On September 14, 2015 at 09:50:45 UTC the two detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory simultaneously observed a transient gravitational-wave signal. The signal sweeps upwards in frequency from 35 to 250 Hz with a peak gravitational-wave strain of 1.0×10(-21). It matches the waveform predicted by general relativity for the inspiral and merger of a pair of black holes and the ringdown of the resulting single black hole. The signal was observed with a matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 24 and a false alarm rate estimated to be less than 1 event per 203,000 years, equivalent to a significance greater than 5.1σ. The source lies at a luminosity distance of 410(-180)(+160)  Mpc corresponding to a redshift z=0.09(-0.04)(+0.03). In the source frame, the initial black hole masses are 36(-4)(+5)M⊙ and 29(-4)(+4)M⊙, and the final black hole mass is 62(-4)(+4)M⊙, with 3.0(-0.5)(+0.5)M⊙c(2) radiated in gravitational waves. All uncertainties define 90% credible intervals. These observations demonstrate the existence of binary stellar-mass black hole systems. This is the first direct detection of gravitational waves and the first observation of a binary black hole merger.

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The Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger

Our understanding of the cellular implementation of systems-level neural processes like action, thought and emotion has been limited by the availability of tools to interrogate specific classes of neural cells within intact, living brain tissue. Here we identify and develop an archaeal light-driven chloride pump (NpHR) from Natronomonas pharaonis for temporally precise optical inhibition of neural activity. NpHR allows either knockout of single action potentials, or sustained blockade of spiking. NpHR is compatible with ChR2, the previous optical excitation technology we have described, in that the two opposing probes operate at similar light powers but with well-separated action spectra. NpHR, like ChR2, functions in mammals without exogenous cofactors, and the two probes can be integrated with calcium imaging in mammalian brain tissue for bidirectional optical modulation and readout of neural activity. Likewise, NpHR and ChR2 can be targeted together to Caenorhabditis elegans muscle and cholinergic motor neurons to control locomotion bidirectionally. NpHR and ChR2 form a complete system for multimodal, high-speed, genetically targeted, all-optical interrogation of living neural circuits.

Multimodal fast optical interrogation of neural circuitry

* The only book describing applications of nonlinear fiber optics * Two new chapters on the latest developments: highly nonlinear fibers and quantum applications* Coverage of biomedical applications* Problems provided at the end of each chapterThe development of new highly nonlinear fibers - referred to as microstructured fibers, holey fibers and photonic crystal fibers - is the next generation technology for all-optical signal processing and biomedical applications. This new edition has been thoroughly updated to incorporate these key technology developments.The book presents sound coverage of the fundamentals of lightwave technology, along with material on pulse compression techniques and rare-earth-doped fiber amplifiers and lasers. The extensively revised chapters include information on fiber-optic communication systems and the ultrafast signal processing techniques that make use of nonlinear phenomena in optical fibers.New material focuses on the applications of highly nonlinear fibers in areas ranging from wavelength laser tuning and nonlinear spectroscopy to biomedical imaging and frequency metrology. Technologies such as quantum cryptography, quantum computing, and quantum communications are also covered in a new chapter.This book will be an ideal reference for: RD scientists involved with research on fiber amplifiers and lasers; graduate students and researchers working in the fields of optical communications and quantum information. * The only book on how to develop nonlinear fiber optic applications* Two new chapters on the latest developments; Highly Nonlinear Fibers and Quantum Applications* Coverage of biomedical applications

Applications of nonlinear fiber optics

Under strong laser radiation, a Dirac material, the topological insulator (TI) Bi2Te3, exhibits an optical transmittance increase as a result of saturable absorption. Based on an open-aperture Z-scan measurement at 1550 nm, we clearly show that the TI, Bi2Te3 under our investigation, is indeed a very-high-modulation-depth (up to 95%) saturable absorber. Furthermore, a TI based saturable absorber device was fabricated and used as a passive mode locker for ultrafast pulse formation at the telecommunication band. This contribution unambiguously shows that apart from its fantastic electronic property, a TI (Bi2Te3) may also possess attractive optoelectronic property for ultrafast photonics.

Ultra-short pulse generation by a topological insulator based saturable absorber

The emergence of novel two-dimensional (2D) monoelemental materials (Xenes) has shown remarkable potential for their applications in different fields of technology, as well as addressing new discoveries in fundamental science. Xenes (e.g., borophene, silicene, germanene, stanene, phosphorene, arsenene, antimonene, bismuthene, and tellurene) are of particular interest because they are the most chemically tractable materials for synthetic exploration. Owing to their excellent physical, chemical, electronic and optical properties, Xenes have been regarded as promising agents for biosensors, bioimaging, therapeutic delivery, and theranostics, as well as in several other new bio-applications. In this tutorial review, we summarize their general properties including the classification of Xenes according to their bulk properties. The synthetic and modification methods of Xenes are also presented. Furthermore, the representative Xene nanoplatforms for various biomedical applications are highlighted. Finally, research progress, challenges, and perspectives for the future development of Xenes in biomedicines are discussed.

Emerging two-dimensional monoelemental materials (Xenes) for biomedical applications

We report on high power nanosecond-pulsed polarization maintaining (PM) master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system seeded by a semiconductor laser diode at 2 pm incorporating arbitrary pulse-shaping technique. By pre-compensating the effects of gain saturation of the power amplifier, we obtain the right-angled trapezium, rectangular, ‘M’-shaped and ‘h’-shaped pulses in 240 W average power level with 240 μJ pulse energy, respectively.

240 W diode-seeded nanosecond thulium-doped fiber MOPA system incorporating active pulse shaping

We report 209 MHz harmonic mode-locking of a 2420 nm Cr: ZnSe laser synchronously pumped by a 1935 nm, 104.5 MHz, 112 ps thulium doped fiber laser. Self-starting behavior was investigated by a chopper wheel.

Harmonic Mode-Locking Generation from a Cr: ZnSe Laser Synchronously Pumped by a Picosecond Thulium Doped Fiber Laser

We report on a blue-enhanced supercontinuum generation pumped by a giant-chirped SESAM mode-locked 1064-nm fiber laser, in which the giant chirp is introduced by a piece of 3.5-km single-mode fiber outside of the cavity. The giant-chirped pump source with 2.2-nm spectral bandwidth and 186-ps pulse width is used to enhance dispersive waves generation in blue wavelength. An extremely wide optical spectrum with a broad 3-dB spectral bandwidth of 311 nm (from 446 to 757 nm) and a maximum spectral power density of 4 mW/nm at 464 nm is obtained.

Blue-enhanced supercontinuum generation pumped by a giant-chirped SESAM mode-locked fiber laser

We report high power all fiber mid-infrared (mid-IR) supercontinuum (SC) generation in a single-mode ZBLAN (ZrF 4- BaF 2- LaF 3- AlF 3- NaF) fiber with up to 21.8 W average output power from 1.9 to beyond 3.8 μm pumped by amplified picosecond pulses from a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) based on small-core single-mode thulium-doped fiber (TDF) with injected seed pulse width of 24 ps and repetition of 93.6 MHz at 1963 nm. The optical-optical conversion efficiency from the 793 nm pump laser of the last stage thulium-doped fiber amplifier (TDFA) to mid-IR SC output is 17%. It is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest average power mid-IR SC generation in a ZBLAN fiber to date. In addition, a noise-like fiber oscillator based on a nonlinear loop mirror (NOLM) with wavepacket width of ~1.4 ns and repetition rate of 3.36 MHz at 1966 nm is also used as a seed of the MOPA for mid-IR SC generation in the ZBLAN fiber. At last, a mid-IR SC from 1.9 to beyond 3.6 μm with average output power of 14.3W, which is limited by injected noise-like pulses power, is generated. The optical-optical conversion efficiency from the 793 nm pump laser of the last stage TDFA to mid-IR SC output is 14.9%. This proves the amplified noise-like pulses are also appropriate for high power mid-IR SC generation in the ZBLAN fiber.

High power mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in a single-mode ZBLAN fiber pumped by amplified picosecond pulses at 2 μm

The advantages of high temporal stability, short coherence length and good beam quality have made the conventional low-power broadband fiber superfluorescent source to be an attractive device, which has found a vast range of applications in the area of gas sensing, low coherence interferometry and medical imaging. The combination of these characteristics with high output power also make it possible to be a novel high brightness light source with properties of both fiber superfluorescent source and conventional fiber laser for materials processing and metrology [1]. Here, we demonstrated the power scaling of narrow-linewidth thulium-doped all-fiber superfluorescent source with wavelength tunable from 1940 nm to 2020 nm based on MOPA configuration. The MOPA yielded 364 W superfluorescence output at central wavelength of 1990 nm with 3 dB spectral bandwidth of 2.1 nm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest power operation of a fiber superfluorescent source at 2 μm wavelength region.

Pu Wang

Papers

240 W diode-seeded nanosecond thulium-doped fiber MOPA system incorporating active pulse shaping

Harmonic Mode-Locking Generation from a Cr: ZnSe Laser Synchronously Pumped by a Picosecond Thulium Doped Fiber Laser

Blue-enhanced supercontinuum generation pumped by a giant-chirped SESAM mode-locked fiber laser

High power mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in a single-mode ZBLAN fiber pumped by amplified picosecond pulses at 2 μm

High-power wavelength-tunable thulium-doped all-fiber superfluorescent source