Single-beam homodyne SPIDER for multiphoton microscopy

We report a new version of spectral phase interferometry for direct electric field reconstruction (SPIDER) requiring only a single phase-shaped laser beam. A narrowband probe pulse is selected out of a broadband ultrafast laser pulse by a phase pulse-shaping technique and mixed with the original broadband pulse to generate a second-harmonic generation (SHG) signal. Using another SHG signal solely generated by the broadband pulse as a local oscillator, the spectral phase of the broadband laser pulse can be analytically retrieved by a combination of double-quadrature spectral interferometry and homodyne optical technique for SPIDER (HOT SPIDER). An arbitrary spectral phase at the sample position of a microscope can be compensated with a precision of 0.05 rad over the FWHM of the laser spectrum. It is readily applicable to a nonlinear microscopy technique with a phase-controlled broadband laser pulse.     

Broadband spectral shearing interferometry for amplitude and?phase measurement of supercontinua

We present a new concept and the experimental realization of a customized spectral shearing interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER) that is capable of measuring complex broadband laser pulses. The combination of an adapted broadband non-collinear phase matching geometry and the implementation of a home-built Fourier spectrometer enabled characterization of amplitude and phase of highly structured supercontinua with a bandwidth of more than 200?THz at pulse energies of less than 0.2?nJ.     

Spatially resolved amplitude and phase characterization of femtosecond optical pulses

Ultrabroadband pulses exhibit a frequency-dependent mode size owing to the wavelength dependence of free-space diffraction. Additionally, rather complex lateral dependence of the temporal pulse shape has been reported for Kerr-lens mode-locked lasers and broadband amplifier chains and in frequency-domain pulse shapers, for example. We demonstrate an ultrashort-pulse characterization technique that reveals lateral pulse-shape variations by spatially resolved amplitude and phase measurements by use of spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER). Unlike with autocorrelation techniques, with SPIDER we can obtain spatially resolved pulse characterization even after the nonlinear process. Thus, with this method the spectral phase of the pulse can be resolved very rapidly along one lateral beam axis in a single measurement.     

Characterization of sub-6-fs optical pulses with spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction

We demonstrate spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER) as a novel method to characterize sub-6-fs pulses with nanojoule pulse energy. SPIDER reconstructs pulse phase and amplitude from a measurement of only two optical spectra by use of a fast noniterative algorithm. SPIDER is well suited to the measurement of ultrabroadband pulses because it is quite insensitive to crystal phase-matching bandwidth and to unknown detector spectral responsivity. Moreover, it combines highly accurate pulse-shape measurement with the potential for online laser system diagnostics at video refresh rates.     

飞秒激光脉冲宽度和脉冲波形测试技术

飞秒激光在激光核聚变、卫星精密测距、激光微加工等领域具有重要的应用前景,同时也是产生太赫兹波的主要泵浦源。介绍了国内外飞秒激光脉冲宽度和脉冲波形的测试方法,比较了自相关法、频率分辨光学快门法、光谱相位相干直接电场重构法的优缺点。自相关法具有脉宽测量范围广、结构简单等特点,但不具备脉冲波形测试能力。光谱相位相干直接电场重构法对待测激光光束质量要求较高, 不适合大量程范围激光脉宽快速测量。为满足10 fs~5 ps大量程范围超短激光脉冲宽度和脉冲波形的测试需求,采用自相关法及二次谐波频率分辨光学开关法研制飞秒激光脉冲宽度和脉冲波形测试仪,时间分辨率优于2 fs。     

变形镜对千赫兹掺钛蓝宝石飞秒激光频谱相位补偿

尝试用光谱展宽的方法从频谱相位(而非时域相位)的角度利用变形反射镜来补偿1kHz飞秒激光系统输出光路的频谱相位畸变,从而提高飞秒激光脉冲的时域强度衬比度,改善其光束质量。频谱相位补偿实验是在一台1kHz掺钛蓝宝石飞秒激光系统输出光路中,针对超短脉冲光束通过传输介质后的频谱相位畸变,引入变形反射镜进行补偿。应用频谱相位干涉直接电场重构(SPIDER)方法和仪器作为测量手段,建立了一套相位测量补偿系统。实验结果表明用变形反射镜可使激光脉冲的相位畸变得到较好的补偿,脉冲的光束质量得到改善。这种方法的主要思想就是将相位补偿转换为空问的光程控制,控制简单且损耗很低,是自适应光学中具有应用前景的一种补偿方法。     

Coherent enhancement of broadband frequency up-conversion in BBO crystal by shaping femtosecond laser pulses

An optimal feedback control of broadband frequency up-conversion in BBO crystal is experimentally demonstrated by shaping femtosecond laser pulses based on genetic algorithm, and the frequency up-conversion efficiency can be enhanced by ∼16%. SPIDER results show that the optimal laser pulses have shorter pulse-width with the little negative chirp than the original pulse with the little positive chirp. By modulating the fundamental spectral phase with periodic square distribution on SLM-256, the frequency up-conversion can be effectively controlled by the factor of about 17%. The experimental results indicate that the broadband frequency up-conversion efficiency is related to both of second harmonic generation (SHG) and sum frequency generation (SFG), where the former depends on the fundamental pulse intensity, and the latter depends on not only the fundamental pulse intensity but also the fundamental pulse spectral phase.     

Pulse‐shape instabilities and their measurement

Multi‐shot pulse‐shape measurements of trains of ultrashort pulses with unstable pulse shapes are studied. Measurement techniques considered include spectral‐phase interferometry for direct electric‐field reconstruction (SPIDER), second harmonic generation frequency‐resolved optical gating (FROG), polarization gate FROG, and cross‐correlation FROG. An analytical calculation and simulations show that SPIDER cannot see unstable pulse‐shape components and only measures the coherent artifact. Further, the presence of this instability cannot be distinguished from benign misalignment effects in SPIDER. FROG methods yield a better, although necessarily rough, estimate of the pulse shape and also indicate instability by exhibiting disagreement between measured and retrieved traces. Only good agreement between measured and retrieved FROG traces or 100% SPIDER fringe visibility guarantees a stable pulse train.     

改进型零附加相位光谱相位相干电场重构系统对啁啾脉冲的测量

现有的基于光谱相位相干电场重构法(SPIDER)的脉冲测量系统,在测量啁啾脉冲时容易出现误差.本文提出一个改进型零附加相位光谱相位相干电场重构系统(MZAP-SPIDER),来解决上述问题.在实验上,利用改进后的SPIDER系统测量了钛宝石飞秒激光器输出的脉冲及其经80mm长的BK7玻璃块展宽得到的啁啾脉冲.结果表明,该系统能胜任啁啾脉冲的相位测量.     

Intense few-cycle laser pulses from self-compression in a self-guiding filament

Sub-10-fs-pulses are generated by self-compression in a noble gas filament. Using input pulses from a Ti:sapphire amplifier system with an energy of about 1.5 mJ at a repetition rate of 3 kHz and a pulse duration of 30 fs self-compressed sub-10-fs pulses with energies of about 0.3 mJ have been generated. These pulses are characterized with spectral phase interferometry for direct electrical-field reconstruction (SPIDER). Depending on the laser parameters, we observe a significant change in the chirp of the white-light. The spectral distribution of the outcoming beam profile is measured to distinguish the white-light core from the surrounding halo.     

Homodyne detection in spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction

We study and demonstrate a version of spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER) that uses self-referencing homodyne detection. This technique has a higher sensitivity than conventional SPIDER, is self-calibrating, and can be adjusted for a wider range of pulse parameters.     

In situ broadband pulse compression for multiphoton microscopy using a shaper-assisted collinear SPIDER

The characterization and control of the phase of broadband femtosecond pulses in nonlinear microscopy are successfully demonstrated with a collinear configuration of spectral shear interferometry for direct electric field reconstruction (SPIDER). A femtosecond-pulse shaper is used as a dispersionless interferometer for the measurement of the spectral phase and to actively compress a broadband supercontinuum from a photonic crystal fiber. This allows in situ online phase management and enables the application of quantum control spectroscopy in microenvironments.     

Spectral phase and amplitude interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction

An extension of the well-known technique for spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER) has been developed that permits the reconstruction of the spectral amplitude and the spectral phase of ultrashort laser pulses from the acquisition of only one spectrum. Temporal intensity and temporal phase can therefore easily be retrieved. The characterization of pulses from a Ti:sapphire oscillator by use of an extended SPIDER is discussed. Advantages and drawbacks of the modified technique are also discussed.     

飞秒脉冲测量技术

随着飞秒激光技术的发展，飞秒激光脉冲的准确测量已成为非常重要的研究内容。文章在简要概述几种常见测量方法的基础上，着重综述了近年来发展起来的光学频率光栅开关法（FROG）及自参考光谱位相相干电场重建法（SPIDER），并介绍了文章作者进行的相关工作。     

光谱位相相干电场法的参数分析及测量

从光谱位相相干电场重构法（ＳＰＩＤＥＲ）的原理出发,实现了算法、讨论时间延迟、光谱剪切量、滤波窗口宽度、色散量等几个方面的优化选取。当展宽器色散和脉冲宽度一定时,脉冲对的时间延迟存在一个最佳取值范围。相对光谱剪切量在５％～１５％间,滤波窗口宽度为／３,重构出的位相误差最小。对干涉图取平均来减小噪声的影响。用ＳＰＩＤＥＲ算法还原了脉冲的电场和位相信息,由ＳＰＩＤＥＲ测量的脉冲宽度为１７.７ fs。同时为了比较,用自相关法测量了同一脉冲,由自相关曲线可估算出脉冲宽度为１６.８ fs,与ＳＰＩＤＥＲ 的误差比为５．１％,说明了实验的有效性。     

Generation of double pulses in-line by using reflective Dammann gratings

Doubled femtosecond laser pulses in-line are needed in the collinear pump-probe technique, collinear second harmonic generation frequency-resolved optical gating (SHG FROG) and the spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER), etc. Normally, it is generated by using a Michelson's structure. In this paper, we proposed a novel structure with two-layered reflective Dammann gratings and the reflective mirrors to generate doubled femtosecond laser pulses in line without transmission optical elements. Angular dispersion and spectral spatial walk-off are both compensated. In addition, this structure can also compress the positive chirped pulse, which cannot be realized with a Michelson's structure. By adopting triangular grating and blazed gratings, the efficiency of the system would in principle be increased as the Michelson's scheme. Experiments demonstrated that this method should be an alternative approach for generation of the double compressed pulses of femtosecond laser for practical applications.     

用SPIDER法重构飞秒脉冲位相中参数的选择

为了更精确地测量飞秒脉冲特性以满足其不断拓宽的应用，基于光谱相位相干直接电场重构法（SPIDER）测量飞秒激光脉冲的基本原理和重构相位的反演算法，数值模拟了SPIDER重构飞秒脉冲相位的过程，分析了时间延迟τ、光谱剪切量Ω及滤波窗口宽度的选取原则。以宽度约为20fs的高斯型线性啁啾脉冲为例，通过选取不同的时间延迟τ和光谱剪切量Ω重构脉冲的相位，发现重构位相曲线与原输入脉冲位相曲线最接近时，时间延迟τ约为1210fs,相对光谱剪切量Ω/Δω约为9%，滤波窗口宽度约为τ/3。     

用SPIDER法测量飞秒激光脉冲的光谱相位

介绍了用SPIDER测量光谱相位的实验装置和模拟计算飞秒激光特性参数的原理；提出了Ω 和τ等重要参数的确定方法.实验上用自建的SPIDER进行了掺钛蓝宝石飞秒振荡器输出脉 冲的相位测量，并以此为基础还原出了原输入脉冲的时域形式，模合计算所得的脉宽为107 fs，与利用二次相关法直接测量的结果十分一致. 关键词： 飞秒激光 SPIDER 光谱相位 光谱相干     

飞秒脉冲振幅和相位的无干涉条纹重构法测量

对作者所提出的无干涉条纹直接电场重构测量飞秒脉冲的振幅和相位的新方法作出进一步理论分析,并通过实验测量说明该方法的优越性.该方法克服了传统的SPIDER方法的弊病,能得到一组无干涉条纹的图像,排除传统方法必须使用傅里叶变换滤波消除干涉条纹而引进的系统误差,使得该方法能够采用较简便设备且能较准确测量飞秒脉冲强度轮廓和相位.最后给出同一条件下新方法和传统SPIDER方法分别重构的脉冲强度自相关曲线与实验测量结果的比较,以说明新方法的有效性和优越性. 关键词： 光谱相位相干直接电场重构法 飞秒脉冲测量 超快信息光学     

飞秒脉冲振幅和相位的无干涉条纹重构法测量

对作者所提出的无干涉条纹直接电场重构测量飞秒脉冲的振幅和相位的新方法作出进一步理论分析，并通过实验测量说明该方法的优越性.该方法克服了传统的SPIDER方法的弊病，能得到一组无干涉条纹的图像，排除传统方法必须使用傅里叶变换滤波消除干涉条纹而引进的系统误差，使得该方法能够采用较简便设备且能较准确测量飞秒脉冲强度轮廓和相位.最后给出同一条件下新方法和传统SPIDER方法分别重构的脉冲强度自相关曲线与实验测量结果的比较，以说明新方法的有效性和优越性.