Special Issue on Ultrashort Optical Pulse Technologies and their Applications ============================================================================= . FOREWORD ......................................................... 93 Masataka NAKAZAWA INVITED PAPERS ============== [Femtosecond Strategy] . Femtosecond Technology in Japan .................................. 95 Hiroyoshi YAJIMA and Takeshi KAMIYA [Femtosecond Solid State Lasers] . Generation of Ultrashort Pulses from Solid State Lasers ......... 103 N.P. BARRY, S.C.W. HYDE, Richard JONES, Robert MELLISH, Yuh-Ping TONG,P.M.W. FRENCH, and J.R. TAYLOR . Extreme Nonlinear Optics with Few-Cycle Laser Pulses ............ 112 Matthias LENZNER, Matthias SCHNUNRER, Christian SPIELMANN, and Ferenc KRAUSZ LETTERS ======= . The Shortest KLM Ti:Sapphire Laser Pulse Started by a Semiconductor Saturable Absorber Mirror (SESAM) ............................... 123 Dirk H. SUTTER, Isabella D. JUNG, Nicolai MATUSCHEK, Franœois MORIER-GENOUD,Franz X. KAœRTNER, Ursula KELLER, Volker SCHEUER, Markus TILSCH, and Theo TSCHUDI . Saturable Bragg Reflector Modelocked NaCl:OH- Color Center Laser 125 Martin A. JASPAN, Eric J. MOZDY, Clifford R. POLLOCK, Michael J. HAYDUK,and Mark F. KROL INVITED PAPER ============= [Mode-locked and Gain-switched Laser Diodes and High speed EA Modulators] . Ultrafast All-Optical Signal Processing with Mode-Locked Semiconductor Lasers ............................................ 129 Hisakazu KURITA, Ichiro OGURA, and Hiroyuki YOKOYAMA PAPERS ====== . A Tunable Femtosecond Modelocked Semiconductor Laser for Applications in OTDM-Systems .................................... 140 Reinhold LUDWIG, Stefan DIEZ, Armin EHRHARDT, Lothar KUNLLER, Wilhelm PIEPER,and Hans G. WEBER . High-Repetition Frequency Pulse Generation at over 40GHz Using Mode-Locked Lasers Integratedwith Electroabsorption Modulators .. 146 Kenji SATO, Isamu KOTAKA, Yasuhiro KONDO, and Mitsuo YAMAMOTO . Passively Mode-Locked Micromechanically-Tunable Semiconductor Lasers ........................................................ 151 Yoshitada KATAGIRI, Atsushi TAKADA, Shigendo NISHI, Hiroshi ABE, Yuji UENISHI,and Shinji NAGAOKA . A Design Consideration of Gain-Switching Semiconductor Lasers ... 160 Yoshinori NOMURA, Toshiro ISU, and Seiji OCHI LETTER ====== . Generation of Low Timing Jitter, Sub-Picosecond Optical Pulses Using a Gain-Switched DFB-LD with CW Light Injection and a Nonlinear Optical Loop Mirror ............................................. 166 Hiroshi OHTA, Seiji NOGIWA, and Haruo CHIBA PAPERS ====== . Electroabsorption Modulators for High Speed Ultrashort Pulse Generation and Processing ....................................... 169 Martin GUY, Stanislav CHERNIKOV, and Roy TAYLOR . Very-High-Speed and Low Driving-Voltage Modulator Modules for a Short Optical Pulse Generation .................................. 175 Koichi WAKITA, Kaoru YOSHINO, Akira HIRANO, Susumu KONDO, and Yoshio NOGUCHI INVITED PAPER ============= [Mode-locked Fiber Lasers] . Stretched-Pulse Generation and Propagation ...................... 180 David J. JONES, Hermann A. HAUS, Lynn E. NELSON, and Erich P. IPPEN PAPERS ====== . Intracavity Dispersion Effects of a Regeneratively and Harmonically FM Mode-Locked Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser ......................... 189 Eiji YOSHIDA, Kohichi TAMURA, and Masataka NAKAZAWA . Forced Phase Modulation and Self Phase Modulation Effects in Dispersion-Tuned Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers ....................... 195 Kohichi TAMURA, Eiji YOSHIDA, and Masataka NAKAZAWA . Design Theory of Ultra-Short Pulse Generation from Actively Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers ........................................ 201 Hideyuki SOTOBAYASHI and Kazuro KIKUCHI . Interplay of Solitons and Continuum in Long Fiber Lasers Operating beyond the Average-Soliton Condition ............................ 208 Marco ROMAGNOLI, Ilaria CRISTIANI, and Pierluigi FRANCO . Highly Stable, Actively Mode-Locked Er-Doped Fiber Laser Utilizing Relaxation Oscillation as Detuning Monitor ...................... 213 Hidehiko TAKARA, Satoki KAWANISHI, and Masatoshi SARUWATARI [Soliton Transmission] . Nonlinear Chirped Pulse in a Dispersion Compensated System ...... 221 Yuji KODAMA . Theoretical and Experimental Study of Soliton Transmission Dispersion Managed Links ........................................ 226 Thierry GEORGES, Franœois FAVRE, and Daniel Le GUEN LETTERS ======= . 10 Gbit/s-Soliton Transmission over 5700km in Dispersion Compensated Standard Fiber Systems .......................................... 232 Hitoshi MURAI, Makoto SHIKATA, Kazuo TANAKA, Hiromi T. YAMADA,Hiroyuki YAMAZAKI, and Yukihiro OZEKI . Fiber Dispersion and Amplifier Output Power Design for Soliton Transmission Systems ............................................ 235 Kazuhiro SHIMOURA and Shigeyuki SEIKAI PAPERS ====== [Femtosecond Pulse Compression, Amplification and Manipulation] . Computer Simulation of Ultra-Short Optical Pulse Propagation in Solid and Hollow Wave-Guides .................................... 240 Mahesh R. JUNNARKAR and Naoshi UESUGI . Noncollinear Phase- and Group-Velocity Matching of Optical Parametric Amplifier for Ultrashort Pulse Generation ............ 246 Akira SHIRAKAWA and Takayoshi KOBAYASHI . The Effect of Sampling-Pulse Pedestals on Temporal Resolution in Electro-Optic Sampling .......................................... 254 Makoto YAITA and Tadao NAGATSUMA LETTER ====== . Ultrashort Optical Pulse Shaping by Electrooptic Synthesizer .... 260 Dae-Sik KIM, Tattee KHAYIM, Akihiro MORIMOTO, and Tetsuro KOBAYASHI PAPERS ====== [THz Wave Generation and Applications] . Widely Tunable THz-Wave Generation by Nonlinear Optics .......... 264 Hiromasa ITO, Kodo KAWASE, and Jun-ichi SHIKATA . New Dimensions in T-Ray Imaging ................................. 269 Stefan HUNSCHE, Daniel M. MITTLEMAN, Martin KOCH, and Martin C. NUSS Regular Section =============== PAPERS ====== [Integrated Electronics] . A Clock Distribution Technique with an Automatic Skew Compensation Circuit ......................................................... 277 Hiroki SUTOH and Kimihiro YAMAKOSHI [Electronic Circuits] . Active-Impedance Analysis of Narrow-Band Crystal Oscillators with Resonator Filters and Its Application to Dual-Mode Crystal Oscillators ..................................................... 284 Ikuo NIIMI, Yasuaki WATANABE, Hitoshi SEKIMOTO, and Shigeyoshi GOKA [Quantum Electronics] . A Theoretical Analysis of Quantum Noise in Semiconductor Lasers Operating with Self-Sustained Pulsation ......................... 290 Minoru YAMADA [Microwave and Millimeter Wave Technology] . A Novel Optical Control Technique Using Tunable Inductance Circuits ........................................................ 299 Hitoshi HAYASHI, Masashi NAKATSUGAWA, Tadao NAKAGAWA, and Masahiro MURAGUCHI [Electromagnetic Theory] . FD-TD Method with PMLs ABC Based on the Principles of Multidimensional Wave Digital Filters for Discrete-Time Modelling of Maxwell's Equations .......................................... 305 Yoshihiro NAKA, Hiroyoshi IKUNO, Masahiko NISHIMOTO, and Akira YATA LETTER ====== [Electromagnetic Theory] . On the Hilbert's Technique for Use in Diffraction Problems Described in Terms of Bicomplex Mathematics ............................... 315 Masahiro HASHIMOTO . ABSTRACTS (IEICE Trans., Vol. J81-C-I, J81-C-II, No.2 in Japanese) ........................................................ 319