Shaping convex edges in borosilicate glass by single pass perforation with an Airy beam.

We demonstrate curved modifications with lengths of up to 2 mm within borosilicate glass produced by single 1030 nm picosecond laser shots with an Airy beam profile. Plasma ignition in the sidelobes of the beam as well as surface damage prove to be the crucial limitations for confined bulk energy deposition on a curved trajectory. A combined experimental and numerical analysis reveals optimum laser parameters for confined bulk energy deposition.

Flexible femtosecond inscription of fiber Bragg gratings by an optimized deformable mirror.

The period of fiber Bragg gratings is adapted by shaping the wavefronts of ultrashort laser pulses applied in a phase mask inscription technique. A specially designed deformable mirror, based on a dielectric substrate to withstand high peak powers, is utilized to deform the wavefront. A shift of about 11 nm is demonstrated for a Bragg wavelength around 1550 nm.

Discrete nonplanar reflections from an ultrashort pulse written volume Bragg grating.

In this Letter, we present a direct writing technique for two-dimensional periodic volume Bragg gratings (VBGs) in fused silica based on the phase mask technology, ultrashort laser pulses, and three-beam interference. An algorithm to predict the grating pattern and its diffraction behavior under collimated, spectral broad illumination is developed. The predicted data are in good agreement with the measurements.

Cladding mode coupling in highly localized fiber Bragg gratings II: complete vectorial analysis.

Highly localized fiber Bragg gratings can be inscribed point-by-point with focused ultrashort pulses. The transverse localization of the resonant grating causes strong coupling to cladding modes of high azimuthal and radial order. In this paper, we show how the reflected cladding modes can be fully analyzed, taking their vectorial nature, orientation and degeneracies into account.