AOM fourfold pass for efficient Q-switching and stable high peak power laser pulses

We report on a scheme for efficient acousto-optical Q-switching. A flash lamp pumped Nd:YAG oscillator with an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) fourfold pass configuration is presented. The setup combines two important advantages: enhancement of the diffraction efficiency by additional AOM passes and a compact oscillator design in spite of an extension of the optical path length. A flash lamp pumped oscillator with an average output power of 7 W and a beam quality of M² = 1.2 is developed. The system operates with a 100 Hz repetition rate for the flash lamps. In each pumping pulse a pulse train of 1 up to 40 Q-switched laser pulses is generated. The pulse duration is from 15 to 120 ns. In comparison to a former setup (AOM double pass) the AOM fourfold pass configuration allows single pulses with energy above 20 mJ and a pulse peak power of more than 1 MW. In addition, the beam profile is improved due to a better separation of the incident and diffracted beam caused by the AOM. The laser is dedicated as master oscillator in a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system where pulse peak powers in the MW range should be achieved.     

Femtosecond pulse shaping directly in the mid-IR using acousto-optic modulation

Pulse shaping directly in the mid-IR is accomplished by using a germanium acousto-optic modulator (Ge AOM) capable of programmable phase and amplitude modulation for IR light between 2 and 18 microm. Shaped waveforms centered at 4.9 microm are demonstrated in both the frequency and the time domains. With a 50% throughput efficiency, the Ge AOM can generate much more intense pulses with higher resolution than can indirect shaping methods. Furthermore, the phase stability of the shaped pulse proved sufficient for cross correlation with unshaped mid-IR pulses. Thus, phase- and amplitude-tailored pulses can now be readily incorporated into phase-sensitive experiments, such as heterodyned 2D IR spectroscopy.     

重复频率可调谐的超低抖动光窄脉冲源的研究

提出了一种新型的基于光电振荡器的重复频率可调谐的超低抖动光窄脉冲源. 光电振荡器系统可以产生超低相位噪声的微波信号; 被该信号调制的直调光经过两次相位调制之后, 使光脉冲的啁啾增强; 再通过一段色散补偿光纤, 光脉冲被进一步压窄. 实验中使用YIG可调滤波器, 可以得到8–12 GHz内步进为200 MHz的可调谐微波信号, 因此光脉冲的重复频率具有可调谐性. 当微波信号即脉冲重复频率为9.6 GHz时, 测得脉冲宽度为3.7 ps, 相位噪声为-130.1 dBc/Hz@10 kHz. 由此得出光脉冲的瞬时抖动为60.1 fs (100 Hz–1 MHz), 因此该方案产生的光窄脉冲源具有超低的抖动.     

Compression dynamics for phase-modulated few-cycle pulses

A theory of compression of short optical pulses with quadratic phase modulation in a dispersive medium has been developed. The results of numerical simulation of the equation for the light wave field are reported. The conditions are found at which a pulse is compressed to one oscillation period. The optimal phase modulation index providing the maximum pulse compression is estimated.     

基于有源Fabry-Perot腔的激光脉冲延时自外差研究

对注入有源Fabry-Perot腔内的单纵模脉冲进行了延时理论分析, 计算了Fabry-Perot腔内增益, 并对脉冲输出进行了数值模拟, 结果表明当脉冲能量衰减到一定值时, 新增抽运粒子数提供的增益可以补偿腔内损耗, 延时脉冲的输出可以达到稳态. 然后利用激光二极管侧面抽运Nd: YAG激光器做为Fabry-Perot腔, 对外部入射的单纵模脉冲光进行了延时, 得到了延时时间2 μups、脉冲数量140个的实验结果. 最后利用有源Fabry-Perot腔对参考光进行延时, 声光移频器对信号光产生频移, 进行了外差实验, 实验结果与移频器的设置值相符, 误差在4%以内.     

两种基于交叉相位调制的光脉冲压缩方案

基于交叉相位调制的时间透镜可实现精确的二次相位调制, 但是它在光脉冲压缩领域的应用受到了抽运光脉冲的峰值功率过高的限制. 对该峰值功率的表达式进行了推导, 提出使用带有正色散的传输介质来实现输出段色散, 从而降低了抽运光脉冲的峰值功率.并进一步指出, 可以将基于交叉相位调制的时间透镜应用于4f系统, 来实现光脉冲压缩, 从而更有效地降低了抽运光脉冲的峰值功率. 推导了该系统的抽运光脉冲的峰值功率和分辨率的表达式, 并进行了光脉冲压缩的仿真分析.研究结果表明, 在基于交叉相位调制的4f系统中, 可以利用峰值功率较低的抽运光脉冲产生飞秒量级超短光脉冲; 随着压缩系数的提高, 输出光脉冲的脉冲宽度主要受到4f系统分辨率的限制, 并对4f系统分辨率的提高进行了讨论.     

Dynamics of a light field in a composite integrable model

The inverse scattering transform method is used to solve the model that describes the evolution of light pulses in an optical system that includes a set of media with different nonlinear optical properties. As a physical example, we analyze a model composed of the systems of equations that describe the resonant interaction of a very short light pulse with an energy transition of the medium and the ensuing propagation of the light field in an optical fiber. The constant boundary value of one of the fields is shown to result in an asymptotic quasi-radiative solution of the model.     

Programmable shaping of a subterawatt, femtosecond laser pulse by modulating the spectral phase of the preamplified pulse

Shaping the temporal profile of subterawatt optical pulses with a femtosecond duration is demonstrated with the help of a programmable pulse shaper, which is based on a liquid–crystal spatial light modulator. For safe operation, we place the pulse shaper between regenerative and multipass amplifiers. We generate double pulses, whose respective component pulses have 0.27-TW peak power and 74-fs duration. The possibility of variously-shaped multiterawatt pulses is also discussed.     

外注入非制冷式FP半导体增益开关激光器产生低抖动光脉冲的实验研究

报道了低成本、非制冷法布里-玻罗腔半导体增益开光激光器稳定地产生超短脉冲的实验研究.通过使用外部连续光注入,增益开光激光器的脉冲抖动得到了有效的抑制.实验结果表,明当选择合适功率的连续光注入到非制冷半导体增益开关激光器腔内,可以稳定地产生脉宽26 ps、抖动低于400 fs、重复频率2.5 GHz的脉冲序列.     

用于激光聚变驱动器的全光纤、全固化光脉冲产生系统

报道一种全固化、全光纤的用于高功率激光驱动的惯性约束聚变驱动器的光脉冲产生系统,采用单纵模振荡器输出连续激光信号,经过相位调制器和振幅调制器,得到一个时间波形上已整形且具有一定带宽(约0.1 nm)的激光脉冲,经光纤放大器放大并经光纤分束器分束后同时输出四路激光脉冲,各路激光脉冲先通过时间同步调整单元精确控制时间同步关系后,经可编程光纤衰减器调节各路之间的功率平衡后再通过光纤放大器做进一步放大并通过150 m光纤传输输出至预放系统.该光纤系统可输出0.3—20 ns、带宽0.1 nm、能量数纳焦的几乎任意 关键词： 激光聚变驱动器 前端 光纤激光系统     

基于瞬态光栅频率分辨光学开关法测量飞秒脉冲的研究

超宽光谱的飞秒脉冲测量一直是超快激光领域的重要研究方向之一.常规的飞秒脉冲自相关方法是通过测量自相关倍频信号来获得,而倍频信号具有波长选择性,不同中心波长的飞秒脉冲测量需要更换不同的倍频晶体,十分不方便.因此,提出了一种改进型的瞬态光栅频率分辨光学开关(TG-FROG)方法用于测量飞秒脉冲.该方法结合四波混频和频率分辨光学开关方法,其基本过程是将待测脉冲分为三束,其中两束脉冲经过精密的延时控制并聚焦在光学介质上达到时空重合,利用三阶非线性效应产生稳定的瞬态光栅作为开关光;另一束脉冲作为探测光与产生的瞬态光栅进行相互作用产生一个信号光,使用光谱仪对该信号光的光谱与延迟时间进行测量,并通过反演迭代算法处理而获取待测飞秒脉冲的光谱与电场信息.该方法只需要待测光的功率密度达到三阶非线性效应就可以实现测量,因此可以应用于任意中心波长的飞秒脉冲测量.利用该方法对中心波长分别为800 nm, 400 nm的飞秒脉冲,以及超连续亚10 fs的周期量级超宽光谱飞秒脉冲进行了测量,并与常规的干涉自相关仪器测量结果进行了比较,所得测量结果基本一致.实验结果表明,建立的基于TG-FROG方法对不同中心波长,不同脉冲宽度的飞秒脉冲测量是十分有效的.     

Direct phase and amplitude characterization of femtosecond laser pulses undergoing filamentation in air

Measurement of the temporal (spectral) phase and amplitude of a 50 fs laser pulse approaching and exceeding the critical power for self-focusing (P(crit)) in air reveals the formation of an isolated 17 fs pulse at 3P(crit). The dynamics of self-shortening are measured directly in the filament using transient-grating cross-correlation frequency-resolved optical gating with a noble gas serving as the nonlinear medium. Our results support recent filamentary propagation simulations, suggesting that a Kerr-dominated temporal reshaping process toward the end of the filament is largely responsible for the generation of short pulses.     

Effective method of characterization of the phase and intensity profiles of asymmetrically distorted light pulses in optical fiber systems

We address the problem of characterization of light pulses that propagate in long-haul high-bit-rate optical communication systems, under strongly perturbed conditions. We show that the conventional technique for characterization of the phase and intensity profile of such pulses becomes qualitatively inconsistent when the pulse’s profile is asymmetrically distorted with respect to its center-of-mass. We resolve these inconsistencies by partially reformulating the conventional technique by means of appropriate pulse parameters, which we call upgraded parameters, which allow a fair characterization of the intensity and phase of all types of light pulses, including those which are asymmetrically distorted. We illustrate the effectiveness of the upgraded parameters by applying them to a meticulous characterization of light pulses in a dispersion-managed optical fiber system in which third-order dispersion is acting as a strong perturbation.     

Shaping ability of all fiber coherent pulse stacker

Pulse stacking is an effective method to generate a long-shaped pulse from short pulses. In this paper, we study all-fiber coherent pulse stacking systematically; we show that the time delays and phase differences between the short pulses are the key parameters of the stacked pulse. The permitted variation of the time delay and phase difference are obtained. The ability of the stacker to produce arbitrary pulse shapes is discussed.     

微微秒超短脉冲的光学压缩

在研究了短光纤(L～L_w)中受激喇曼散射的斯托克斯脉冲对基波脉冲能量箝位效应的基础上进行了脉冲压缩实验。以高泵浦功率(P=1600W)注入长度为8.95m绿光单模光纤中,采用双光程的光栅对压缩结构,并引入空间频率窗口滤除自相位调制光谱的非线性啁啾部分,将40ps的锁模Nd:YAG倍频光脉压缩至<5ps。     

A performance study of a logical gate using PPM optical pulse modulation for TDM systems

In this paper we propose the operation of an all-optical logical gate based in an acousto optical tunable filter (AOTF) operating with a pulse position modulation (PPM). The performance of an AOTF realizing two-input AND/OR logical functions, which can be applied in transmission and processing of signals in all-optical form in TDM systems, was examined. This novel integrated acousto optical logical gate operates with two ultrashort soliton light pulses (2 ps), which are modulated in agreement with the technique of pulse position modulation (PPM). Initially, we evaluated the effect resulting of an increment in the acousto optical interaction length, for the temporal position of the output pulse, considering the anomalous group velocity dispersion (GVD), nonlinear self phase modulation (SPM) and without loss propagation regime of TE and TM input pulses not modulated. We have analyzed the four possible situations for the two-input logical gate, modulating the TE and TM input pulses through temporal displacement and allowing a variation in the coding parameter offset (ε). We can conclude that is possible to get AND/OR logical operations for the modes TM or TE, without to insert PPM error, since a phase control (Δ?) exists (applied on the TM input pulse) in agreement with each situation in the truth table. Finally we defined the truth table, considering the adequate phase difference and coding parameter offset for the operation of the AND/OR logical gate based in the AOTF.     

Tunable visible and near-infrared pulse generator in a 5 fs regime

Transform-limited (TL) visible pulses with as short a duration as 4.7 fs with a 5 7J pulse energy have been generated for the first time from a novel noncollinear optical parametric amplifier (NOPA). Both signal-idler group-velocity matching and pulse-front matching are essential to generate coherent down-converted pulses compressible to the TL pulse with more than a 150-THz bandwidth. Tunable operation with bandwidth-limited sub-10-fs pulses in the visible (550-700 nm) and near-infrared (900-1300 nm) ranges, achieved by increasing the seed chirp, is also a remarkable property. The NOPA is believed to be on useful light source for ultrafast spectroscopy on an extremely short time-scale.     

平行排列丝状液晶在超短脉冲激光激励下发生瞬态扭曲形变的最佳偏振角

利用光学相位延迟法，观察到平行排列丝状液晶在超短脉冲激光（10ns）激励下的瞬态扭曲形变.实验结果表明，虽然脉冲激光的电场强度远远大于液晶发生扭曲形变的阈值，但并不能保证液晶会发生瞬态扭曲形变.这主要是因为脉冲激光的激励时间非常短，而液晶分子发生扭曲形变的响应时间相对较长，从而使其来不及形变.分析发现：激励激光的偏振方向与平行排列丝状液晶分子的最佳夹角是45°.利用此条件，观察到掺微量D型苏氨酸卟啉的平行排列丝状液晶在超短脉冲激光激励后具有记忆效应，这在光存储和记忆显示方面有很大的实用价值.     

Multiterawatt laser system based on optical parametric chirped pulse amplification

A compact multiterawatt laser system based on optical parametric chirped pulse amplification is demonstrated. Chirped pulses are amplified from 20 pJ to 900 mJ by two lithium triborate optical parametric preamplifiers and a final KDP optical parametric power amplifier with a pump energy of 5 J at 532 nm from Nd:YAG-Nd:glass hybrid amplifiers. After compression, we obtained a final output of 570-mJ-155-fs pulses with a peak power of 3.67 TW, which is the highest output power from an optical parametric chirped pulse amplification laser, to the best of our knowledge.     

Self‐Referenced Measurement of Light Waves

The wave nature of light has been known for more than 100 years. However, it is still very difficult to directly sample an optical field transient on a time scale below the oscillation period. It has been naturally believed that the field oscillation can be detected only by using a reference pulse that has a shorter duration than the period of the oscillation. In this Letter, an experimental demonstration of a self‐referenced light wave measurement is shown. Frequency‐resolved optical gating capable of carrier‐envelope phase determination was used to measure the complete electric field evolution of a 21‐fs few‐cycle pulse without any reference pulses. A second harmonic generation frequency‐resolved optical gating spectrogram and an interferogram between second harmonic and self‐diffraction signals were simultaneously recorded. The phase‐controlled light waves of few‐cycle pulses were clearly observed by using this method.