Design criteria for optical power limiters

John A. Hermann; Philip B. Chapple; Jacqueline Staromlynska; Peter J. Wilson

doi:10.1117/12.179582

6 July 1994 Design criteria for optical power limiters

John A. Hermann, Philip B. Chapple, Jacqueline Staromlynska, Peter J. Wilson

Proceedings Volume 2229, Nonlinear Optical Materials for Switching and Limiting; (1994) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.179582
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Engineering and Photonics in Aerospace Sensing, 1994, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

Factors which affect the design of passive optical power limiters utilizing nonlinear refraction and absorption are discussed. Recent theoretical modelling and experimental studies of the effects produced by varying the thickness and position of the nonlinear medium are reported. Excessive thickness can produce large insertion loss for the limiter in the event of linear absorption or scattering, and also makes retrofitting to existing equipment difficult. Insufficient thickness results in less than optimal limiting. We show that for a third-order refractive nonlinearity a suitable medium thickness is six times the Rayleigh length of the beam inside the medium. Nonlinear absorption can enhance the limiting, allowing for the use of larger apertures or no apertures, and hence greater fields of view. We also show how the optimal position of the medium depends upon the ratio of nonlinear refraction to nonlinear absorption.

Citation Download Citation

John A. Hermann, Philip B. Chapple, Jacqueline Staromlynska, and Peter J. Wilson "Design criteria for optical power limiters", Proc. SPIE 2229, Nonlinear Optical Materials for Switching and Limiting, (6 July 1994); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.179582

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