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Professor Philip St.J. Russell, FRS

Director of the Russell Division – Photonic Crystal Fibres

Professor Philip Russell is a founding Director of the Max-Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL), which began operations in January 2009. Since 2005 he has also held the Krupp Chair in Experimental Physics at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. He obtained his D.Phil. degree in 1979 at the University of Oxford, spending three years as a Research Fellow at Oriel College, Oxford. In 1982 and 1983 he was a Humboldt Fellow at the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg (Germany), and from 1984 to 1986 he worked at the University of Nice (France) and the IBM TJ Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York. From 1986 to 1996 he was based mainly at the University of Southampton, first of all in the Optical Fibre Group and then in the Optoelectronics Research Centre. From 1996 to 2005 he was professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Bath, where he established the Centre for Photonics and Photonic Materials. His research interests currently focus on scientific applications of photonic crystal fibres and related structures. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and The Optical Society (OSA) and has won several international awards for his research including the 2000 OSA Joseph Fraunhofer Award/Robert M. Burley Prize, the 2005 Thomas Young Prize of the Institute for Physics (UK), the 2005 Körber Prize for European Science, the 2013 EPS Prize for Research into the Science of Light, the 2014 Berthold Leibinger Zukunftspreis and the 2015 IEEE Photonics Award. He was OSA's President in 2015, the International Year of Light.

2008

Dynamic control of higher-order modes in hollow-core photonic crystal fibers

T. G. Euser, G. Whyte, M. Scharrer, J. S. Y. Chen, A. Abdolvand, J. Nold, C. F. Kaminski, P. St. J. Russell

OPTICS EXPRESS 16 (22) 17972-17981 (2008) | Journal

We present a versatile method for selective mode coupling into higher-order modes of photonic crystal fibers, using holograms electronically generated by a spatial light modulator. The method enables non-mechanical and completely repeatable changes in the coupling conditions. We have excited higher order modes up to LP(31) in hollow-core photonic crystal fibers. The reproducibility of the coupling allows direct comparison of the losses of different guided modes in both hollow-core bandgap and kagome-lattice photonic crystal fibers. Our results are also relevant to applications in which the intensity distribution of the light inside the fiber is important, such as particle-or atom-guidance. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America

Polarization-dependent coupling to plasmon modes on submicron gold wire in photonic crystal fiber

H. W. Lee, M. A. Schmidt, H. K. Tyagi, L. Prill Sempere, P. St. J. Russell

APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS 93 (11) 111102 (2008) | Journal

We present experimental results on coupling to surface plasmon modes on gold nanowires selectively introduced into polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fibers. Highly polarization- and wavelength-dependent transmission is observed. In one sample 24.5 mm long, the transmission on and off resonance differs by as much as 45 dB. Near-field optical images of the light emerging from such a gold-filled fiber show light guided on the wire at surface plasmon resonances. Finite element simulations are in good agreement with the experimental results. These gold-filled fibers can be potentially used as in-fiber wavelength-dependent filters and polarizers and as near-field tips for sub-wavelength-scale imaging. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Anomalous pulse breakup in small-core photonic crystal fibers

A. Podlipensky, P. Szarniak, N. Y. Joly, P. St. J. Russell

JOURNAL OF THE OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA B-OPTICAL PHYSICS 25 (12) 2049-2056 (2008) | Journal

Detailed numerical and experimental studies of propagation of 110 fs laser pulses at 800 am in small-core photonic crystal fibers (gamma = 100 W (1) km(-1)) reveal that pulse breakup occurs in two distinct regimes defined by the input power. At low peak power (soliton order N <= g7) higher-order soliton fission occurs: individual solitons being ejected from the input pulse one after the other and are at-ranged in wavelength and in time by peak power. At higher levels of peak power (N>8), pulse breakup results in ejection of bound soliton pairs and the formation of single solitons that collide during propagation. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America

Heat dissipative solitons in optical fibers

N. Akhmediev, P. St. J. Russell, M. Taki, J. M. Soto-Crespo

PHYSICS LETTERS A 372 (9) 1531-1534 (2008) | Journal

We propose a one-dimensional model governing the propagation of heat waves in an optical fiber (the "fiber fuse"). The model has solutions in the form of high temperature localized waves moving towards the input end of the fiber, fueled by the laser power. These waves can be ignited by local heating at any point along the fiber. The effect of such a wave is irreversible damage to the fiber core. The phenomenon was observed earlier by Hand and Russell, when locally heating a fiber through which CW light of modest intensity was propagating. This induced self-destruction of the optical fiber core. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Velocity of heat dissipative solitons in optical fibers

A. Ankiewicz, Wenjing Chen, P. St. J. Russell, M. Taki, N. Akhmediev

OPTICS LETTERS 33 (19) 2176-2178 (2008) | Journal

In the fiber fuse, a pulse of high temperature travels toward the input end of the fiber, where high-power laser light is launched into the fiber. At any point along the fiber, the soliton can be ignited. The fiber core is damaged in the process so that light cannot propagate beyond the hot spot. This phenomenon is an example of a dissipative soliton that can exist only in the presence of an external energy supply and internal loss, We analyze this phenomenon, derive an expression for the velocity of the soliton, and determine its width as functions of the physical parameters of the laser and the fiber material. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America

Optical properties of photonic crystal fiber with integral micron-sized Ge wire

H. K. Tyagi, M. A. Schmidt, L. Prill Sempere, P. St. J. Russell

OPTICS EXPRESS 16 (22) 17227-17236 (2008) | Journal

Using a selective hole closure technique, individual hollow channels in silica-air photonic crystal fibers are filled with pure Ge by pumping in molten material at high pressure. The smallest channels filled so far are 600 nm in diameter, which is 10x smaller than in previous work. Electrical conductivity and micro-Raman measurements indicate that the resulting cm-long wires have a high degree of crystallinity. Optical transmission spectra are measured in a sample with a single wire placed adjacent to the core of an endlessly single-mode photonic crystal fiber. This renders the fiber birefringent, as well as causing strongly polarization-dependent transmission losses, with extinction ratios as high as 30 dB in the visible. In the IR, anti-crossings between the glass-core mode and resonances on the high index Ge wire create a series of clear dips in the spectrum transmitted through the fiber. The measurements agree closely with the results of finite-element simulations in which the wavelength dependence of the dielectric constants is taken fully into account. A toy model based on a multilayer structure is used to help interpret the results. Finally, the temperature dependence of the anti-crossing wavelengths is measured, the preliminary results suggesting that the structure might form the basis of a compact optical thermometer. Since Ge provides electrical conductance together with low-loss guidance in the mid-IR, Ge-filled PCF seems likely to lead to new kinds of in-fiber detector and sensor, as well as having potential uses in ultra-low-threshold nonlinear optical devices. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America

Long-range spiralling surface plasmon modes on metallic nanowires

M. A. Schmidt, P. St. J. Russell

OPTICS EXPRESS 16 (18) 13617-13623 (2008) | Journal

We discuss the characteristics of surface plasmon modes guided on metallic nanowires of circular cross-section embedded in silica glass. Under certain conditions such wires allow low-loss guided modes, full account being taken of ohmic losses in the metal. We find that these modes can be bound to the wire even when the real part of their axial refractive index is less than that of the surrounding dielectric. We assess in detail the accuracy of a simple model in which SPs are viewed as spiralling around the nanowire in a helical path, forming modes at certain angles of pitch. The results are relevant for understanding the behavior of light in twodimensional arrays of metallic nanowires in fiber form. (c) 2008 Optical Society of America.

Optical excitation and characterization of gigahertz acoustic resonances in optical fiber tapers

Myeong Soo Kang, Andre Brenn, Gustavo S. Wiederhecker, Philip St. J. Russell

APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS 93 (13) 131110 (2008) | Journal

Transverse acoustic resonances at gigahertz frequencies are excited by electrostriction in the few-micrometer-thick waists of low-loss optical fiber tapers of up to 40 cm long. A pump-probe technique is used in which the resonances are excited by a train of optical pulses and probed in a Sagnac interferometer. Strong radially symmetric acoustic resonances are observed and the dependence of their frequencies on taper thickness is investigated. Such easily reconfigurable acousto-optic interactions may have applications in the high-frequency mode locking of fiber lasers. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Quasi-phase-matched high harmonic generation in hollow core photonic crystal fibers

H. Ren, A. Nazarkin, J. Nold, P. St. J. Russell

OPTICS EXPRESS 16 (21) 17052-17059 (2008) | Journal

The potential of hollow core photonic crystal fiber as a nonlinear gas cell for efficient high harmonic generation is discussed. The feasibility of phase-matching this process by modulating the phase of ionization electrons using a counter-propagating laser field is shown. In this way, harmonics with energies of several hundreds of eV can be produced using fs-laser pump pulses of mu J energy. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America

Waveguiding and plasmon resonances in two-dimensional photonic lattices of gold and silver nanowires

M. A. Schmidt, L. N. Prill Sempere, H. K. Tyagi, C. G. Poulton, P. St. J. Russell

PHYSICAL REVIEW B 77 (3) 033417 (2008) | Journal

We report the fabrication of triangular lattices of parallel gold and silver nanowires of high optical quality, with diameters down to 500 nm and length-to-diameter ratios as high as 100 000. The nanowires are supported by a silica glass matrix and are disposed around a central solid glass core, i.e., a missing nanowire. These centimeter-long structures make it possible to trap light within an array of nanowires and characterize the plasmon resonances that form at specific optical frequencies. Such nanowire arrays have many potential applications, e.g., imaging on the subwavelength scale.

Coherent control of ultrahigh-frequency acoustic resonances in photonic crystal fibers

G. S. Wiederhecker, A. Brenn, H. L. Fragnito, P. St. J. Russell

PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 100 (20) 203903 (2008) | Journal

Ultrahigh frequency acoustic resonances (2 GHz) trapped within the glass core (1 mu m diameter) of a photonic crystal fiber are selectively excited through electrostriction using laser pulses of duration 100 ps and energy 500 pJ. Using precisely timed sequences of such driving pulses, we achieve coherent control of the acoustic resonances by constructive or destructive interference, demonstrating both enhancement and suppression of the vibrations. A sequence of 27 resonantly-timed pulses provides a 100-fold increase in the amplitude of the vibrational mode. The results are explained and interpreted using a semianalytical theory, and supported by precise numerical simulations of the complex light-matter interaction.

Quantitative broadband chemical sensing in air-suspended solid-core fibers

T. G. Euser, J. S. Y. Chen, M. Scharrer, P. St. J. Russell, N. J. Farrer, P. J. Sadler

JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS 103 (10) 103108 (2008) | Journal

We demonstrate a quantitative broadband fiber sensor based on evanescent-field sensing in the cladding holes of an air-suspended solid-core photonic crystal fiber. We discuss the fabrication process, together with the structural and optical characterization of a range of different fibers. Measured mode profiles are in good agreement with finite element method calculations made without free parameters. The fraction of the light in the hollow cladding can be tuned via the core diameter of the fiber. Dispersion measurements are in excellent agreement with theory and demonstrate tuning of the zero dispersion wavelength via the core diameter. Optimum design parameters for absorption sensors are discussed using a general parameter diagram. From our analysis, we estimate that a sensitivity increase of three orders of magnitude is feasible compared to standard cuvette measurements. Our study applies to both liquid and gas fiber sensors. We demonstrate the applicability of our results to liquid chemical sensing by measuring the broad absorption peak of an aqueous NiCl(2) solution. We find excellent agreement with the reference spectrum measured in a standard cuvette, even though the sample volume has decreased by three orders of magnitude. Our results demonstrate that air-suspended solid-core photonic crystal fibers can be used in quantitative broadband chemical-sensing measurements. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.

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