Apparatus and Methods Using Highly Optically Dispersive Media

Embodiments of the invention pertain to the optical phenomena of 'slow-light' and 'fast-light', provided by a highly optically dispersive medium; that is, one in which the absolute value of the group index of refraction of the medium is equal to or greater than four. Apparatus embodiments of the invention are directed to an optical spectroscopic parameter detection and/or measurement apparatus. In various non-limiting aspects, the apparatus may be in the form of an interferometer, a spectral interferometer, a spectrometer, a wavemeter, a tunable narrowband filter, and other such devices. Various non-limiting, exemplary apparatus may include a two-beam interferometer, a multiple-beam interferometer, a grating-based interferometer/spectrometer, a Fourier-Transform interferometer, and others. The embodied devices include a highly dispersive medium that appropriately can facilitate either a slow-light effect or a fast-light effect, which is disposed in a propagation path of an electromagnetic (EM) input field and, a detector disposed in a manner to detect an output field resulting from the input filed interaction with the highly dispersive medium. Method embodiments involve measuring a spectroscopic parameter with significantly enhanced bandwidth and/or sensitivity and/or resolving power and/or accuracy over currently available measurement techniques, using an embodied optical spectroscopic parameter detection and/or measurement apparatus that incorporates a highly dispersive medium.

Attached files:


Patents:
US 20,090,073,450

Inventor(s): BOYD ROBERT W [US]; GAUTHIER DANIEL J [US]; SHI ZHIMIN [US]

Type of Offer: Licensing



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