Time-resolved measurements of self-focusing pulses in air

The spatial, spectral, and temporal properties of self-focusing 798-nm 100-fs pulses in air are experimentally measured with high-resolution, single-shot techniques at a set propagation distance of 10.91 m. The data, obtained with an initially collimated Gaussian beam, show significant evolution of spatial narrowing as well as temporal and spectral changes at intensities lower than those required for significant ionization of air.     

Efficient homodyne measurement of picosecond squeezed pulses with pulse shaping technique

We report on the detection of picosecond pulsed squeezed light generated by an optical parametric amplification in a periodically poled MgO:LiNbO(3) waveguide. By using a temporally shaped local oscillator in a balanced homodyne detection, we obverved the squeezing of -5.0 dB below the shot noise level. The squeezing level at the exit of the waveguide was estimated to be -9.7±0.8 dB.     

Time-resolved double ionization with few cycle laser pulses

Ionization of D2 launches a vibrational wave packet on the ground state of D+2. Removal of the second electron places a pair of D+ ions onto a Coulombic potential. Measuring the D+ kinetic energy determines the time delay between the first and the second ionization. Caught between a falling ionization and a rapidly rising intensity, the typical lifetime of the D+2 intermediate is less than 5 fs when an intense 8.6 fs laser pulse is used. We simulate Coulomb explosion imaging of the ground state wave function of D2 by a 4 fs optical pulse and compare with our experimental observations.     

Pulsed homodyne measurements of femtosecond squeezed pulses generated by single-pass parametric deamplification

A new scheme is described for the generation of pulsed squeezed light by use of femtosecond pulses that have been parametrically deamplified through a single pass in a thin (100-microm) potassium niobate crystal with a significant deamplification of approximately -3 dB. The quantum noise of each pulse is registered in the time domain by single-shot homodyne detection operated with femtosecond pulses; the best squeezed quadrature variance was 1.87 dB below the shot-noise level. Such a scheme provides a basic resource for time-resolved quantum communication protocols.     

Time-resolved spatial structure of TEA CO2 laser pulses

The evolution of the intensity profile of TEA CO₂ laser pulses along the pulse length is investigated both analytically and experimentally. A simple scalar model of the pulse amplitude is introduced, which gives the loaded-cavity modes as a linear combination of bidimensional Hermite-Gauss functions. According to this model a number of equations are derived which link the time-varying spatial structure of the pulse to its time-resolved second-order intensity moments, namely, the beam width and the M² parameter.     

Time-resolved measurement of surface diffusion induced by femtosecond laser pulses

Diffusion of atomic oxygen on a vicinal Pt111 surface induced by femtosecond laser pulses has been studied using optical second-harmonic generation as a sensitive in situ probe of the step coverage. Time-resolved studies of the hopping rate for step-terrace diffusion with a two-pulse correlation scheme reveal a time constant of 1.5 ps for the energy transfer from the electronic excitation of the substrate to the frustrated translations of the adsorbate.     

Time-resolved dynamics analysis of nanoparticles applying dual femtosecond laser pulses

The evolution of a fs laser generated plume on copper was studied by dual laser pulses. The plume generated by the first pulse (620 nm) was excited by the second, delayed pulse (310 nm). The actual state of the plume was monitored by detecting the intensities of the emitted light and the reflected delayed pulse from the interaction range, i.e. 0–150 μm above the surface. Four peaks were observed in the 0–1400 ps time range and assigned to appearance of electrons, ions, atomic species and nanoparticles. Accordingly, the timing of the creation and ejection of these species was determined. By integrating the intensity of the nanoparticle peak, the production yield of the nanoparticles and its dependence on the ablating laser fluence was calculated. The ablation products were deposited on a Si substrate, too, and analyzed by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results of the deposition and the dual-pulse experiments are in good agreement with the theory. PACS 52.38.Mf; 79.20.Ds; 61.80.Ba     

Non-Gaussian statistics from individual pulses of squeezed light

We describe the observation of a "degaussification" protocol that maps individual pulses of squeezed light onto non-Gaussian states. This effect is obtained by sending a small fraction of the squeezed vacuum beam onto an avalanche photodiode, and by conditioning the single-shot homodyne detection of the remaining state upon the photon-counting events. The experimental data provide clear evidence of phase-dependent non-Gaussian statistics. This protocol is closely related to the first step of an entanglement distillation procedure for continuous variables.     

High-dynamic-range characterization of ultrashort pulses

Received: 20 June 1997     

Time-resolved study of the spectral characteristics of supercontinuum pulses propagating in scattering media

The spectral and temporal characteristics of supercontinuum pulses propagating through monodisperse scattering media consisting of sub-lambda-sized particles have been measured with a broad-bandwidth cross-correlated frequency-resolved optical gating (XFROG) technique. The results show that the ballistic component of the supercontinuum preserves a phase relationship among its spectral components, which acquire a temporal shift in relation to propagation in a non-scattering medium.     

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.     

Time-resolved study of back side ablated molybdenum thin films by ultrashort laser pulses

Ultrashort laser pulses are used to ablate a thin molybdenum layer from glass by irradiating the metal film through the transparent substrate. The trajectories of ablated molybdenum fragments are recorded using a shadowgraphic setup with a time resolution in the nanosecond range. In addition, the shape of collected molybdenum fragments is examined as a function of applied fluence. It is confirmed that in a fluence regime close to the ablation threshold one single disc is ablated as a whole and its velocity is determined in the order of 50 ms^?1. In a second fluence regime, partial melting at the center of the disc is found and small melt droplets are recorded on their flight. Mo fragments ablated in this regime feature a ring-like structure with a brittle fracture at the outer and a molten appearance at the inner edge.     

Time-frequency characterization of high-order harmonic pulses

We present energy-resolved cross-correlation measurements of extreme ultraviolet (XUV) pulses generated as high harmonics of femtosecond pulses from a 1 kHz titanium-sapphire laser. The harmonic pulses are probed by a fraction of the fundamental laser pulse at 800 nm, in a noncollinear geometry, allowing us to vary independently the parameters of the harmonic pump and near-infrared probe pulses. We measure the so-called sidebands in the photoelectron spectrum of argon corresponding to the absorption of a harmonic photon plus or minus one probe photon. Spectrally resolving the cross-correlation signal allows us to characterize the time-dependent frequency of the XUV pulse.Received: 20 December 2002, Published online: 24 April 2003PACS: 42.65.Ky Harmonic generation, frequency conversion     

Time-resolved studies of emission excited in sodium vapour by 330 nm laser pulses

Received: 21 June 1996/Accepted: 4 November 1996     

Optical homodyne detection

This paper contains a theoretical treatment of optical homodyne detection applied both to radiometry and to scattering in the visible and near infra-red, together with some experimental comparisons. A signal estimator, corresponding to the difference in the detector output a.c. power when a given optical field is present or absent, is introduced. The accuracy with which the mean signal intensity can be measured is derived in terms of the inverse root relative variance (IRRV) of this estimator. It is shown that most conventional microwave-based analyses of this problem need revision since they ignore, or treat in an ad hoc manner, both signal fluctuations and photodetection quantum statistics. A rigorous analysis is given including both these effects. The predictions of this analysis compare favourably with existing experimental data. The results are then used to compare signal-intensity measurement by direct or homodyne detection under various operating conditions. Finally, going beyond the measurement of signal-intensity, the probability distributions of the signal estimator are derived and used in an analysis of the performance of optical homodyne systems in threshold signal detection.     

Time-frequency characterization of femtosecond extreme ultraviolet pulses

We present energy-resolved cross-correlation measurements of an extreme ultraviolet (XUV) pulse, generated as the fifth harmonic (15.5 eV) of an intense 80 fs laser pulse centered at 400 nm. Spectrally resolving the cross-correlation signal allows us to characterize the time-dependent frequency of the XUV pulse. We find that the fifth harmonic has a small negative chirp in excess of that predicted by perturbation theory. In addition, by manipulating the chirp of the driving laser we can induce and measure a positive or a negative chirp on the XUV pulse.     

Numerical characterization of high harmonic attosecond pulses

A numerical simulation of attosecond harmonic pulse generation in a three-dimensional field-ionizing gas is presented. Calculated harmonic efficiencies quantitatively reproduce experimental findings. This allows a quantitative characterization of attosecond pulse generation revealing information currently not accessible by experiment. The rapid phase variation and spatiotemporal distortions of harmonics are smaller than anticipated, allowing focusing of 30-nm, 750-as pulses to intensities in excess of 10(13) W/cm(2). Feasibility of such pulses brings novel applications such as extreme ultraviolet nonlinear optics and attosecond pump probe spectroscopy within reach.