Carrier–envelope phase stabilization of 5-fs, 0.5-mJ pulses from adaptive phase modulator

We compressed high-power laser pulses to 5 fs and 0.5 mJ using a neon-filled hollow-core fiber and a high-throughput 4f system. The carrier–envelope phase of the two-cycle pulses was measured directly by using their over-one-octave output spectrum. The carrier–envelope phase was stabilized by feedback controlling the grating separation of a stretcher in a chirped pulse amplifier. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that carrier–envelope phase locked few-cycle pulses were generated by using an adaptive phase modulator.     

Adaptive control of pulse phase in a chirped-pulse amplifier

Using experimental feedback, we demonstrate that a chirped-pulse amplifier can adaptively learn to compensate for the higher-order phase dispersion that is inherent in the amplification process. A genetic algorithm-based search routine is used to repetitively update the pulse phase in a programmable pulse stretcher during a plasma breakdown experiment to maximize the magnitude of spectral blueshift. Reductions in pulse duration from 37 to 30 fs and substantially better wing structure are typically obtained as a result of the optimization.     

Parameters optimization and phase analysis of decentered grating stretchers

A decentered grating stretcher for chirped pulse amplification systems is analyzed with oblique meridional ray tracing. Several formulae and conclusions are developed to design and optimize the stretcher. On basis of an analytical phase expression with an explicit significance, the expressions of the second-, third- and approximate fourth-order phases at the central wavelength are presented with only independent variables. These simplify the parameter design for this kind of stretcher and the phase compensation design of the whole amplifier system, which has been demonstrated with a practical example.     

Compact direct space-to-time pulse shaping with a phase-only spatial light modulator

A very compact and innovative pulse shaper is proposed and demonstrated. The standard architecture for pulse shaping that is composed of diffraction gratings associated with an amplitude-phase spatial light modulator (SLM) is replaced by a single phase-only SLM. It acts as a pulse stretcher and as an amplitude and phase modulator at the same time. Preliminary experiments demonstrate the accurate control of amplitude and phase of shaped pulses.     

啁啾脉冲激光放大的数值分析

 从Maxwell波动方程出发,建立了描述脉冲在啁啾放大系统中传播的非线性薛定谔方程;采用数值计算,系统地分析研究了放大过程中的各种效应对脉冲的影响,给出了啁啾脉冲在频域、时域内及放大压缩后脉冲信噪比的动态演化特征;讨论了展宽器附加色散量在放大过程中的影响。     

基于耗散孤子种子的啁啾脉冲光纤放大系统输出特性

以不同滤波器带宽下获得的全正色散光纤激光器耗散孤子作为啁啾脉冲放大(CPA)系统的种子脉冲, 研究了光栅对和光纤展宽器CPA系统输出脉冲的可压缩性. 结果表明, 对于大能量耗散孤子种子脉冲, 当CPA系统采用正色散光纤展宽器时, 光纤群速色散与自相位调制之间的相互作用不仅可抑制耗散孤子脉冲光谱调制的影响, 还可使脉冲在光纤展宽器中自相似演化, 从而可提高CPA输出脉冲的可压缩性. 通过优化光纤展宽器长度, 对于耗散孤子种子源, 采用光纤展宽器的CPA系统输出脉冲可压缩性与主脉冲所占脉冲总能量之比均优于采用光栅对展宽器时的情况.     

Long-term carrier-envelope phase stability from a grating-based, chirped pulse amplifier

We demonstrate a carrier-envelope phase (CEP) stabilized, chirped pulse laser amplifier that exhibits greatly improved intrinsic long-term CEP stability compared with that of other amplifiers. This system employs a grating-based stretcher and compressor and a cryogenically cooled laser amplifier. Single-shot carrier envelope phase noise measurements are also presented that avoid underestimation of this parameter caused by fringe averaging and represent a rigorously accurate upper limit on CEP noise.     

强流目标的DC-SRF-II光阴极驱动激光系统设计

为推动北京大学超导加速器实验装置不断向强流目标迈进,提出100 W红外高重频光阴极驱动激光的设计方案,主放大器采用先进的光子晶体增益光纤,保证输出光束的质量。对激光系统中的关键问题,如各部分功率指标、脉冲展宽和压缩、激光耦合等进行了设计,并且考虑了激光的非线性影响。为实现强流加速器开机运行所必备的诊断模式,也提出了对于高重频激光进行两级选频的独特设计方案。将高速的SOA光开关和低速的声光调制器相结合,产生宏脉冲结构的输出激光,从而实现加速器在诊断模式下的运行。     

可用于超精细加工的高重复率、高光束质量飞秒再生放大脉冲的产生研究

通过飞秒放大增益饱和理论及飞秒脉冲展宽的理论计算与分析，指出在优化放大腔结构参数及改变抽运光能量情况下，可以在省略展宽器基础上实现中等能量的飞秒脉冲再生放大.以此为依据，采用低抽运能量和放大腔中钛宝石晶体离焦技术，成功地进行了无展宽器的高重复率飞秒钛宝石再生放大及压缩技术的实验研究，并获得了高光束质量的飞秒放大光脉冲，放大光脉冲能量大于100μJ，重复频率为1kHz，光谱带宽7.7nm，压缩后脉宽500fs. 关键词： 飞秒光脉冲 再生放大 光束质量 增益饱和     

Laser pulse spectral shaping based on electro-optic modulation

A new spectrum shaping method, based on electro-optic modulation, to alleviate gain narrowing in chirped pulse amplification （CPA） system, is described and numerically simulated. Near-Fourier transform-limited seed laser pulse is chirped linearly through optical stretcher. Then the chirped laser pulse is coupled into integrated waveguide electro-optic modulator driven by an aperture-coupled-stripline （ACSL） electricalwaveform generator, and the pulse shape and amplitude are shaped in time domain. Because of the direct relationship between frequency interval and time interval of the linearly chirped pulse, the laser pulse spectrum is shaped correspondingly. Spectrum-shaping examples are modeled numerically to determine the spectral resolution of this technique. The phase error introduced in this method is also discussed.     

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.     

宽带光学参变啁啾脉冲放大系统的色散控制

在设计宽带光学参变啁啾脉冲放大系统时,对色散源进行了理论分析和讨论。对光学参变啁啾脉冲放大系统的色散量以及各个过程中的高阶色散对脉冲时域和频域特性的影响进行了计算。结果表明展宽器引入了非常大的色散,放大器中信号光相位变化产生的色散较大,参量晶体本身引入的色散相对较小可以忽略不计。输出脉冲宽度主要受二阶色散影响,而三阶和四阶色散主要影响脉冲的波形和信噪比,对频域影响很小。     

High power Yb-fiber laser amplifier based on nonlinear chirped-pulse amplification at a repetition rate of 1 MHz

We report a high power fiber amplifier based on nonlinear chirped-pulse amplification(NCPA). To manage the nonlinearity,pulse shaping is introduced by self-phase modulation in the fiber stretcher with the help of spectral filtering. The third-order dispersion is compensated for by the nonlinear phase shift in the NCPA. With optimization, the system can output 382 fs pulse duration with 20 W average power at 1 MHz repetition rate. The long-term average power fluctuation is measured to be0.5% in 24 h, and the beam quality factor(M~2) is 1.25.     

用于飞秒脉冲放大器的马丁内兹展宽器与欧浮纳展宽器性能比较

用解析法针对多通和再生两种放大器，分别研究啁啾脉冲放大技术中马丁内兹展宽器和欧浮纳展宽器的特性和适用范围.我们认为在多通放大器和再生放大器中，马丁内兹展宽器均可以很好地补偿色散；如果使用再生放大器时需要将脉冲宽度展得更宽，可采用紧凑型欧浮纳展宽器. 关键词： 啁啾脉冲放大技术 马丁内兹展宽器 欧浮纳展宽器     

啁啾脉冲放大激光系统中展宽器色散的解析算法

时域色散精密控制是超短激光产生及其应用中的关键技术之一,它通过控制各波长的光程产生相对延迟从而改变脉冲宽度.展宽器是啁啾脉冲放大激光系统中对激光脉冲展宽的装置,基于光线追迹法研究光线在展宽器中的传输路径,可计算飞秒脉冲中各波长的光程,进而计算脉冲展宽量并应用于系统设计.由于展宽器的光程表达式复杂,直接对其求导获得色散表达式较困难,目前只能采用数值导数获得近似解,这在计算过程中会引入误差,不利于激光系统精确设计和优化.本文介绍了一种易实现的求解展宽器色散的解析算法,通过归纳展宽器光程表达式特点,引入四个基元函数,将光程表达式分解和反复代换,可得到高阶色散的精确解析值.本文首先对Martinez型展宽器重新光线追迹,获得与Offner型展宽器一致的相位表达式,其次通过解析算法获得了两种展宽器的精确高阶色散值,最后将解析算法与数值算法的结果进行了比较.该解析算法对于啁啾脉冲放大系统的参数设计具有实用价值.     

Generation of 17-TW 23-fs Pulses with a Two-Stage Ti：Sapphire Amplifier at Repetition Rate 10 Hz

We have developed a two-stage Ti：sapphire amplifier system which can produce 17- TW/23-fs pulses at a repetition rate 10Hz. A birefringent plate is used in the regenerative amplifier to alleviate gain narrowing, while an all- reflective cylindrical-mirror-based pulse stretcher and an acousto-optic programmable dispersive filter （AOPDF） are used to compensate for the higher order dispersion of the system.     

飞秒激光啁啾脉冲放大中脉冲展宽技术研究

计算了啁啾脉冲放大技术中光栅展宽器对钛宝石飞秒脉冲的时域展宽量,并从实验中进行了观测.计算了放大器腔内元件的群色散量,进而提出了省略腔外展宽器的可能性.     

Application of a phase conjugate Brillouin cavity for the generation of a train of short laser pulses

Summary An oscillator and a regenerative amplifier have been realized using a phase conjugate mirror in the amplifier laser cavity. The phase conjugate mirror, via stimulated Brillouin scattering, acts as a modulator owing to its time-depending reflectivity. A pulse-forming network applied to the amplifier increases the discharging time which contributes to get an output beam formed by a train having four short pulses. The shortest pulse was 2 ns FWHM long.     

High-repetition-rate regenerative thin-disk amplifier with 116 microJ pulse energy and 250 fs pulse duration

A thin-disk regenerative amplifier based on Yb-doped potassium yttrium tungstate is operated at 40 kHz with an output pulse energy of 116 microJ and a pulse duration of 250 fs. Dispersive stretching of the pulse during amplification instead of an external stretcher is used to avoid high peak intensities. The small amount of the laser active material in the amplifier inherent for the thin-disk laser design and a large beam radius in the Pockels cell reduce nonlinear effects further. Consequently the output pulses can be compressed to 250 fs using a pair of diffraction gratings.     

Optimization of grating size in chirped-pulse-amplification. laser system

We performed calculations for a chirped-pulse-amplification laser system with a sub-100-fs pulse duration including the finite size of gratings in an aberration-free stretcher/compressor design. Both the higher-order phase dispersion and the spectral clipping, which is due to the finite size of the optics in the stretcher and the compressor, are taken into account in the calculation. We discuss the influence of both phase dispersion and spectral clipping on the important parameters of the recompressed pulse, such as pulse duration, pulse contrast, and peak intensity, employing different phase-dispersion compensation methods. The calculations show that the use of a small compressor grating reduces the higher-order phase errors and smoothes the sharp spectral cut-off caused by spectral clipping in the stretcher, which consequently improves the pulse contrast ratio of the main pulse to the pedestal. Received: 1 April 2000 / Published online: 8 November 2000