Rational harmonic mode-locking (RHML) fiber lasers generating picoseconds pulsewidth at high-repetition-rate have emerged as a key component for the high-bit-rate optical time-division multiplexing (OTDM) communication system. In this research, we have discovered higher order RHML semiconductor optical amplifier fiber laser (SOAFL) has the degradation on mode-locking capacity, and an output pulse-train with un-equalized peak amplitudes. Therefore, the main focus of the dissertation is focused on the pulse quality analysis and improvement of RHML-SOAFL via optical pulse injection. First, we observed the degradation on mode-locked mechanism of the dark-optical-comb injection mode-locked semiconductor optical amplifier fiber laser (SOAFL) at RHML order increases to >8. Such a less pronounced RHML mechanism at higher orders is mainly attributed to the weak mode-locking strength at high RHML orders as compared to continuous-wave (CW) lasing mechanism, which has been quantified by reduction of spectral linewidth and pulse-shortening force, and the ratio of DC/pulse amplitude enhancement for discriminating 1st to 20th-order RHML capability. To overcome the un-equalized RHML peak intensity, optical injection induced gain modulation of a SOA are demonstrated to equalize the peak intensity of 5-GHz and 40-GHz RHML-SOAFL by using 1-GHz inverse-optical-pulse and a reshaped 10-GHz gain-switching FPLD pulse injection, respectively. The optical injection mode-locking models are constructed to simulate the compensation of uneven amplitudes between adjacent RHML pulse peaks before and after pulse-amplitude equalization. The optimized RHML pulse exhibits a signal-to-noise suppression ratio of 45-dB, and the clock amplitude jitter below the threshold limitation of 10%. On the other hand, to avoid the mode-locked degradation on RHML, a 2nd-order fractional Talbot effect induced frequency-doubling of 10-GHz optical pulse-train is demonstrated to backward inject a SOAFL for 40-GHz RHML. In comparison with the SOAFL pulse-train repeated at 40-GHz generated by the 4th-order purely RHML process, the optimized 2nd-order fractional Talbot effect in combination with the 2nd-order RHML mechanism significantly enhances the modulation-depth of RHML, thus improving the on/off extinction ratio of the 40-GHz SOAFL pulse-train. Such a new scheme also provides a more stable 40-GHz RHML pulse-train from the SOAFL with its timing jitter reduce. Finally, we established a SHG-FROG to distinguish linear and nonlinear chirp of 10-GHz soliton HML-SOAFL, and further extracted intra-cavity linear dispersion via simulation of Schrodinger equation. After the procedure, the linear chirp almost dominates chirp characteristics for optical pulse injection HML-SOAFL system.

Le but de ce travail est de quantifier le potentiel et les capacités de la technologie térahertz à contrôler des colis afin de détecter les menaces telles que les armes et les explosifs, sans avoir besoin d'ouvrir le colis.Dans cette étude, nous présentons la spectroscopie térahertz résolue en temps et l'imagerie multi-spectrale pour la détection des explosifs. Deux types d’explosifs, ainsi que leurs mélanges binaires sont analysés. En raison de la complexité de l'extraction des informations face à tels échantillons, trois outils de chimiométrie sont utilisés: l’analyse en composantes principales (ACP), l'analyse des moindres carrés partiels (PLS) et l'analyse des moindres carrés partiels discriminante (PLS-DA). Les méthodes sont appliquées sur des données spectrales térahertz et sur des images spectrales pour : (i) décrire un ensemble de données inconnues et identifier des similitudes entre les échantillons par l'ACP ; (ii) créer des classes, ensuite classer les échantillons inconnus par PLS-DA ; (iii) créer un modèle capable de prédire les concentrations d’un explosif, à l'état pur ou dans des mélanges, par PLS.Dans la deuxième partie de ce travail, nous présentons l'imagerie par les ondes millimétriques pour la détection d'armes dans les colis. Trois techniques d'imagerie différentes sont étudiées : l'imagerie passive, l’imagerie active par des ondes continues (CW) et l’imagerie active par modulation de fréquence (FMCW). Les performances, les avantages et les limitations de chacune de ces techniques, pour l’inspection de colis, sont présentés. En outre, la technique de reconstruction tomographique est appliquée à chacune de ces trois techniques, pour visualiser en 3D et inspecter les colis en volume. Dans cet ordre, un algorithme de tomographie spécial est développé en prenant en considération la propagation gaussienne de l'onde. / The aim of this work is to demonstrate the potential and capabilities of terahertz technology for parcels screening and inspection to detect threats such as weapons and explosives, without the need to open the parcel.In this study, we first present terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and spectral imaging for explosives detection. Two types of explosives as well as their binary mixture is analyzed. Due to the complexity of extracting information when facing such mixtures of samples, three chemometric tools are used: principal component analysis (PCA), partial least square analysis (PLS) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The analyses are applied to terahertz spectral data and to spectral-images in order to: (i) describe a set of unknown data and identify similarities between samples by PCA; (ii) create a classification model and predict the belonging of unknown samples to each of the classes, by PLS-DA; (iii) create a model able to quantify and predict the explosive concentrations in a pure state or in mixtures, by PLS.The second part of this work focuses on millimeter wave imaging for weapon detection in parcels. Three different imaging techniques are studied: passive imaging, continuous wave (CW) active imaging and frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) active imaging. The performances, the advantages and the limitations of each of the three techniques, for parcel inspection, are exhibited. Moreover, computed tomography is applied to each of the three techniques to visualize data in 3D and inspect parcels in volume. Thus, a special tomography algorithm is developed by taking in consideration the Gaussian propagation of the wave.