SC149 Foundations of Nonlinear Optics

Monday, May 5, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Robert Fisher; RA Fisher Associates LLC, USA

Course Description
This introductory and intermediate level course draws from many different nonlinear optical phenomena to provide the basic concepts of nonlinear optics. Much material is appropriate for those approaching this subject for the first time, yet more advanced students will also find this course useful. Although some mathematical formalism will be provided, the emphasis will be on simple pictures for explanations. It is realized that the beginning and intermediate level practitioners are overwhelmed by the constellation of nonlinear optical effects, and our task is to demystify this daunting menu of topics.

Discussions will include second-harmonic generation, optical Kerr effect, self-focusing, self-phase modulation, stimulated Brillouin scattering, stimulated Raman scattering and photorefractive phenomena. Both bulk material phenomena and fiber-related phenomena will be discussed. We will provide simple and clear explanations of how each effect works and how each effect can be used for the modification, manipulation or conversion of light pulses. Pertinent references will be identified.

Benefits and Learning Objectives
This course should enable you to:

• Understand and manipulate the Slowly-Varying Envelope Approximation (SVEA).
• Recognize what nonlinearities come into play in different effects.
  
• Appreciate the intimate relationship between nonlinearities that at first appear quite different.
  
• Understand from a very fundamental approach how a representative variety of different nonlinearities arise, and how they affect the propagation of light.
  
• Understand how wave-matching, phase-matching, and index-matching are related.
  
• Understand how self-phase modulation impresses a chirp on a pulse.
  
• Understand basic two-beam interactions in photorefractive materials.
  
• Develop an appreciation for the extremely broad variety of ways in which materials exhibit nonlinear behavior.

Intended Audience
The material presented will be useful to students, engineers, scientists and managers who wish to familiarize themselves with the fundamentals of nonlinear optics. This course is designed to be self-contained, so it is equally useful to the beginning, intermediate and advanced attendee.

Instructor Biography
Robert Fisher is a private consultant with interests in nonlinear optics, carbon dioxide lasers, molecular spectroscopy, X-ray lasers, optical phase conjugation and modern optics. He is a fellow of OSA and SPIE, as well as a senior member of the IEEE. He was a member of the Board of Directors of SPIE (2002-2004). He has authored more than 60 publications. Fisher is the editor of the book Optical Phase Conjugation. He is a past associate editor for the journals Applied Optics and Optics Letters; and he has chaired six SPIE Conferences on Nonlinear Optics. He was a topical editor for Optics Letters, the chair of OSA's Excellence in Engineering Award Committee, on SPIE's Scholarship Committee, and on the 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 CLEO Program Nonlinear Optics Subcommittees, which he chaired in 2006 and 2007.