The magnetic susceptibility of 3-4ML ultrathin Fe/W(001) films was measured in situ under ultrahigh vacuum using the surface magneto-optic Kerr effect (SMOKE). Susceptibility measurements indicate that Fe/W(001) is a 2DXY system, and therefore undergoes a finite-size Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) transition at the critical temperature T_KT. The films were grown using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and were characterized using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). Three distinct categories of susceptibility signals were observed, and are referred to as Type I, II, and III. The primary difference between these signals is the size of the imaginary susceptibility, which likely corresponds to dissipative effects such as domain wall motion. The critical behaviour of the susceptibility in the paramagnetic region is described in the theory by χ(T) ~exp⁡〖〖(B/(T/T_KT-1) 〗^a)〗. A least-squares fit to this paramagnetic region from many independently grown films gives values of a=0.50±0.03 and B=3.48±0.16, which are in quantitative agreement with the KT theory. In comparison to 2nd order phase transitions, a power law fit to the paramagnetic region of the susceptibility yields an effective critical exponent of γ_eff≈3.7±0.7, which does not correspond to any known universality class. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / The magnetic properties of atomically thin iron films, referred to as Fe/W(001), were investigated using the highly sensitive phenomenon known as the surface magneto-optic Kerr effect (SMOKE). Fe/W(001) films were grown using the well-developed technique known as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), which involved a slow and controlled thermal evaporation of an iron source onto a tungsten substrate. Film thickness and uniformity were verified using Auger electron spectroscopy, and film structure was determined using low energy electron diffraction. Film growth and all subsequent measurements were performed in situ under ultrahigh vacuum (10-10 mbar) to limit surface contamination. Using SMOKE, the magnetic susceptibility of the Fe/W(001) films was measured as a function of temperature to look for evidence of a unique phase transition known as the Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) transition. Fitting experimental susceptibility data to the theoretical model for the KT transition presented persuasive evidence that Fe/W(001) films undergo a KT transition.

The goal of this project was to study some unexplored optical and magneto-optical properties of the newest member of III-V ferromagnetic structures, InMnSb, as well as InSb films and InSb/AlInSb quantum wells. The emphasis was on dynamical aspects such as charge and spin dynamics in order to address several important issues of the spin-related phenomena. The objectives in this project were to: 1) understand charge/spin dynamics in NGS with different confinement potentials, 2) study phenomena such as interband photo-galvanic effects, in order to generate spin polarized current, 3) probe the effect of magnetic impurities on the spin/charge dynamics. This thesis describes three experiments: detection and measurement of spin polarized photocurrents in InSb films and quantum wells arising from the circular photogalvanic effect, and measurements of the carrier and spin relaxation in InSb and InMnSb structures by magneto-optical Kerr effect and differential transmission. The samples for our studies have been provided by Prof. Heremans at Virginia Tech, Prof. Santos at the University of Oklahoma, and Prof. Furdyna at the University of Notre Dame. / Ph. D.

The next generation of transoceanic submarine cable systems will use in-line fiber amplifiers to replace electrical regenerators. This new approach requires a better understanding of the fiber waveguide, especially the nonlinear characteristics. It has been demonstrated, both by numerical simulation and experiments, that the Kerr effect has the most significant degradation effects on these systems with a single or a few channels. In this dissertation, the numerical simulation is the principal approach but this is supplemented with some analytical studies. There are two phenomena that are directly associated with the Kerr effect: spectrum broadening and four wave mixing (FWM). The broadened signal spectrum enhances the dispersion effect and consequently increases the inter symbol interference. This distortion is significant when the dispersion is relatively large. U sing erbium doped fiber amplifiers, amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise is added to the signal The FWM effect between the noise and signal causes a loss in the signal power. In the close vicinity of the zero dispersion wavelength, the FWM effect is maximized due to the loose phase match condition. In order to reduce these degradation effects, dispersion compensation has recently been proposed. Using this approach, it is possible to optimize the system configuration to achieve the best performance. In this dissertation, the dispersion compensation distance, dispersion coefficient, channel bandwidth, bit rate and the degree of imperfect compensation are all subject to the optimization. The evaluation is obtained by the numerical simulation using the mean squared error (MSE), which can be derived as the difference between the wavefronts received by a back-to-back receiver and a receiver at the end of the channel. Although the MSE can't be related to the bit error directly, this research provides the insight into how dispersion and noise behave in the presence of the Kerr effect and points the direction for future experimental research.? / Ph. D.

David Wagenknecht: Abstract of a diploma thesis Optical response of magnetic materials, 2014 Magnetooptical properties of anisotropic semiconductors are studied to describe asymmetry of Ga1−xMnxAs, because theoretical calculations predict extraordinary behaviour of reflectivity. Analytical formulae to describe materials with non-diagonal permittivity are derived and they are used for the numerical calculations to describe the optical response of the samples available for the measurement. The transversal Kerr effect is calculated and it exhibits asymmetry in both rotation of the plane of polarization and ellipticity of circularly polarized light due to asymmetry in reflectivity. Moreover, longitudinal and polar magnetization are studied because of the influence on the observability of the phenomena. Results are not only used to discuss conditions, which must be satisfied to prove the asymmetry, but also the actual experimental setup is designed to prepare the measurement. 1

A adição de sais de lítio à líquidos iônicos gera mudanças em propriedades físicas relevantes, que comprometem sua possível aplicação em baterias de lítio, como aumento de viscosidade e redução da condutividade iônica. Possíveis causas para tais efeitos foram estudadas através da utilização de Espectroscopia Raman e Espectroscopia de Efeito Óptico Kerr. Foram estudadas as misturas dos liquídos iônicos: 1-butil-3metilimidazólio, N-(3- etóxietil)-N-metilmorfolínio e cátion 1-(3-etóxietil)-2,3-dimetilimidazólio possuindo em comum o contra-íon bis(trifluorometanosulfonil)imideto com diferentes concentrações de bis(trifluorometanosulfonil)imideto de lítio. O trabalho se dividiu em duas etapas principais, na primeira utilizou-se a espectroscopia Raman e observou-se o desdobramento da banda referente ao ânion em aproximadamente 740 cm-1, em dois diferentes picos, após a adição de lítio ao sistema. Esta observação forneceu indícios da ocorrência de mudanças estruturais possivelmente relacionadas a formação de agregados entre os ânions e o Li+. A partir destes resultados a obtenção de um valor aproximado para o número de coordenação médio dos cátions Li+ foi possível através da comparação da intensidade relativa dos dois picos para diferentes concentrações de sal. Foi ainda estudado o efeito da adição de água no sistema, causando o desaparecimento do pico Raman formado após a adição do sal de lítio, o que evidencia a capacidade da mesma de reduzir o efeito de agregação dos ânions ao redor do Li+. Na segunda etapa do trabalho, a técnica de espectroscopia de efeito óptico Kerr via detecção heterodina foi utilizada para a observação do perfil de relaxação orientacional nos sistemas descritos acima, a fim de examinar mudanças nos processos dinâmicos presentes após a adição sal inorgânico ao sistema. Os resultados foram analisados no contexto da teoria de acoplamento de modos, de maneira que utilizou-se um modelo fenomenológico desenvolvido através da observação de diferentes sistemas e da aplicação das equações propostas no modelo esquemático de Sjögren para a descrição da função de correlação polarizabilidade-polarizabilidade obtida pelo experimento. Os parâmetros encontrados demonstraram um alto grau de concordância com as observações estruturais observadas na primeira etapa, fornecendo evidências de que o lítio é capaz de afetar as estruturas locais presentes no líquido iônico puro de uma maneira similar ao efeito Chemla. O trabalho demonstrou que os mesmos princípios necessários para a síntese de líquidos iônicos a temperatura ambiente, primando a redução das interações atrativas entre os cátion e ânions para a estabilização da fase líquida, possui como efeito colateral o fato de que diversas moléculas apresentam interações mais fortes com seus íons alterando suas propriedades, neste caso prejudicando a utilização de líquidos iônicos como solventes alternativos em baterias de lítio. / The introduction of lithium salts to room temperature ionic liquids causes unwanted changes to the electrochemically relevant properties of these compounds, such as increase in viscosity and the reduction of ionic conductivity. Possible causes for these effects were studied with spectroscopic techniques such as Raman spectroscopy and Optical Kerr Effect spectroscopy. Mixtures of three different ionic liquids containing the cations: 1-butyl-3- methylimidazolium, N-(3-etoxyethyl)-N-methylmorfolinium and cátion 1-(3-etoxyethyl)-2,3- dimethylimidazolium and possessing the common counter ion bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide with lithium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide. This work was divided in two parts, the first consisting of the use of Raman spectroscopy and the observation of the changes in the 740 cm-1 peak, pertaining to anion vibration after the introduction of lithium to the system, shown as the appearance of a new peak at higher frequencies. The approximate average lithium coordination number was determined by comparison of the relative intensities for different salt concentrations. The effect of water absorption in this system was also observed, showing that water molecules tend to hinder the formation of aggregates between the anion and Li+. The second step was carried out with the use of optically heterodyne detected optical Kerr effect spectroscopy to the analysis of the orientational relaxation profile for the systems described above. Results were analyzed through the application of Mode Coupling Theory models, both a phenomenological model obtained by the observation of different classes of liquids and the Mode Coupling Schematic model proposed by Sjögren were used to describe the polarizability-polarizabilty correlation function obtained from the experiments. The parameters obtained showed a high degree of correlation with the results obtained in the first part indicating that the introduction of a highly polarizing cation to the pure ionic liquid causes an effect similar to the Chemla effect observed in inorganic salt mixtures. The work showed evidences that the same principles used for the synthesis of room temperature ionic liquids, i.e. the reduction of attractive interactions between cation and anion or the addition of alkyl chains to reduce symmetry, result in various different compounds showing stronger interactions with the different ions resulting in changing properties, in this case hindering the use of ionic liquids as alternative green solvents for lithium ion batteries.

This report describes the growth and characterization of thin amorphous samarium-cobalt alloy films. The samarium-cobalt alloy was grown by DC magnetron sputtering in the presence of an external magnetic field parallel to the thin film. The external magnetic field induces a uniaxial in-plane magnetic anisotropy in the samarium-cobalt alloy. The thin films were characterized with x-ray scattering, and the magnetic anisotropy was characterized with the magneto optic Kerr effect. The measurements showed a uniaxial in-plane magnetic anisotropy in the samarium-cobalt alloy films. It is not clear how amorphous the samples really are, but there are indications of crystalline and amorphous areas in the alloys.

L'objectif de cette thèse a été d'étudier la dynamique de parois de domaines dans des couches minces magnétiques ayant anisotropie perpendiculaire, dans un empilement non-centrosymétrique. Dans ce type de système la compétition entre l'interaction d'échange de Heisenberg et un terme d'échange antisymétrique appelé interaction Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interfaciale, favorise des textures magnétiques non colinéaires avec une chiralité définie, comme les parois de Néel chirales et les skyrmions. Dans ce travail nous nous sommes intéressés à la dynamique induite par un champ magnétique ou un courant électrique de parois Néel chirales dans une tricouches constituée d'une fine couche de cobalt déposée sur du platine, et recouverte par un oxyde.Nous avons démontré que la structure statique et la dynamique des parois est fortement impactée par la présence de la DMI. La DMI favorise une structure Néel avec une chiralité bien définie (plutôt que la structure de Bloch trouvé en général dans des systèmes symétriques). En comparant des parois dans Pt/Co/Pt (DMI=0) et Pt/Co/AlOx (DMI forte) nous avons montré que en la présence de DMI les parois de domaines peuvent être déplacées plus efficacement avec un champ magnétique. La stabilisation de la structure interne de la paroi par la DMI déplace le régime precessionnel à de plus hauts champs magnétiques et permet d'obtenir des vitesses importantes.En opposition à ce que prédisent les modèles 1D, nous montrons que en la présence de fort DMI la vitesse de paroi sature après le champ de Walker, et que la vitesse de saturation est proportionnelle au rapport entre la force de la DMI et l'aimantation à saturation (D/Ms). L'augmentation de la vitesse de saturation dans des systèmes avec faible Ms a été démontrée en comparant la dynamique de parois dans Pt/Co/GdOx et Pt/Co/Gd. Ceci implique aussi que en connaissant Ms, la mesure de la vitesse de saturation fournit une méthode originale pour quantifier l'interaction Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interfaciale, comme nous montrons dans ce travail. Cette méthode a été utilisée pour mesurer la DMI dans des tricouches Pt/Co/AlOx avec oxydation variable de l'interface supérieure du Co. Nous montrons que en plus de la forte DMI de l'interface Pt/Co, l'interaction Co/oxyde contribue avec une DMI du même signe, la force de laquelle dépend du dégrée d'oxydation de l'interface. Nous observons aussi que cette DMI est proportionnelle à l'anisotropie magnétique perpendiculaire, ce qui suggère que les deux effets ont une origine commune. Pour finir, nous avons montré des résultats préliminaires de dynamique de parois induite par champ et courant dans des systèmes ferrimagnétiques GdCo. Si d'une part près de la compensation les parois de domaines dans des tricouches Pt/GdCo/Ta peuvent être déplacées seulement avec des champs très forts, d'autre part le courant est très efficace et les courants de dépiégeage très faibles. Nous avons attribué cet effet à la dépendance en 1/Ms du couple de spin-orbite qui agit sur l'aimantation. / The aim of this thesis has been to study domain wall dynamics in magnetic thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy embedded in a non centrosymmetric stack. In this kind of system the competition between the symmetric Heisenberg exchange and an antisymmetric exchange term, called the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI), favours non collinear magnetic textures with a fixed chirality, like chiral Néel domain walls and skyrmions. In this work we have been interested in the field and current-driven dynamics of chiral Néel walls in trilayer stacks, typically consisting of a thin Co film deposited on Pt and capped with an oxide.We have shown that the statics and dynamics of a domain wall (DW) is strongly affected by the DMI. The DMI favours Néel internal structure (rather than the Bloch structure usually found in symmetric systems) with a fixed chirality. By comparing DWs in Pt/Co/Pt (no DMI) and Pt/Co/AlOx (strong DMI), we have shown that in the presence of DMI, DWs can be moved more efficiently by a magnetic field. The stabilization of the internal DW structure by the DMI allows the precessional regime to be pushed to large magnetic fields and large velocities to be reached.Opposite to what is predicted by 1D models we show that in the presence of DMI, the DW velocity saturates after the Walker field, and that the saturation velocity is proportional to the ratio of the DMI strength and the saturation magnetization (D/Ms). The enhancement of the saturation velocity in systems with reduced Ms is shown by comparing DW dynamics in Pt/Co/GdOx and Pt/Co/Gd stacks. This also means that, knowing Ms, measuring the DW saturation velocity provides an original method to quantify the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, as we show in this work.This method has been used to measure the DMI interaction in Pt/Co/AlOx trilayers in which the top Co interface presents a varying degree of oxidation. We show that besides the strong DMI at the Pt/Co interface, the Co/oxide interface also provides a DMI contribution of the same sign, whose strength depends on the degree of oxidation of the Co/AlOx interface. We also observe that this DMI scales with the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, which suggest a common origin for the two effects. Finally we have shown preliminary results of field- and current-driven dynamics of DWs in a ferrimagnetic system (GdCo). While close to the compensation composition domain walls in Pt/GdCo/Ta trilayers can be moved to high velocities only by very high magnetic fields, the current driven dynamics is very efficient and depinning currents low. This effect is attributed to the 1/ Ms dependence of the spin-orbit torque acting on the DW magnetization.

A adição de sais de lítio à líquidos iônicos gera mudanças em propriedades físicas relevantes, que comprometem sua possível aplicação em baterias de lítio, como aumento de viscosidade e redução da condutividade iônica. Possíveis causas para tais efeitos foram estudadas através da utilização de Espectroscopia Raman e Espectroscopia de Efeito Óptico Kerr. Foram estudadas as misturas dos liquídos iônicos: 1-butil-3metilimidazólio, N-(3- etóxietil)-N-metilmorfolínio e cátion 1-(3-etóxietil)-2,3-dimetilimidazólio possuindo em comum o contra-íon bis(trifluorometanosulfonil)imideto com diferentes concentrações de bis(trifluorometanosulfonil)imideto de lítio. O trabalho se dividiu em duas etapas principais, na primeira utilizou-se a espectroscopia Raman e observou-se o desdobramento da banda referente ao ânion em aproximadamente 740 cm-1, em dois diferentes picos, após a adição de lítio ao sistema. Esta observação forneceu indícios da ocorrência de mudanças estruturais possivelmente relacionadas a formação de agregados entre os ânions e o Li+. A partir destes resultados a obtenção de um valor aproximado para o número de coordenação médio dos cátions Li+ foi possível através da comparação da intensidade relativa dos dois picos para diferentes concentrações de sal. Foi ainda estudado o efeito da adição de água no sistema, causando o desaparecimento do pico Raman formado após a adição do sal de lítio, o que evidencia a capacidade da mesma de reduzir o efeito de agregação dos ânions ao redor do Li+. Na segunda etapa do trabalho, a técnica de espectroscopia de efeito óptico Kerr via detecção heterodina foi utilizada para a observação do perfil de relaxação orientacional nos sistemas descritos acima, a fim de examinar mudanças nos processos dinâmicos presentes após a adição sal inorgânico ao sistema. Os resultados foram analisados no contexto da teoria de acoplamento de modos, de maneira que utilizou-se um modelo fenomenológico desenvolvido através da observação de diferentes sistemas e da aplicação das equações propostas no modelo esquemático de Sjögren para a descrição da função de correlação polarizabilidade-polarizabilidade obtida pelo experimento. Os parâmetros encontrados demonstraram um alto grau de concordância com as observações estruturais observadas na primeira etapa, fornecendo evidências de que o lítio é capaz de afetar as estruturas locais presentes no líquido iônico puro de uma maneira similar ao efeito Chemla. O trabalho demonstrou que os mesmos princípios necessários para a síntese de líquidos iônicos a temperatura ambiente, primando a redução das interações atrativas entre os cátion e ânions para a estabilização da fase líquida, possui como efeito colateral o fato de que diversas moléculas apresentam interações mais fortes com seus íons alterando suas propriedades, neste caso prejudicando a utilização de líquidos iônicos como solventes alternativos em baterias de lítio. / The introduction of lithium salts to room temperature ionic liquids causes unwanted changes to the electrochemically relevant properties of these compounds, such as increase in viscosity and the reduction of ionic conductivity. Possible causes for these effects were studied with spectroscopic techniques such as Raman spectroscopy and Optical Kerr Effect spectroscopy. Mixtures of three different ionic liquids containing the cations: 1-butyl-3- methylimidazolium, N-(3-etoxyethyl)-N-methylmorfolinium and cátion 1-(3-etoxyethyl)-2,3- dimethylimidazolium and possessing the common counter ion bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide with lithium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide. This work was divided in two parts, the first consisting of the use of Raman spectroscopy and the observation of the changes in the 740 cm-1 peak, pertaining to anion vibration after the introduction of lithium to the system, shown as the appearance of a new peak at higher frequencies. The approximate average lithium coordination number was determined by comparison of the relative intensities for different salt concentrations. The effect of water absorption in this system was also observed, showing that water molecules tend to hinder the formation of aggregates between the anion and Li+. The second step was carried out with the use of optically heterodyne detected optical Kerr effect spectroscopy to the analysis of the orientational relaxation profile for the systems described above. Results were analyzed through the application of Mode Coupling Theory models, both a phenomenological model obtained by the observation of different classes of liquids and the Mode Coupling Schematic model proposed by Sjögren were used to describe the polarizability-polarizabilty correlation function obtained from the experiments. The parameters obtained showed a high degree of correlation with the results obtained in the first part indicating that the introduction of a highly polarizing cation to the pure ionic liquid causes an effect similar to the Chemla effect observed in inorganic salt mixtures. The work showed evidences that the same principles used for the synthesis of room temperature ionic liquids, i.e. the reduction of attractive interactions between cation and anion or the addition of alkyl chains to reduce symmetry, result in various different compounds showing stronger interactions with the different ions resulting in changing properties, in this case hindering the use of ionic liquids as alternative green solvents for lithium ion batteries.

Les liaisons opto-hyperfréquences sont appelées à jouer un rôle important dans les futurs systèmes micro-ondes. Elles permettent par exemple de transporter des signaux radars ou des oscillateurs locaux sur porteuse optique sur de longues distances. Elles permettent également de réaliser un certain nombre de fonctions comme des déphasages, l’introduction de retards vrais sur de larges bandes passantes, le filtrage reconfigurable des signaux, ou même des fonctions plus complexes comme de l’analyse spectrale ou de la corrélation de signaux hyperfréquences. Comme tous les systèmes opto-hyper, elles souffrent de pertes dues soit à la conversion opto-hyper, soit tout simplement à la propagation. Les amplificateurs classiques, par exemple à fibre dopée erbium, à semi-conducteur, ou à effet Raman dans les fibres, ne permettent pas de compenser ces pertes sans dégrader le rapport signal sur bruit. L’objectif de la thèse est l’étude et la réalisation expérimentale d’un amplificateur optique sensible à la phase basé sur des fibres hautement non linéaires (HNLF) pour amplifier des signaux analogiques sans ajouter du bruit. La majeure partie de ce travail de thèse a été consacrée à la mise en œuvre d’une expérience qui porte sur l’amplification sensible à la phase avec une seule pompe. Notre étude a également porté sur l’étude des performances de cet amplificateur en termes de linéarité et de bruit. La linéarité de l’amplificateur a été testée en comparant les produits d’intermodulation d’ordre 3 (IMD3) lorsque le PSA est activé et le PSA est désactivé. Nous avons montré à partir de ces mesures que l’introduction de l’amplificateur sensible à la phase dans la liaison n’a pas dégradé la dynamique libre de parasite (SFDR). De plus, nous avons étudié les performances de notre amplificateur sensible à la phase en termes de bruit en effectuant des mesures de son facteur de bruit (NF). En effet, nous avons mesuré un facteur de bruit de -2.07 dB dans le cas où l’on ne détecte que le signal, tandis qu’un facteur de bruit de 0.2 dB est obtenu lors de la détection de l’ensemble « signal et idler ». / Microwave photonic links are expected to play an important role in future RF systems. Based on low loss optical fibers, analog photonic links (APLs) have become the heart of the emerging field of microwave photonics, in which various functionalities are explored such as the generation and distribution of radar signals and local oscillators, phase shifting, reconfigurable true time delays, or even more complex functions such as spectrum analysis or correlation of RF signals. Unavoidably, microwave photonics systems undergo losses due either to microwave-to-optical conversion or to propagation. Classical amplifiers based on erbium doped fibers, semiconductor amplification, or Raman scattering in fibers, do not allow to compensate for these losses without degrading the signal-to-noise ratio. The aim of this thesis is to address this issue and to theoretically study and experimentally an optical phase-sensitive amplifier based on highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF) in order to amplify an analog signals without adding noise. We experimentally investigate the linearity of a phase sensitive amplifier based on nonlinear optical fiber in the context of microwave photonics. The linearity of the PSA amplifier is assessed by performing third order intermodulation distortion products (IMD3) measurements using two RF tones. The results show that the PSA is, in the explored domain, perfectly linear for the RF modulation, leading to amplification without any increase of distortion, thus proving the compatibility with future microwave photonics applications. In addition, we study the performance of our PSA in terms of noise by taking measurements of the noise figure (NF). Indeed, we measure a noise factor of -2.07 dB in the case where when we detect only the signal, while a 0.2 dB noise factor is obtained when both "signal and idler" are detected.

All-optical signal processing has grown over the last decade due to the demand for high-speed and high-bandwidth data processing. The main objective of all-optical signal processing is to avoid signal conversions from the optical domain to electrical domain and then back to optical, which introduces noise and bottlenecks data transmission speeds. These conversions can be avoided by manipulating light using an optical medium, e.g. an optical fiber, and taking advantage of the nonlinear response of the medium's dipoles to an external electric field. Nonlinear effects arising from the third-order nonlinearities, such as the Kerr effect, allow for an intense light beam to modify the refractive index of a medium through which it propagates. As a consequence, the phase of the light beam changes as it propagates and new frequencies are generated; this phenomenon is referred to as self-phase modulation (SPM). Light's ability to modify not only its own properties but also the properties of other co-propagating beams has been widely applied in telecommunications to create integrated all-optical data regenerators. While optical fibers are mainly utilized to transmit data at extreme speeds, they can also act as sensors when considering the reflected signal as opposed to the transmitted signal. Surprisingly, most of the fiber sensing field relies on electrically-driven components for manipulating light and does not take advantage of all-optical signal processing capabilities. In this thesis, we demonstrate the use of the nonlinear Kerr effect to improve aspects of both fiber point and distributed sensing. These sensing scenarios respectively refer to the use of a fiber as a single sensing element, and to the detection of external perturbations continuously along the entire length of the fiber. The sensing improvement are obtained by first inducing a sinusoidal modulation on the light before it experiences self-phase modulation in a nonlinear medium, leading to the generation of optical sidebands. By judiciously adjusting the peak power of the light and extracting a specific sideband, multiple all-optical signal processing functions are achieved. First, high extinction ratio pulses can be generated by extracting a higher-order sideband, which allows for extending the sensing distance of distributed fiber-based sensors. The extinction ratio refers to the ratio between the pulse peak and pedestal powers. To quantify the generated extinction ratios, we develop a measurement technique based on a single-photon counter and measure a pulse exhibiting a 120 dB extinction ratio, which was originally created by an electro-optic modulator with a 20-dB extinction ratio. Second, all-optical peak power stabilization can be achieved by extracting the first-order SPM-generated sideband. We utilize this technique to stabilize the peak power of an optical pulse sent to a distributed fiber sensor. We demonstrate that this stabilization technique allows for the detection of applied vibrations that would otherwise remain buried in the background noise. Third, we demonstrate an all-optical scheme, based on sinusoidally-modulated light experiencing SPM, that enables the magnification of fluctuations in the peak power intensity of a pulsed signal. The light's peak power at the entrance of the nonlinear medium is adjusted to reach a power regime yielding a magnification factor of 2m+1, when extracting the mth-order SPM-generated sideband. Finally, we propose a new sensing scheme composed of two all-optical signal processing steps to allow for the detection of environmental perturbations previously too small to be detected by a given intensity-based fiber sensor.