Introduction to Nonlinear Optics

Level: Introductory Length: 4 hours Format: In-Person Lecture Intended Audience: The material presented will be useful to engineers, scientists, students and managers who need a fundamental understanding of nonlinear optics. Description: This introductory-level course provides the basic concepts of bulk media nonlinear optics. Although some mathematical formulas are provided, the emphasis is on simple explanations. It is recognized that the beginning practitioner in nonlinear optics is overwhelmed by a constellation of complicated nonlinear optical effects, including second-harmonic generation, optical Kerr effect, self-focusing, self-phase modulation, self-steepening, fiber-optic solitons, chirping, stimulated Raman and Brillouin scattering, and photorefractive phenomena. It is our job in this course to demystify this daunting collection of seemingly unrelated effects by developing simple and clear explanations for how each works, and learning how each effect can be used for the modification, manipulation, or conversion of light pulses. Where possible, examples will address the nonlinear optical effects that occur inside optical fibers. Also covered are examples in liquids, bulk solids, and gases. Learning Outcomes: This course will enable you to: - appreciate the intimate relationship between nonlinear events which at first appear quite different - explain to another person the origins and concepts behind the Slowly-Varying Envelope Approximation (SVEA) - appreciate how a variety of different nonlinear events arise, and how they affect the propagation of light - comprehend how wavematching, phase-matching, and index matching are related - develop an appreciation for the extremely broad variety of ways in which materials exhibit nonlinear behavior - describe basic two-beam interactions in photorefractive materials - recognize what nonlinear events come into play in different effects - explain to others how self-phase modulation impresses "chirping" on pulses, without using equations Instructor(s): Robert A. Fisher is the owner of RA Fisher Associates, LLC, his firm providing technical training in lasers, nonlinear optics, and in optics, provides private consulting, and provides expert witness legal services. As an expert witness, he was on the winning side of a Lawsuit that settled for $1 Billion. He has been active in laser physics and in nonlinear optics for the last 50 years. He has taught graduate courses at the Univ. of California, Davis, and worked at both Lawrence Livermore National Lab. and Los Alamos National Lab. He is an SPIE Fellow and an OSA Fellow, and was a 3-year member of SPIE’s Board of Directors. He has served on the CLEO Conference Nonlinear Optics Subcommittee for 5 years, with two of those years as its chair. He has Co-chaired numerous SPIE conferences. He was the Program Co-Chair of the CLEO 2010 Conference and was General Co-Chair of the CLEO 2012 Conference (now renamed CLEO: Science and Innovations). For 4 years, he was Co-Chair of the CLEO Course Committee. In 2017 he was nominated for and has become one of the five top finalists for the International Bluegrass Music Association’s award “Mentor of the Year.” Event: SPIE Photonics West 2025 Course Held: 26 January 2025