Generation of high-energy, sub-20-fs pulses in the deep ultraviolet by using spectral broadening during filamentation in argon

Generation of sub-20-fs UV pulses with more than 300 μJ energy at 268 nm is reported. First, the UV pulses are produced by successive second-harmonic and third-harmonic (TH) generation of 805 nm pulses of a 1 kHz Ti:sapphire laser amplifier. The spectral broadening of TH pulses is realized in a filament, generated in argon. The produced pulses are compressed in a simple double-pass prism-pair compressor. Starting from 100 fs pulses, we achieve a fivefold pulse shortening.     

Sound generation in the atmosphere upon exposure to high-power milli- and microsecond laser pulses

A review of works on generation of acoustic pulses in the atmosphere upon exposure to high-power laser pulses is presented in this paper. Characteristics of sound pulses in the atmosphere accompanying the propagation of high-power milli- and microsecond laser pulses, including the peak sound pressure level and the shape and spectrum of acoustic pulses, are discussed. The special features of acoustic pulses from individual liquid and solid aerosol particles and ensembles of monodisperse particles and polydisperse atmospheric aerosol are discussed. The characteristics of acoustic signals from long laser sparks and collective optical discharges are considered.     

高能量无波分裂超短脉冲自相似传输的理论研究和数值模拟

从非线性薛定谔方程出发，对SPM作用引起传输脉冲的相位作了合理近似，引入了频谱展宽因子，发现在存在增益时正色散光纤的SPM作用加剧了脉冲频谱展宽幅度，并且脉冲中心和两翼部分的频谱展宽差异很大.给出了存在增益的正色散光纤中高斯型脉冲自相似传输的时域演化，揭示了脉冲展宽的中心部分对边翼部分挤压和覆盖及最终形成自相似脉冲的过程，提出了自相似传输现象的一种合理解释.并通过数值模拟三种不同形状初始脉冲的自相似演化过程对提出的理论进行了验证.     

Dispersion-insensitive low-coherent pulses emerging from nonlinear polarization switching

We have experimentally investigated low-repetition nanosecond pulses delivered from an erbium-doped fiber (EDF) laser operating in ultra-large anomalous dispersion regime. The output pulses with rectangular profile and Gaussian spectrum almost keep invariable when they propagate through either normal- or anomalous-dispersion fibers. After nanosecond pulses are amplified via a two-stage EDF amplifier, they are broken up and exhibited as flatly broadened supercontinuum from 1520 to 1700 nm if amplified pulses are launched into a 10-km single-mode fiber, whereas the pulses retain the same duration with a broadband supercontinuum from 1200 to 1750 nm if they are input into a 100-m highly-nonlinear low-dispersion photonic-crystal fiber (PCF). The experimental observations demonstrate that the nanosecond pulses result from nonlinear polarization switching and can be regarded as dispersion-insensitive low-coherent pulses rather than compressible pulses.     

Pattern pulses: design of arbitrary excitation profiles as a function of pulse amplitude and offset

A novel class of pulses is presented which can be regarded as a generalization of both frequency-selective pulses and B1-selective pulses. The excitation profile of these pulses forms a pre-defined pattern in two dimensions, which are spanned by pulse offset and radio-frequency (RF) amplitude. The presented pulses were designed numerically based on principles of optimal control theory. For simple test patterns, we demonstrate the flexibility of this approach by simulations and experiments. This previously unknown flexibility may trigger novel applications in NMR spectroscopy and imaging. As a first practical application, we demonstrate a direct approach for calibrating RF pulses.     

Performance of frequency-modulated pulses in NQR

This paper presents an analysis of the performance of frequency-modulated pulses and of pulses modulated simultaneously in amplitude and frequency in the pure nuclear quadrupolar resonance (NQR) spectroscopy of spin 3/2 nuclei. Computer simulations are given of the offset compensation efficiency of such pulses as applied to single crystals. Spin evolution equations were solved numerically. Experimental measurements, using FM pulses, of the³⁵Cl NQR of sodium chlorate (NaClO₃) single crystal and of mercuric chloride (HgCl₂) powder are reported. The results suggest that frequency modulated pulses are alternative pulses to composite pulses in NQR.     

Characterization of sub-two-cycle pulses from a hollow-core fiber compressor in the spatiotemporal and spatiospectral domains

We have post-compressed 25 fs (Fourier limit) amplified pulses in an argon-filled hollow-core fiber. The output pulses were compressed using a pair of wedges and chirped mirrors down to 4.5 fs (Fourier limit of 4.1 fs), which corresponds to less than two optical cycles. We then performed the characterization of the pulses by combining the d-scan and the STARFISH techniques. The temporal (and spectral) measurement of the pulses is done with d-scan, which is used as the reference to extend the characterization to the spatiotemporal (and spatiospectral) amplitude and phase of the pulses by means of STARFISH. The post-compressed pulses at the output of the hollow-fiber had an energy of 150 μJ. The analysis of the pulses revealed larger spectral broadening and blue-shift, and shorter duration at the center of the beam. For the first time, we demonstrate the complete characterization of intense ultra-broadband pulses in the sub-two-cycle regime, which provides an improved insight into the properties (space–time and space–frequency) of the pulses and is highly relevant for their applications.     

Shaping of few-cycle laser pulses via a subwavelength structure

We theoretically investigate the propagation of few-cycle laser pulses in resonant two-level dense media with a sub- wavelength structure, which is described by the full Maxwell-Bloch equations without the frame of slowly varying envelope and rotating wave approximations. The input pulses can be shaped into shorter ones with a single or less than one optical cycle. The effect of the parameters of the subwavelength structure and laser pulses is studied. Our study shows that the media with a subwavelength structure can significantly shape the few-cycle pulses into a subcycle pulse, even for the case of chirp pulses as input fields. This suggests that such subwavelength structures have potential application in the shaping of few-cycle laser pulses.     

圆偏振光和线偏振光在正常色散材料中的时空自压缩

实验研究了圆偏振和线偏振高强度飞秒激光脉冲在正常色散材料中传输时的时空自压缩现象。实验中利用BK7玻璃作为正色散材料,比较研究了不同偏振入射情况下脉冲波形及频谱的变化规律。圆偏振光入射时,可以获得更短脉冲宽度的压缩脉冲和更窄的光谱宽度。在圆偏振光入射条件下,50 fs入射脉冲成功地自压缩到了19 fs,获得了大于2.5倍的压缩倍率。所以利用圆偏振光可以获得更短压缩脉冲,更大能量,更好光束质量的激光。     

Generation of sub-6-fs blue pulses by frequency doubling with quasi-phase-matching gratings

We demonstrate the generation of sub-6-fs pulses centered at 405 nm by frequency doubling of 8.6-fs Ti:sapphire laser pulses. The frequency doubling is carried out in a nonlinearly chirped quasi-phase-matching grating fabricated in a lithium tantalate substrate. This device simultaneously provides frequency conversion and pulse compression of the positively prechirped fundamental pulses. The second-harmonic pulses are characterized in a cross-correlation setup, and their pulse shapes are retrieved by two iterative phase-reconstruction algorithms. The generated second-harmonic spectrum spans a bandwidth of 220 THz. To our knowledge, these are the shortest pulses ever generated in the blue spectral region.     

All-optical control of the carrier-envelope phase with multi-stage optical parametric amplifiers verified with spectral interference

Intense ultrashort laser pulses with stabilized carrier-envelope phase (CEP) are generated at 800 nm by using multi-stage collinear and non-collinear optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs). The first-stage collinear OPA is directly pumped by the fundamental-wave pulses and tuned to generate idler pulses at 1600 nm, which are further amplified by a second-stage collinear OPA, and then frequency-doubled to generate CEP-stabilized pulses at 800 nm. A non-collinear OPA is used to amplify the CEP-stabilized pulses at 800 nm. The combination of different OPAs can generate and amplify CEP-stabilized pulses at 800 nm without any detrimental influence from the fundamental-wave pulses. The CEP stabilization is verified with a simple and robust spectral interference setup. The stable interference pattern is measured for every single pulse and compared with the unstable pattern from pulses of random CEP. PACS 42.65.Re; 42.65.Yj; 42.25.Kb     

Femtosecond measurements of the time of flight of photons in a three-dimensional photonic crystal

We report on experimental measurements of the propagation behavior of short optical pulses in a three-dimensional photonic crystal in the visible spectrum. The propagation delay of 70 fs light pulses transmitted through a sample of a fcc synthetic opal at frequencies lying in a photonic stop band was measured directly using a time-of-flight technique. Taking into account spectral reshaping of the transmitted pulses as well as the residual frequency chirp of the incoming pulses, it is found that the pulses significantly slow down at the photonic band edges.     

Transfer of populations in the multi-level system by partly overlapping of the laser pulses

The M-type atomic system, which interacts with four laser pulses is considered. The complete transfer of populations in various sequences of the laser pulses switching on and off is calculated. It is shown that even in the absence of the overlapping of pulses acting in the inner transitions it is possible to transfer the all atomic populations regardless of the sequence of switching of pulses.     

Theory of travelling-wave amplified spontaneous emission

A rate-equation model for describing the travelling-wave amplified spontaneous emission pulses (TWASE) in a transversally excited travelling wave arrangement is given. 6.35 ps long ASE pulses have been obtained by 12 ps long pump pulses. The effect of pump intensity, pump-pulse duration, molecular parameters of the dyes and pump-sweep velocity on the ASE pulses is studied.     

Generation and applications of passively mode-locked picosecond light pulses

A model concerning the generation of picosecond light pulses in solid state lasers is compared with existing experimental observations. The quality of selected single pulses and their favourable properties for investigations with ultrashort light pulses are discussed. Extensive physical applications of picosecond light pulses are reviewed. Emphasis is given to quantitative investigations of non-linear optics and of ultrafast relaxation processes in condensed matter.     

13μs,200ns和2ns脉冲电场对酵母菌杀灭效果分析

研究了脉冲宽度对高压脉冲下细胞膜和细胞器膜跨膜电压的影响及细胞膜能量的变化,以及13μs,200ns和2ns脉冲对酿酒酵母(CICC31180)杀灭作用时脉冲数的影响。结果表明,随着脉冲数增加,13μs,200ns和2ns脉冲对啤酒酵母的灭杀效果均增强。在13μs脉宽,14kV电压和50个脉冲数下,酵母达到最小存活率-4.3个对数;在200ns脉宽,40kV电压和500个脉冲数下,酵母达到存活率-2.6个对数;在2ns脉宽,200kV电压和500个脉冲数下,酵母达到存活率-2.8个对数。三种脉冲对酵母菌杀灭的存活率对数与脉冲数的关系表现不是线性的,脉冲数增加到一定程度,存活率下降变缓。在同等灭杀效果-2.0个对数下,2ns脉冲比13μs脉冲在同轴电极中损耗的能量更少。     

19 fs shaped ultraviolet pulses

We report the generation of shaped tunable ultrashort ultraviolet pulses with full control over the spectral phase and amplitude. The output of a noncollinearly phase-matched optical parametric amplifier is shaped in phase and amplitude by a liquid-crystal spatial light modulator. The resulting structured visible pulses are transferred into the ultraviolet by sum-frequency mixing with strongly chirped 775 nm pulses. Single, double, and triple pulses at 344 nm with subpulses as short as 19 fs are explicitly demonstrated. The method can easily be adapted to arbitrarily shaped pulses throughout the 295-370 nm range.     

All-optical pulse shaping for ultrawideband doublet pulses using nonlinear optical loop mirror with optical parametric amplification

We propose and experimentally demonstrate an alternative photonic scheme for the generation of ultrawideband (UWB) doublet pulses, which is based on an optical fiber-based nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) incorporating the optical parametric amplification (OPA) effect. The proposed scheme uses both cross-phase modulation and OPA within an optical fiber-based NOLM to produce an ideal transfer function for the shaping of input soliton pulses into doublet pulses. Using the proposed scheme, a successful conversion of input soliton pulses into doublet pulses is readily demonstrated. The system performance of UWB doublet pulses is also assessed by propagating the 1.25?Gbit/s doublet pulses over a fiber link. Error-free UWB doublet signal transmission is demonstrated.     

大气压下多脉冲均匀介质阻挡放电的研究

基于一维流体力学模型，数值计算研究了大气压下氦气中多脉冲均匀介质阻挡放电的形成原因和性质，分析讨论了所加电压频率、幅值及介质板性质等对多脉冲均匀放电的影响. 模拟结果显示，当放电间隙较小时，由于介质表面积累电荷增加，感应电场增强，在外加电压的每半个周期内，可以形成多个放电脉冲，这些脉冲相应于等时间间隔的分立击穿. 放电间隙越窄，半个周期内形成的脉冲数目越多. 所加电压频率和幅值的变化不仅影响脉冲的幅度，同时也使放电脉冲的数目发生变化，而介质层厚度及介电常数的变化对放电脉冲数目没有明显的影响. 关键词： 大气压均匀放电 介质阻挡放电 数值模拟 等离子体     

Time-resolved shadowgraphs and morphology analyses of aluminum ablation with multiple femtosecond laser pulses

Aluminum ablation by multiple femtosecond laser pulses is investigated via time-resolved shadowgraphs and scanning electron microscope(SEM) images of the ablation spot. The spatial distribution of the ejected material and the radius of the shock wave generated during the ablation are found to vary with the increase in the number of pulses. In the initial two pulses, nearly concentric and semicircular stripes within the shock wave front are observed, unlike in subsequent pulses. Ablation by multiple femtosecond pulses exhibits different characteristics compared with the case induced by single femtosecond pulse because of the changes to the aluminum target surface induced by the preceding pulses.