Third-order Dispersion | previous | next | feedback |
(Acronym: TOD)
Definition: chromatic dispersion related to a third-order dependence of the phase change on the frequency offset
Third-order dispersion results from the frequency dependence of the group delay dispersion. In the expansion of the spectral phase versus angular frequency offset (see the article on chromatic dispersion), it is related to the third-order term. It can be written as
and the corresponding change of the spectral phase within a propagation length L is
The third-order dispersion of an optical element is usually specified in units of fs3, whereas the units of k''' are fs3/m.
In mode-locked lasers for pulse durations below roughly 30 femtoseconds, it is necessary to provide dispersion compensation not only for the average group delay dispersion (second-order dispersion), but also for the third-order dispersion and possibly for even higher orders.
In many cases, the investigation of the effect of third order dispersion requires numerical pulse propagation modeling.
See also: dispersion, group delay dispersion, dispersion compensation
Category: physical foundations
