Arbitrary-order optical differentiation in refection by sequence of first-order differentiators

Abstract

Abstract We propose a simple analytical method for designing arbitrary-order optical differentiators operating in reflection by successively arranging several first-order optical differentiators. The approach is based on the scattering matrix analysis, does not involve numerical optimization and is valid for differentiators of arbitrary configurations. The numerical simulation results demonstrate high-quality differentiation of a picosecond pulse for up to the fourth order. The proposed method can find application in the design of analogue optical computing and optical information processing systems.