We show by computer simulation that a coupled-cavity-type multilayered structure is suitable for the transmissive compensation of group-velocity dispersion for optical pulses of subpicosecond length, and can thus be used to make a simple, compact, and transmissive dispersion-compensation device.

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When a random rough surface is viewed obliquely by an imaging system, the position of a viewed point fluctuates with surface displacements. This fluctuation introduces an additional blur to the images that are mapped on the average surface. A new class of spread function, which represents the resolution associated with the randomness of an imaging object, is introduced to treat this problem and an analytical expression of the function is obtained for a Gaussian random surface under the presence of shadowing effects. This spread function is useful in understanding the loss in resolution of images of a random surface such as the thermal imagery of an ocean surface in the near horizon.

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Frequency doubling of a Ti:sapphire laser with a KNbO₃ crystal has been used to generate wavelength tunable amplitude-squeezed lights in the second harmonic mode. The crystal is placed in an enhancement cavity designed to resonate only the fundamental mode, and the phase matching condition is achieved by changing the crystal temperature. Noise reduction of 1.8-2.0 dB below the shot noise level is observed between 427.28 and 433.76 nm.

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The self-pumped phase conjugate signal of picosecond laser pulses is observed. The width of the incident laser pulses is about 1.5 ps and their repetition rate is 82 MHz. The wavelength of the pulses can be tuned in the range from 710 nm to 850 nm. The pulse character of the conjugate signal is determined by an autocorrelator. The quality of the conjugate pulses is found to be good by the well-known phase distorter method.

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A method utilizing light polarization was applied to take the projection data of absorbers in a highly scattering medium. The floor level of the projection data due to diffused light was significantly suppressed by detection of photons which preserved initial polarization. An optical computed tomgraphy image was reconstructed from the projection data taken by this method and exhibited higher spatial resolution than the image reconstructed from the projection data by conventional method.

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Analytical expression for the two principal foci of the astigmatic image generated by the diffractive optical elements with aspheric phase term were derived using the ray tracing technique. The relation is given between the principal foci and the coefficients of the aspherical phase term expanded by polynomials. Numerical examples are discussed and compared with the experimental results previously reported. The formulas given here include the equations derived by considering the propagations of an astigmatic wavefront through a hologram.

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Changes in the spectrum of light scattered by space-time fluctuating random media are investigated theoretically within the accuracy of the second-order Born approximation, as a continuation of the previous paper [Opt. Commun. 123 (1996) 234]. Effects of multiple scattering on the resultant field are manifested by a number of illustrative examples. It is shown, in particular, that the spectrum of the scattered light to be observed under practical circumstances is distorted by the process of multiple scattering. Comparison between spectra of both single and multiple scattering lights is also presented in the framework of the dynamic scattering.

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We propose a simple optical approach for the convolutional pre-processing of stellar specklegrams in the shift-and-add (SAA) method. It uses an incoherent optical processing, where a speckle pattern on a displaying device is re-imaged and a point-spread-function of the re-imaging system is used as the convolution kernel. This approach is suitable for use in the real-time SAA-system recently proposed. Experimental results using observational stellar specklegrams displayed on a cathode-ray-tube-monitor are reported to demonstrate that the optical pre-processing improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the final image.

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A cascaded two-stage Mach-Zehnder modulator is used to suppress the harmonic and intermodulation distortions simultaneously. The modulation electric fields are applied on the first and second stages in the y and z directions of z-cut lithium niobate crystal, respectively. Because of the inherent versatility of the adjustable modulation parameters, superior linear modulation response can be achieved. When -50 dB nonlinear suppression is required, the modulation depth of 7.5% can be obtained.

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The method of designing a corrugated optical waveguide filter is proposed to yield an arbitrary spectral profile of the reflection coefficient. It gives the functional dependence of the corrugation depth on distance along the wave propagation direction. The basis of the theory of the method is a combination of the effective index approach and the Fourier transformation technique. It represents the spectral profile of the reflection coefficient approximately to Fourier transformation of the spatial profile of the effective refractive index. Examples are presented to illustrate how to apply the technique.

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A composite optical waveguide for biological and chemical sensors was successfully developed by sputtering a thin TiO₂ film onto the surface of a low loss potassium ion-exchanged optical waveguide. The electric field of the evanescent wave at the film surface was made strong through adiabatic transition of the guided light. The attenuation of the guided light was sufficiently small in the air, and the guided light intensity was changed sensitively with the refractive index of the cladding layer (n_c). Thus, n_c can be sensitively monitored with a detecting sensitivity of about 10^-4.

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Wavelength switchings of a Fabry-Perot semiconductor laser are experimentally demonstrated by applying externally optical input pulses detuned from a cavity-resonant wavelength of the semiconductor laser with a constant injection current. The wavelength region of optical switching ranges from less than 0.1 nm to several nm over gain spectrum, being locked to the wavelength of optical inputs. These behaviors are based on multistability and multi-split branches in the optical output versus detuned optical input characteristics, caused by the carrier-induced refractive index change accompanied by optical injections. The experimental results are believed to be useful for wavelength division multiplexing and exchange in optical communication.

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Several temporal behaviors of the phase-conjugate output of a self-pumped phase conjugator with internal total reflection in BaTiO₃ crystal have been investigated as a function of the beam entrance position and incident angle on the crystal. Different sets of these conditions cause different behavior of phase conjugate wave which are unstable or pulsed output as well as temporally stable output. Classification of these temporal behaviors in phase conjugate wave by incident condition are shown.

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Optical properties of a single hyperboloid lens cut by a lathe were investigated. The lens has a characteristic of focusing the object image to a spherical surface up to an angle of incidence close to 90 degrees. After analyzing the optical properties including spot diagrams in a plane vertical to the principal ray on the surface, the lens was found to be very effective in viewing an object over a very wide angle and is therefore thought to be especially suitable for many fields of application where image and information is transmitted over a very wide field at a time. Practically it is possible to apply this lens as a sensor of robot's eye with a total field angle of almost 180 degrees.

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Characterization of an ultra-low loss and high finesse Fabry-Perot cavity at 1064 nm is reported. The characteristics are obtained from measurements of cavity decay time, frequency response and transmission efficiency. The results show that the mirrors have the loss of 1.5 ppm including absorption and scattering losses and the reflectance of 99.9873% which corresponds to a cavity finesse of 2.48X10⁴.

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