Two-octave spectral broadening of subnanojoule Cr:forsterite femtosecond laser pulses in tapered fibers

Spectral broadening of femtosecond Cr:forsterite laser pulses is enhanced due to the use of tapered fibers. Supercontinuum generation with unamplified subnanojoule femtosecond Cr:forsterite laser pulses is observed for the first time. With 40-fs 0.6-nJ pulses of 1.25-μm Cr:forsterite laser radiation coupled into a tapered fiber having a taper waist diameter of about 2 μm and a taper waist length of 90 mm, we observed the spectra spanning more than two octaves at the output of the fiber in the regime of anomalous group-velocity dispersion. This result opens the way for the creation of compact femtosecond Cr:forsterite laser plus tapered fiber systems for optical metrology and biomedical applications. Received: 23 October 2001 / Accepted: 16 January 2002 / Published online: 14 March 2002     

Pump-probe nonlinear absorption spectroscopy of molecular aggregates using chirped frequency-shifted light pulses from a photonic-crystal fiber

Photonic-crystal fibers provide efficient nonlinear-optical transformations of femtosecond Cr: forsterite laser pulses, delivering linearly chirped frequency-shifted broadband light pulses optimized for pump-probe nonlinear absorption spectroscopy of molecular aggregates. The blue-shifted output of a photonic-crystal fiber with a spectrum stretching from 530 to 680 nm is used to probe one-and two-exciton bands of thiacarbocyanine J aggregates in a polymer film excited by femtosecond second-harmonic pulses of the Cr: forsterite laser.     

Microstructure fibers as frequency-tunable sources of ultrashort chirped pulses for coherent nonlinear spectroscopy

Microstructure fibers are shown to allow the creation of new tunable sources for femtosecond nonlinear spectroscopy. These fibers provide a high efficiency of frequency upconversion of regeneratively amplified femtosecond pulses of a Cr:forsterite laser, permitting the generation of subpicosecond anti-Stokes pulses with a smooth temporal envelope and a linear positive chirp. These pulses from a microstructure fiber were used to measure the spectra of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) of toluene solution by cross-correlating these pulses with the femtosecond second-harmonic output of the Cr:forsterite laser in boxcars geometry (XFROG CARS). PACS 42.65.Wi; 42.81.Qb     

飞秒泵浦不同锥长微结构光纤超连续谱的产生

对飞秒脉冲泵浦下,不同锥长及锥腰直径的微结构光纤的超连续谱产生进行了实验研究。采用“快速低温拉锥方法”,在保持d/Λ不变的情况下,对实验室自制的空气孔间距Λ=6.53 μm,归一化孔径d/Λ=0.79的微结构光纤进行了拉锥,分别得到6,8,10 mm等不同锥长微结构光纤。理论计算表明,随着锥长变长,锥腰直径变小,锥腰处零色散波长向短波移动：未拉锥及6,8和10 mm锥微结构光纤锥腰处零色散波长分别为1 129,885,806和637 nm。利用中心波长为810 nm,重复频率76 MHz,脉宽120 fs的钛蓝宝石飞秒激光器对拉锥后微结构光纤进行了实验研究：锥长为6 mm时,泵浦光中心波长位于整根光纤的正常色散区,锥腰的零色散点附近,内脉冲拉曼散射和级联四波混频是光谱初始展宽的主要因素。泵浦功率达到450 mW时,在可见波段390～461 nm及红外波段1 134～1 512 nm形成-5 dB的平坦宽带连续光谱。泵浦功率达到500 mW时,出现366～2 450 nm覆盖紫外、可见、近红外、中红外的超连续谱,其光谱红蓝移边缘已经接近实验用微结构光纤的传输带宽。锥长为8 mm、泵浦功率为450 mW时,在群速度匹配和群加速度失配的共同影响下,连续谱蓝移边缘达到366 nm,比6 mm锥时蓝移9 nm;锥长为10 mm时,由于锥腰处零色散点移动到可见光区域,可见区光谱仍能满足相位匹配条件。通过级联四波混频效应,在可见区域实现了频率上转换及光谱蓝移。泵浦光功率达到500 mW时,在382～412 nm得到谱宽仅为30 nm,转换效率达到27.7%的频率上转换。     

Tuning the frequency of ultrashort laser pulses by a cross-phase-modulation-induced shift in a photonic crystal fiber

Femtosecond pulses of fundamental Cr:forsterite laser radiation are used as a pump field to tune the frequency of copropagating second-harmonic pulses of the same laser through cross-phase modulation in a photonic crystal fiber. Sub-100-kW femtosecond pump pulses coupled into a photonic crystal fiber with an appropriate dispersion profile can shift the central frequency of the probe field by more than 100 nm, suggesting a convenient way to control propagation and spectral transformations of ultrashort laser pulses.     

Phase-matched four-wave mixing of isolated waveguide modes of high-intensity femtosecond pulses in a hollow photonic-crystal fiber

Hollow-core photonic-crystal fibers with a special dispersion profile are shown to allow phase-matched nonlinear optical interactions of isolated air-guided modes of high-intensity femtosecond laser pulses confined in the hollow fiber core. We present theoretical and experimental studies of the four-wave mixing of fundamental and second-harmonic pulses of a Cr:forsterite laser with an initial pulse duration of about 50 fs and an intensity on the order of 10¹⁴ W/cm² in waveguide modes of a hollow photonic-crystal fiber with a core diameter of about 13μm.     

Two-photon absorption-induced effects in femtosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman-scattering microspectroscopy of silicon photonic components

We study the effects related to two-photon absorption (TPA) in the microspectroscopy of the silicon photonic components based on coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) of femtosecond pulses. With 300-fs pulses of 1.24-μm Cr:forsterite laser radiation delivering pump and probe fields and a frequency-shifted soliton output of a large-mode area photonic-crystal fiber employed as a Stokes field, pronounced TPA effects have been observed in the CARS microspectroscopy of silicon components for pump-pulse intensities exceeding 10 GW/cm².     

Improved stabilization of a 1.3 microm femtosecond optical frequency comb by use of a spectrally tailored continuum from a nonlinear fiber grating

We report significant enhancement (+24 dB) of the optical beat note between a 657 nm cw laser and the second-harmonic generation of the tailored continuum at 1314 nm generated with a femtosecond Cr:forsterite laser and a nonlinear fiber Bragg grating. The same continuum is used to stabilize the carrier-envelope offset frequency of the Cr:forsterite femtosecond laser and permits improved optical stabilization of the frequency comb from 1.0 to 2.2 microm. Using a common optical reference at 657 nm, a relative fractional frequency instability of 2.0 x 10(-15) is achieved between the repetition rates of Cr:forsterite and Ti:sapphire laser systems in 10 s averaging time. The fractional frequency offset between the optically stabilized frequency combs of the Cr:forsterite and Ti:sapphire lasers is +/-(0.024 +/- 6.1) x 10(-17).     

Octave spanning supercontinuum in an As₂S₃ taper using ultralow pump pulse energy

An octave spanning spectrum is generated in an As?S? taper via 77 pJ pulses from an ultrafast fiber laser. Using a previously developed tapering method, we construct a 1.3 μm taper that has a zero-dispersion wavelength around 1.4 μm. The low two-photon absorption of sulfide-based chalcogenide fiber allows for higher input powers than previous efforts in selenium-based chalcogenide tapered fibers. This higher power handling capability combined with input pulse chirp compensation allows an octave spanning spectrum to be generated directly from the taper using the unamplified laser output.     

Cross-phase-modulation-induced instabilities and frequency shifts in a photonic-crystal fiber

Copropagating fundamental-wavelength and second-harmonic femtosecond pulses of Cr: forsterite laser radiation are used to study cross-phase-modulation-induced instabilities and frequency shifts in a photonic-crystal fiber. Parametric instability of the second-harmonic probe pulse induced through cross-phase modulation by the fundamental-wavelength pump pulse gives rise to distinct sidebands in the spectrum of the probe field transmitted through the fiber. The wavelength of these sidebands was tuned in our experiments within approximately 100 nm by varying the peak power and the delay time of the pump pulse, suggesting a convenient way of controlled parametric spectral transformation of ultrashort laser pulses.This revised version was published online in March 2005. In the previous version, the published online date was missing     

Femtosecond Cr:forsterite laser diode pumped by a double-clad fiber

We present a compact, all-solid-state femtosecond Cr:forsterite laser. The laser is pumped by diodes through a double-clad fiber. Kerr-lens mode locking is initiated and stabilized by a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror with a single InGaAs quantum well. This system generates transform-limited 80-fs pulses near 1.3microm . An average power of 68 mW with fluctuation of much less than 1% is obtained with 3.8 W of absorbed pump power. The stability, efficiency, compactness, and potential for scaling to higher power of this system make it an attractive short-pulse source for applications.     

Multiplying the repetition rate of passive mode-locked femtosecond lasers by an intracavity flat surface with low reflectivity

By inserting a low-reflectivity flat surface inside the oscillator cavity, we demonstrate a flexible and phase-insensitive method for multiplying the repetition rate of a femtosecond passive mode-locked solid-state laser. Without mode matching and feedback control, we successfully multiplied the repetition rate of a passively mode-locked Cr:forsterite laser from 124 MHz to 1.24 GHz. High-repetition-rate femtosecond optical pulses with average power of >100 mW can be obtained with the demonstrated method.     

High efficient Tm3+ doped double cladding silica fiber laser with an intracavity biconical taper

A high efficient LD (laser diode) pumped Tm³⁺ doped double clad silica fiber laser with an intravacity biconical taper was reported. A biconical taper located ～3 cm from the output end of the fiber laser was fabricated by heating and stretching method with a length 1.5 cm and waist diameter ～20 µm. The slope efficiency was 49.8% with respected to the launched pump power, and the maximum output power was 1.97 W. Pre and post output laser power ratio was ～10. This fiber laser was compared with other three biconical tapered fiber lasers (the same fiber with different tapers) and a uniform geometry fiber laser. With intracavity biconical tapers, fiber lasers’ thresholds were ～1 W higher than the fiber laser without the taper (1.97 W). The pump end’s slope efficiencies of fiber lasers with tapers were 3–5% in contrast with 37.6% of the uniform one. After tapered, the pre and post laser power ratios were much higher than the un-tapered one’s, but not changed much with the launched pump power.     

Stabilized frequency comb with a self-referenced femtosecond Cr:forsterite laser

A frequency comb is generated with a Cr:forsterite femtosecond laser, spectrally broadened through a highly nonlinear optical fiber to span from 1.0 to 2.2 ,m, and stabilized using the f-to-2f self-referencing technique. The repetition rate and the carrier-envelope offset frequency are stabilized to a hydrogen maser, calibrated by a cesium atomic fountain clock. Simultaneous frequency measurement of a 657-nm cw laser by use of the stabilized frequency combs from this Cr:forsterite system and a Ti:sapphire laser agree at the 10(-13) level. The frequency noise of the comb components is observed at 1064, 1314, and 1550 nm by comparing the measured beat frequencies between cw lasers and the supercontinuum frequency combs.     

High-quality, large-area monolayer graphene for efficient bulk laser mode-locking near 1.25 μm

High-quality monolayer graphene as large as 1.2×1.2?cm² was synthesized by chemical vapor deposition and used as a transmitting saturable absorber for efficient passive mode-locking of a femtosecond bulk solid-state laser. The monolayer graphene mode-locked Cr:forsterite laser was tunable around 1.25?μm and delivered sub-100?fs pulses with output powers up to 230?mW. The nonlinear optical characteristics of the monolayer graphene saturable absorber and the mode-locked operation were then compared with the case of the bilayer graphene saturable absorber.     

Quantum-dot-based saturable absorber for femtosecond mode-locked operation of a solid-state laser

A quantum-dot-based saturable absorber has been demonstrated to initiate the generation of femtosecond pulses from a passively mode-locked solid-state laser. Control and tuning of the pulse duration from 58 ps to 158 fs was achieved. The 158 fs transform-limited pulses at 1280 nm are the shortest pulses that were produced from the Cr:forsterite laser passively mode locked by an InAs/InGaAs quantum-dot semiconductor saturable absorber mirror.     

掺镱硼酸钙氧钇飞秒激光器及在拉锥光纤中产生跨倍频程超连续光

跨倍频程超连续光谱的产生是光学频率梳系统中测量载波包络相移频率的关键.本文采用拉锥单模光纤作为非线性光谱展宽介质, 将半导体激光(LD)抽运的掺镱硼酸钙氧钇(Yb:YCOB)振荡器输出的飞秒激光耦合到该拉锥光纤中, 通过飞秒激光在光纤中发生的相位调制、四波混频等非线性效应将光谱展宽至超过倍频程的范围.振荡器输出的飞秒激光脉冲宽度为130 fs, 中心波长为1052 nm, 重复频率为76.8 MHz, 平均功率为620 mW, 耦合进单模拉锥光纤后获得了光谱覆盖范围从550 nm至1350 nm的跨倍频程超连续光谱, 最大输出平均功率为323 mW, 耦合效率达到52%.为进一步实现全固态飞秒激光光学频率梳提供了重要基础.     

Controlled light localization and nonlinear-optical interactions of ultrashort laser pulses in micro-and nanostructured fibers with a tunable photonic band gap

Physical principles behind the control of light localization and nonlinear-optical interactions in micro-and nanostructured fibers are demonstrated. Transmission measurements on the cladding of nanostructured fibers having a form of a two-dimensional periodic structure with a pitch less than 500 nm have revealed the existence of a photonic band gap tunable within the range from 930 to 1030 nm. The influence of the structure of the holey-fiber cladding on the effective area of the waveguide mode and the spectral broadening of Ti:sapphire and Cr:forsterite femtosecond laser pulses is experimentally studied. It is shown that the increase in the air-filling fraction of a holey-fiber cladding results in a considerable enhancement of spectral broadening of short laser pulses due to the increase in the light localization degree in the fiber core.     

Generation of two-color femtosecond pulses by self-synchronizing Ti:sapphire and Cr:forsterite lasers

We report a novel technique for the synchronization of two different femtosecond solid-state lasers by crossing of both laser pulses in a Kerr medium. Stable dual-wavelength femtosecond pulses at central wavelengths of 820 and 1250 nm have been obtained. The tolerance of cavity-length mismatch is ~0.6mum , where the pulse widths of the Ti:sapphire and the Cr:forsterite lasers are 18 and 40 fs, respectively, at average powers of 600 and 110 mW. The typical timing jitter derived from the cross correlation is less than 3 fs.     

Microjoule supercontinuum generation by stretched megawatt femtosecond laser pulses in a large-mode-area photonic-crystal fiber

Microjoule supercontinuum generation is demonstrated using a large-mode-area photonic-crystal fiber (PCF) pumped by an amplified stretched-pulse output of a mode-locked Cr:forsterite laser. A PCF with a mode area of 380 μm² is employed to transform 300-fs Cr:forsterite laser pulses with a peak-power of a few megawatts into a supercontinuum radiation with a spectrum spanning from 700 to 1800 nm and a total energy of 1.15 μJ.