OPTICAL LIMITING, PULSE RESHAPING, AND STABILIZATION WITH A NONLINEARABSORPTIVE FIBER SYSTEM

Optical Limiting, pulse reshaping, and stabilization effects-have been demonstrated based on a two-photon absorption mechanism with a dye-so lution-filled hollow fiber system. The nonlinear absorptive medium is the solution of a new dye, roxyethyl-N-methylamino)styryl]-N-methylpyr idinium iodide (ASPI) in dimethyl sulfoxide, with which we filled a 20 cm-long quartz hollow fiber of 100-mu m internal diameter. The input optical signal was a laser pulse train that contained similar to 30 pu lses of 130-ps pulse width. When the input peak intensity reached 400- 1000-MW/cm(2) levels, obvious optical limiting could be observed and t he envelope of the transmitted pulse train became flatter and broader. By using another new dye solution, 4-[N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-(methyl)am ino phenyl]-4'-(6-hydroxyhexyl sulfonyl)-stilbene (APSS) in benzyl alc ohol; which interacted with a series of similar to 800-nm laser pulses of similar to 8-ns pulse width, we obtained a much higher nonlinear a bsorption coefficient and a superior optical peak-power stabilization effect. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.