical properties
• Large pieces for slab or thin disk high power lasers
• Faster Fabrication
• Larger doping concentrations
• Fracture strength and fracture higher than crystals
• Shaped gain regions for mode guiding

Nanopowder Green ceramic optical ceramic

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 Search and Characterization of
Optical Ceramics and Crystals for
Diode-Pumped Laser Oscillators
PI: Prof. T. Basiev AFRL/RDLO
Prokhorov General Physics Institute

Material for direct lasing in the mid-IR requires short phonon spectra <400 cm-1

• Dy3+:PbGa2S4 crystal or SrF2:Pr

Large cross-section at lasing transition
High quantum yield
Pumped with YAG:Nd or diodes at 1.32 microns

Absorption, Efficiency and Lasing Spectrum

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 Search and Characterization of
Optical Ceramics and Crystals for
Diode-Pumped Laser Oscillators

• Ceramics

Microstructure of a ceramic CaF2-SrF2-YbF3 sample

CaF2-SrF2-YbF3 ceramics

Low quantum defect: Efficient Oscillation at 1.025 microns with pumping at 967 microns
Large pieces for slab or thin disk high power lasers

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 Nonlinear Met materials

• Applications
– Cloaking-Index shaped surface
– Imaging-Resolution
– Luneburg lens-180o field of view
– Mid-IR-Masking, shielding
– Novel propagation effects
– Micro antenna-communications

Split Ring Resonators: Negative magnetic permeability above resonance W

Metallic Wires: Negative permittivity below plasma W 15

 Three Dimensional Optical Met
materials via Direct Lasing Writing
PI: M. Farsari AFRL/RY
University of Crete, Greece
• 3D lithography-two or multiphoton • 1. Design 3D metamaterials for
optical wavelengths.
• Chromophores with large 2PA
• Negative, positive tone polymers
• 2. Optimize hybrid metal-binding

• Inorganic-organic hybrid materials

• 3. Fabricate metamaterial
structures using 2PA
• Metal nanocomposites
• 4. Characterize the metallated 3D
– Photonic crystals structures.
– Mechanical devices with movable parts
– Microchannels for optofluidic devices
– Biocompatible templates
– Met materials

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 Nonlinear Plasmonics and Terahertz
Emission
PI: G. Tsironis AFRL/RY
University of Crete, Greece

SRR array in the planar and axial geometry

Varactor-Loaded (diode) SRR and driven

Frequency response of single element
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 Nonlinear Plasmonics and Terahertz
Emission

Discrete Dynamic Dispersion of the linear ,magneto-inductive waves:

Linear case:

Profiles for five frequencies, inside

and outside the magneto-inductive
wave band.

Bandpass propagation 18
Nonlinear Plasmonics and Terahertz
Emission

g=0.001 g=0.01
Energy Transfer as a function of n 19
Far-Field Super-Resolution Mapping of
Surface Plasmons and nano-antennas
• PI: Stefan Maier, Imperial College, UK.
AFRL/AFOSR, RY, RX
– A technique was develop for the imaging of nanoscale surface
plasmon modes with super-resolution.

– Nano-antenna coated with dye enhanced fluorescence

– Imaging local field of antennas

– The methodology underpins plasmonics and metamaterials

research, areas of key importance in a security-related context
(e.g. nanoscale optical sensors, metamaterials for cloaking).

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 Far-Field Super-Resolution Mapping
of Plasmons

Au micro antennas generated by

electron beam lithography

SEM Image

• Optical dark-field scattering images of nanoantenna arrays with a gap of 50 nm.

• Elongation of the length of each arm from 50 nm , 75 nm and 100nm
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• Tuning of the dipole antenna resonance from the green to the red part of the spectrum.
 Summary

• European fiber laser researchers world leaders in many technical areas

• FSU researchers leaders in optical materials
• Extensive programs in metamaterials
• EOARD has expanded research significantly:
– Optifluid lasers, metamaterials and nonlinear optics

• Support of high power lasers

– Research in fibers, laser materials and new laser concepts

• Still more sources to explore:

– Fiber Nonlinear optics
– Metamaterials-Periodic optical structures
– New Laser concepts

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 Contact Information

Dr. Tom Gavrielides

EOARD
Unit 4515
APO, AE 09421-0014

DSN: 314-235-6205

COMM: +44 189-561-6205

E-mail: tom.gavrielides@london.af.mil

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