LiNbO3 single-crystal fibers with diameters of 63 and 230 mu m were grown,
and the second-harmonic-generation (SHG) process was studied with femtoseco
nd laser pulses perpendicularly focused to the fiber. SHG occurred without
collinear phase matching, leading to wavelength-independent overall convers
ion efficiency, unlike in a bulk crystal. The scattering pattern of the sec
ond harmonic exhibited an intense forward peak and an almost-uniform, less-
intense distribution around the fiber, owing to trapping in high-Q whisperi
ng modes. Implementation of a second-order autocorrelator with the 63-mu m
fiber demonstrates its application potential. (C) 1999 Optical Society of A
merica.