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Ni D, Späth M, Klämpfl F, Hohmann M. Properties and Applications of Random Lasers as Emerging Light Sources and Optical Sensors: A Review. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 23:247. [PMID: 36616846 PMCID: PMC9824070 DOI: 10.3390/s23010247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
In a random laser (RL), optical feedback arises from multiple scattering instead of conventional mirrors. RLs generate a laser-like emission, and meanwhile take advantage of a simpler and more flexible laser configuration. The applicability of RLs as light sources and optical sensors has been proved. These applications have been extended to the biological field, with tissues as natural scattering materials. Herein, the current state of the RL properties and applications was reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongqin Ni
- Institute of Photonic Technologies (LPT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Konrad-Zuse-Straße 3/5, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
- Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies (SAOT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Paul-Gordan-Straße 6, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Moritz Späth
- Institute of Photonic Technologies (LPT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Konrad-Zuse-Straße 3/5, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
- Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies (SAOT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Paul-Gordan-Straße 6, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Florian Klämpfl
- Institute of Photonic Technologies (LPT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Konrad-Zuse-Straße 3/5, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
- Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies (SAOT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Paul-Gordan-Straße 6, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Martin Hohmann
- Institute of Photonic Technologies (LPT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Konrad-Zuse-Straße 3/5, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
- Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies (SAOT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Paul-Gordan-Straße 6, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
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Consoli A, Soria E, Caselli N, López C. Random lasing emission tailored by femtosecond and picosecond pulsed polymer ablation. OPTICS LETTERS 2019; 44:518-521. [PMID: 30702668 DOI: 10.1364/ol.44.000518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We report the realization of random lasers with spatially localized feedback in which the average number of lasing modes is tuned via the fabrication process. The scattering elements required for optical feedback are obtained by short-pulsed laser ablation. By varying the pulse parameters, we control the scattering properties of the induced defects and, thus, the emission spectra. We demonstrate a large variety of spectral signatures typical of resonant random lasing with sub-nanometer linewidths, low thresholds (about 40 pJ/μm2), and single-to-multimode emission. Our simple approach allows us to obtain optical resonators with sharp linewidths at frequencies covering the entire gain window for multiple applications.
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Polymer Lasing in a Periodic-Random Compound Cavity. Polymers (Basel) 2018; 10:polym10111194. [PMID: 30961119 PMCID: PMC6290597 DOI: 10.3390/polym10111194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Simultaneous distributed feedback (DFB) lasing and linear polarized random lasing are observed in a compound cavity, which consists of a grating cavity and a random cavity. The grating cavity is fabricated by interference lithography. A light-emitting polymer doped with silver nanoparticles is spin-coated on the grating, forming a random cavity. DFB lasing and random lasing occur when the periodic-random compound cavity is optically pumped. The directionality and polarization of the random laser are modified by the grating structure. These results can potentially be used to design integrated laser sources.
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Wang Y, Duan Z, Qiu Z, Zhang P, Wu J, Zhang D, Xiang T. Random lasing in human tissues embedded with organic dyes for cancer diagnosis. Sci Rep 2017; 7:8385. [PMID: 28827570 PMCID: PMC5567014 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08625-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Various nanostructures found in biological organisms are often complex and they exhibit unique optical functions. This study surprisingly found that typical random lasing occurs in cancerous human tissues embedded with the nanotextured organic dye 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-tert-butyl-6-(1,1,7,7- tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl)-4H-pyran (DCJTB). Hematoxylin and eosin stain images show that there are more laser resonators in cancerous tissues, caused by a large number of disordered scatters. It is also noteworthy that the random lasing thresholds were found to relate to the tumor malignancy grade. Consequently, the resulting typical random lasing resonators differ between cancerous tissues in different malignancy grades. Further studies are warranted to investigate tissue optical spectroscopy in the field of cancer diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Zhuojun Duan
- School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Zhu Qiu
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Epigenetics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Jianwei Wu
- School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Dingke Zhang
- School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Tingxiu Xiang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Epigenetics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
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Lasing optical cavities based on macroscopic scattering elements. Sci Rep 2017; 7:40141. [PMID: 28071675 PMCID: PMC5223191 DOI: 10.1038/srep40141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Two major elements are required in a laser device: light confinement and light amplification. Light confinement is obtained in optical cavities by employing a pair of mirrors or by periodic spatial modulation of the refractive index as in photonic crystals and Bragg gratings. In random lasers, randomly placed nanoparticles embedded in the active material provide distributed optical feedback for lasing action. Recently, we demonstrated a novel architecture in which scattering nanoparticles and active element are spatially separated and random lasing is observed. Here we show that this approach can be extended to scattering media with macroscopic size, namely, a pair of sand grains, which act as feedback elements and output couplers, resulting in lasing emission. We demonstrate that the number of lasing modes depends on the surface roughness of the sand grains in use which affect the coherent feedback and thus the emission spectrum. Our findings offer a new perspective of material science and photonic structures, facilitating a novel and simple approach for the realization of new photonics devices based on natural scattering materials.
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Ma R, Zhang WL, Zeng XP, Yang ZJ, Rao YJ, Yao BC, Yu CB, Wu Y, Yu SF. Quasi mode-locking of coherent feedback random fiber laser. Sci Rep 2016; 6:39703. [PMID: 28004785 PMCID: PMC5177947 DOI: 10.1038/srep39703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 11/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Mode-locking is a milestone in the history of lasers that allows the generation of short light pulses and stabilization of lasers. This phenomenon is known to occur only in standard ordered lasers for long time and until recently it is found that it also occurs in disordered random lasers formed by nanoscale particles. Here, we report the realization of a so-called quasi mode-locking of coherent feedback random fiber laser which consists of a partially disordered linear cavity formed between a point reflector and a random distributed fiber Bragg grating array with an inserted graphene saturable absorber. We show that multi-groups of regular light pulses/sub-pulses with different repetition frequencies are generated within the quasi mode-locking regime through the so-called collective resonances phenomenon in such a random fiber laser. This work may provide a platform to study mode locking as well as pulse dynamic regulation of random lasing emission of coherent feedback disordered structures and pave the way to the development of novel multi-frequency pulse fiber lasers with potentially wide frequency tuning range.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Ma
- Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications (Education Ministry of China), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - W L Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications (Education Ministry of China), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - X P Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications (Education Ministry of China), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Z J Yang
- Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications (Education Ministry of China), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Y J Rao
- Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications (Education Ministry of China), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - B C Yao
- Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications (Education Ministry of China), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - C B Yu
- Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications (Education Ministry of China), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Y Wu
- Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications (Education Ministry of China), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - S F Yu
- Department of Applied Physics, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Low-Threshold and High Intensity Random Lasing Enhanced by MnCl₂. MATERIALS 2016; 9:ma9090725. [PMID: 28773845 PMCID: PMC5457082 DOI: 10.3390/ma9090725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2016] [Revised: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Energy transfer is known to have a significant influence on random lasers. However, the study about the effect of energy transfer between metallic salt and dye molecules on random lasers is still lacking at present. Here, we investigate random lasing actions in Pyrromethene-597 (PM597), PM597-doped MnCl2 (manganese (II) chloride), PM597-doped polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) and PM597-doped PDLC with MnCl2 capillary systems. We find that random lasing of the systems with MnCl2 exhibits lower threshold, higher intensity, sharper peak and variable resonance wavelength in comparison with the systems without MnCl2. This behavior is closely related to the decrease of fluorescence quenching effect and the enhancement of local field induced by energy transfer between MnCl2 and PM597. Red-shift of wavelength is observed with increasing dosage concentration of MnCl2 in the PM597-doped PDLC with MnCl2 system. Through the analysis of single-shot emission spectra of PM597-doped PDLC without and with MnCl2 systems, the role of MnCl2 in the coupling of lasing modes is confirmed. Lengths of laser oscillation cavities of the PM597-doped PDLC without and with MnCl2 systems are calculated by a power Fourier transform (PFT) analysis of their emission spectra. It well accounts for the effect of MnCl2 on the variation of the oscillation cavity.
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