On the role of shot noise in carrier‐envelope phase stabilization

This paper represents a systematic investigation of detection shot noise in carrier‐envelope phase (CEP) stabilization. Numerical simulations are conducted to calculate the influence of shot noise in laser oscillators. These results are compared with experimental results for Ti:sapphire lasers. It is found that shot noise imposes a limitation for obtaining sub‐100 mrad CEP jitters. Careful interferometer design is necessary to push this limit toward 10 mrad. In contrast to oscillator stabilization, shot noise appears to play a much more restrictive role in amplifier stabilization. Using spectral interferometry together with spectral broadening in sapphire, it already appears practically challenging to reach sub‐100 mrad jitters. Adaption of the optical nonlinearity in the broadening step appears key to further improvements of the CEP jitter of amplified systems. We believe that these improvements open a perspective for currently unfeasible applications of CEP stabilized pulses. Moreover, our considerations can be easily adapted to CEP stabilization of other laser types beyond Ti:sapphire.     

Carrier-envelope phase offset for pulses from a tunable optical parametric amplifier

The carrier-envelope phase (CEP) characteristics of the tunable infrared laser pulses from a noncollinear optical parametric amplifier (OPA) with passively stabilized CEP are investigated experimentally. We compare the CEP fluctuation of different wavelength outputs from the OPA which is seeded by the idler pulse of a difference frequency generation (DFG) process. It is found that when the OPA output is tuned to a longer wavelength, the CEP fluctuation becomes less sensitive to the jitter of laser intensity and the phase mismatch, and therefore more stable CEP for the longer wavelength output pulses is realized.     

Carrier envelope phase stabilization of a Yb:KGW laser amplifier

In this paper we report on the active stabilization of the carrier envelope phase (CEP) of a Yb:KGW chirped pulse amplifier laser system seeded by a Yb-doped solid-state Kerr-lens mode-locked oscillator. The regenerative amplifier delivers 180 fs CEP stable pulses of 30 μJ-1 mJ energy at a repetition rate tunable from 1 to 200 kHz. The bandwidth of the feedback loop was extended by a factor of 5 using a specially designed high-pass filter, which resulted in a dramatic decrease of CEP jitter below 0.45 rad after the amplifier.     

Grism compressor for carrier-envelope phase-stable millijoule-energy chirped pulse amplifier lasers featuring bulk material stretcher

We demonstrate compression of amplified carrier-envelope phase (CEP)-stable laser pulses using paired transmission gratings and high-index prisms, or grisms, with chromatic dispersion matching that of a bulk material pulse stretcher. Grisms enable the use of larger bulk stretching factors and thereby higher energy pulses with lower B-integral in a compact amplifier design suitable for long-term CEP control.     

基于单个BBO晶体载波包络相位稳定的高效率光参量放大器

基于单个BBO非线性晶体,利用非共线光参量放大技术,研究了载波包络相位稳定的高效率可调谐近红外脉冲产生.以载波包络相位稳定的飞秒激光放大系统产生的白光作为种子光,注入一个二类匹配的二级光参量放大器,在1350 nm波段获得抽运-信号光34%的转换效率.利用f—2f光谱相干测量技术,放大脉冲载波包络相位的抖动30 min内小于137 mrad.该方法提供了一种简单高效的载波包络相位稳定的红外脉冲产生技术.     

Multi-mJ carrier envelope phase stabilized few-cycle pulses generated by a tabletop laser system

A compact system for the generation of few-cycle multi-mJ Carrier Envelope Phase (CEP) stabilized pulses is presented. At the output 1.9?mJ, 5.7?fs pulses were achieved after hollow fiber compression (HFC) of 5?mJ, 25?fs circularly-polarized pulses from a Ti:sapphire multipass chirped pulse amplifier (CPA). Polarization control of the generated pulses was done using all reflective phase retarders which can be nearly arbitrarily scaled for increasing energies. The CEP noise from the amplifier system is shown to be 190?mrad rms over a period of more than 7?hours. The full system, i.e., oscillator, amplifier, CEP stabilization, and HFC is compact enough to fit on a standard optical table.     

Self-stabilization of the carrier-envelope phase of an optical parametric amplifier verified with a photonic crystal fiber

Experimental verification is given for self-stabilization of the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of idler pulses from a noncollinear optical parametric amplifier. The verification is performed by spectral interference (SI) between an octave-broadened supercontinuum (SC) and its second harmonic. This SC is generated by nonlinear propagation of the second harmonic of the idler through a photonic crystal fiber (PCF). Although the modulational instability causes the intensity and CEP fluctuation and the amplified spontaneous emission noise in PCF degrades the visibility of SI, the CEP is verified to be stabilized.     

载波-包络相位稳定的周期量级近红外超短脉冲激光系统

利用光参量放大过程输出的闲置光载波-包络相位(CEP)被动稳定的特点,搭建了三级光参量放大(OPA)系统,获得了CEP稳定的近红外高能量超短激光脉冲(1.4 mJ/40 fs/1 kHz @ 1.8 μm),其CEP抖动为516 mrad(rms).经空心光纤展宽光谱和块体材料补偿色散,激光脉宽最终可被压缩至小于两个光学周期(<12 fs),脉冲能量达到0.54 mJ.该系统为单个阿秒脉冲的产生和其他高次谐波实验提供了优质的光源. 关键词： 光参量放大 周期量级近红外激光脉冲 载波-包络相位稳定     

Phase-noise properties of an ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna

Phase noise is a critical issue for the sensitivity of the interferometric gravitational-wave detector Laser Interferometer Space Antenna that requires laser sources with 1 W of output power. A low-power seed laser with a subsequent fiber amplifier is in discussion, and we report on spectrally resolved phase-noise measurements of an ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier emitting 1 W of output power from 10 mW of seed power. Phase-noise measurements for Fourier frequencies from 10(-4) Hz to 100 kHz show 60 rad/Hz0.5 at 10(-4) Hz and 0.2 mrad/Hz0.5 at 1 kHz. This measured excess phase noise is orders of magnitude below the free-running phase noise of nonplanar ring oscillators.     

A model for noise processes in semiconductor laser amplifiers, part 1: the travelling-wave semiconductor laser amplifier

A new model for the noise processes in a travelling-wave semiconductor laser amplifier is presented. This model is based on applying perturbation techniques to the basic travelling-wave rate equations to deduce the noise rate equations. These equations are then used to calculate the power spectral densities of the intensity, electron density and phase noises introduced into a single signal mode propagating through the amplifier. The model can be applied to any gain profile within the amplifier, ranging from unsaturated to completely saturated. Furthermore, in contrast to most other semiconductor laser amplifier models, this model does not require the homogenization of the photon field over the length of the device.     

Noise characteristics of a high-power ytterbium-doped fibre amplifier at 1083 nm

Experimental results are reported for the noise characteristics of an Yb-doped fibre amplifier pumped at 975 nm, used as a booster of a low-noise narrow-linewidth single-frequency 1083-nm wavelength laser diode. The maximum output power of the amplifier is 1.2 W with a gain larger than 30 dB. An increase of the intensity-noise spectral density relative to the signal, by approximately 6.5 dB, is introduced by the amplification process, due to signal-amplified spontaneous-emission (ASE) beat noise. A remarkable increase of the noise level with decreasing frequency is observed below ≈35 kHz, probably due to technical noise of the amplifier pump diodes. The spectral broadening due to amplifier phase noise was measured to be less than 300 Hz with a 5-kHz-linewidth Nd:YAG laser and that for the 300-kHz-linewidth diode laser at 1083 nm is therefore expected to be in the same range. Received: 5 October 1999 / Revised version: 2 December 1999 / Published online: 24 March 2000     

高功率激光驱动器中小尺度自聚焦和噪声模型

 建立了一套线性的近似分析方法，研究高功率激光驱动器中强激光传输的小尺度自聚焦效应和相位噪声对光束传输和光束质量的影响，给出了系统噪声强度、B积分值与光束近场调制对比度之间的定量关系。研究表明,为保证输出光束质量，即近场调制对比度小于给定值，系统内的噪声强度必须符合一定的谱分布。     

Coherent Beam Combination of Two Polarization Maintaining Ytterbium Fibre Amplifiers

We investigate coherent beam combination of fibre laser beams by phase locking. Phase noise of a polarization maintaining ytterbium fibre amplifier is inspected with a fibre interferometer. In a feed back control loop, two fibre polarization maintaining ytterbium amplifiers are phase locked and coherent combined when the phase noise is properly controlled by a LiNO3 phase modulator.     

Model for noise processes in semiconductor laser amplifiers:

A model for the noise processes in a Fabry-Perot semiconductor laser amplifier is presented. This model is based on the application of perturbation techniques to the travelling-wave rate equations for the amplifier. The model includes the effects of end-facet reflections and the backwards-travelling wave into the amplifier. The noise power spectral densities for the intensity, electron density and phase noise are derived. The model can be applied to an arbitrary gain profile and does not require homogenization of the photon field over the length of the device.     

Implementation of the direct locking method for long-term carrier-envelope-phase stabilization of a grating-based kHz femtosecond laser

We have stabilized the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of amplified femtosecond laser pulses from a grating-based chirped-pulse amplification femtosecond laser by the direct locking method. Long-term CEP stabilization in the oscillator was achieved by employing a double-feedback loop to control both the pumping power and the cavity dispersion. Large CEP drift, induced during amplification, was compensated by adjusting the grating separation in the pulse compressor, and the CEP stabilization was maintained for four hours with a phase jitter of about 180 mrad. After pulse compression to 5.5-fs pulses in a filamentation pulse compressor, CEP-stabilized laser pulses were applied for high-harmonic generation to confirm the CEP stabilization.     

Experimental investigation of a seven-element hexagonal fiber coherent array

The phase noises of a 10-m polarization-maintaining （PM） fiber and a 10-W PM fiber amplifier are experimentally measured. The results indicate that the 10-m PM fiber with similar phase noise could be used to investigate the architecture of master oscillator power amplifier coherent combination. A seven-element hexagonal fiber coherent array is developed to investigate the far-field distribution and phase controlling technique of a coherently combining fiber laser array. A hexagonal prism is designed as the combining and splitting component to achieve a fill factor of 0.66. The hill climbing method is employed to detect and lock the element phase.     

Carrier envelope phase noise in stabilized amplifier systems

At present most laser systems for generating phase-stabilized high-energy pulses are chirped pulse amplifier systems that involve the selection and subsequent amplification of pulses from a phase-stabilized seed oscillator. We investigate the effect of the picking process on the carrier envelope phase stability and how the phase noise of the picked pulse sequence can be estimated from the phase noise properties of the seed oscillator. All noise components from the original pulse train above the picking frequency are aliased into the picked pulse train and therefore cannot be neglected.     

窄线宽全光纤激光器实现666 W高功率输出

搭建了一台主振荡功率放大（MOPA）结构的窄线宽全光纤激光器。利用噪声相位调制技术将单频激光线宽展宽至0.3 GHz,通过四级放大器结构对10 mW的窄线宽种子激光进行放大,获得了功率为666 W的窄线宽激光输出。该窄线宽激光器输出功率仅受限于泵浦功率,增加泵浦功率有望进一步提高输出功率。     

Optical amplifier for femtosecond frequency comb measurements near 633 nm

An optical amplifier operating at the 633-nm wavelength region is designed for absolute frequency measurements of iodine-stabilized He-Ne lasers with an optical femtosecond frequency comb generator. The same setup can also be used in other applications that require relatively high (15 mW) laser powers with good spectral characteristics. Radiation of a master laser is amplified by a microlens-coupled diode laser, which is injection locked to the frequency of the master laser. The amplifier can be reliably operated over several hours with very low phase noise. Optical amplification of more than 39 dB is demonstrated. PACS 06.20.Fn; 06.30.Ft; 42.55.Px; 42.62.Eh     

General theory of carrier-envelope phase effects

We present a general framework for understanding carrier-envelope phase (CEP) effects in a quantum system interacting with an intense, short laser pulse. We establish a simple connection between the CEP and the wave function that can be exploited to obtain the full CEP dependence of an observable given the wave function at a single CEP. Within this framework, all CEP effects are interpreted as interference between different photon amplitudes which, in turn, can be used to put limits on the pulse lengths and intensities required to see significant CEP effects.