Femtosecond pulse shaping in the mid infrared by difference-frequency mixing

The generation of programmable complex femtosecond pulses in the mid infrared (3–10 μm) with high precision is reported. Designed pulse shapes in the near infrared (1–1.6 μm) are transferred to the mid infrared via difference-frequency mixing with a second infrared pulse spectrally narrowed in a zero-dispersion compressor. In particular, pulse sequences with variable relative phases have been obtained. The control of the pulse properties is achieved purely electronically, allowing for implementation into a feedback loop. Received: 12 December 2003 / Published online: 3 April 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +49-89/32905-200, E-mail: mcm@mpq.mpg.de     

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.     

Streak camera operating in the mid infrared

An atomic streak camera has been constructed that operates from the near to the far infrared. The photocathode used in conventional streak cameras for the conversion of photons to electrons has been replaced by gas-phase atoms in a Rydberg state. The low binding energy of the electron in a Rydberg atom combined with the large photoionization cross section of a Rydberg atom makes Rydberg atoms suitable for use in an infrared streak camera. Operation of the streak camera is demonstrated at 2.6 microm, well beyond the spectral range of any conventional streak camera.     

Five-optical-cycle pulse generation in the mid infrared from an optical parametric oscillator based on aperiodically poled lithium niobate

We describe an optical parametric oscillator based on aperiodically poled lithium niobate that generates nearly transform-limited 53-fs duration pulses at a center wavelength of 3mum, corresponding to only 5 optical cycles. Results are presented illustrating the effect of pump- and grating-period chirp on the idler pulses, and a configuration capable of producing idler bandwidths in excess of 700 nm is discussed.     

Spectral shaping filter for broadband amplifiers

We present the design and implementation of a high-damage threshold spectral shaping filter that can be used to counteract gain narrowing in broadband laser amplifier systems. In contrast to earlier approaches to this problem, the filter has a wide range of tunability in both reflectivity and center wavelength. The shape of the reflectivity curve enables the production of an apodized output spectrum with a clean transform limit. We demonstrate the use of this filter in both regenerative and multipass Ti:Sapphire amplifier systems, yielding super-Gaussian amplified spectra of 70-80 nm width.     

Broadband attosecond pulse shaping

We use semiconductor (Si) and metallic (Al, Zr) transmission filters to shape, in amplitude and phase, high-order harmonics generated from the interaction of an intense titanium sapphire laser field with a pulsed neon gas target. Depending on the properties of the filter, the emitted attosecond pulses can be optimized in bandwidth and/or pulse length. We demonstrate the generation of attosecond pulses centered at energies from 50 to 80 eV, with bandwidths as large as 45 eV and with pulse durations compressed to 130 as.     

Spectral line-by-line pulse shaping

We experimentally demonstrate pulse-shaping experiments in which the individual spectral lines that are present in the output of a mode-locked laser (8.5 GHz mode spacing, centered at 1542 nm) are resolved. The shaped pulses overlap in time, and this leads to a new way to observe fluctuations of the comb-offset frequency in the time domain.     

Femtosecond polarization pulse shaping

We report computer-controlled femtosecond polarization pulse shaping where intensity, momentary frequency, and light polarization are varied as functions of time. For the first time to our knowledge, a pulse shaper is used to modulate the degree of ellipticity as well as the orientation of the elliptical principal axes within a single laser pulse by use of a 256-pixel two-layer liquid-crystal display inside a zero-dispersion compressor. Interferometric stability of the setup is not required. Complete pulse characterization is achieved by dual-channel spectral interferometry. This technology has a large range of applications, especially in the field of quantum control.     

Feedback-controlled femtosecond pulse shaping

We describe the experimental implementation of feedback-optimized femtosecond laser pulse shaping. A frequency-domain phase shaper is combined with different pulse characterization methods and appropriate optimization algorithms to compensate for any phase deviation. In particular, bandwidth-limited, amplified laser pulses are achieved by maximizing the second-harmonic generation (SHG) of the shaped laser pulses with the aid of an evolutionary algorithm. Real-time measurement of the absolute phases is achieved with spectral interferometry where the reference pulse is characterized by FROG, the so-called TADPOLE method. Using the complete electric field as feedback, arbitrary laser pulse shapes can be optimally generated in two different ways. First, a local convergence algorithm can be used to apply reliable and accurate spectral chirps. Second, an evolutionary algorithm can be employed to reach specific temporal profiles.     

KrF激光脉冲整形研究

 实验研究了脉冲堆积法对KrF激光的整形能力。利用受激布里渊散射(SBS)压缩脉冲获得了脉宽为3~5 ns的短脉冲，用4束激光堆积获得了脉宽为10~15 ns、平顶宽度为5~10 ns的整形脉冲。利用实测SBS脉冲数据，对脉冲堆积法进行了数值模拟，模拟的脉冲宽度为12.7 ns，平顶宽度为7.7 ns，该结果与实验相符。对脉冲堆积法的任意整形能力进行了模拟，讨论了脉冲宽度变化对整形的影响，发现脉宽变化在5%以内时，对整形脉冲的影响较小。对整形脉冲的放大进行了定性研究，结果表明：平顶脉冲通过放大器后，前沿部分放大较多，由于饱和作用，后沿放大较少；如果前端整形脉冲前沿为斜坡状，放大后可以得到近平顶的脉冲。     

Trapezoidal pulse shaping for pile-up pulse identification in X-ray spectrometry

Energy resolution is affected by the intrinsic energy resolution of the detector, ballistic deficit, pile-up pulses and noise. Pile-up pulses become the dominant factor that degrades energy resolution after the system is established, so pile-up rejection is often applied to obtain good energy resolution by discarding pulses that are expected to be contaminated by pile-up. However, pile-up rejection can reduce count rates and thus lower the measurement precision. In order to improve count rates and maintain energy resolution, a new method of pile-up pulse identification based on trapezoidal pulse shaping is presented. Combined with pulse width discrimination, this method is implemented by recording pulses that are not seriously piled up. Some experimental tests with a Cu-Pb alloy sample are carried out to verify the performance of this method in X-ray spectrometry. The results show that the method can significantly improve count rates without degrading energy resolution.     

Coherent artifact in modern pulse measurements

We simulate multishot intensity-and-phase measurements of unstable trains of complex ultrashort pulses using second-harmonic-generation (SHG) frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) and spectral-phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER). Both techniques fail to see the pulse structure. But FROG yields the correct average pulse duration and suggests the instability by exhibiting significant disagreement between measured and retrieved traces. SPIDER retrieves the correct average spectral phase but significantly underestimates the average pulse duration. In short, SPIDER measures only the coherent artifact. An analytical calculation confirms this last fact.     

极化控制的双波段宽带红外吸收器研究

红外吸收器在红外隐身、辐射制冷、红外探测、传感器等方面有重要的应用前景.一维光栅型吸收器由于其结构简单、易于加工的优势备受关注,然而其不足之处是频带很窄,且只对一种极化有效.本文提出了一种基于简单一维周期结构的双波段宽带吸收器,对横磁波和横电波都有效,且吸波频段随入射波的极化方式而改变.该结构的基本单元由八个梯度排列的子单元构成,每个子单元由两层金属-介质双层膜垂直层叠组成.全波仿真结果表明,在1.68—2μm波段,该结构对横磁波吸收超过90%,而对横电波吸收很小(小于6%);在3.8-3.9μm波段,该结构对横电波吸收超过90%,而对横磁波吸收很小(小于5%).另外,该结构具有宽角度吸收特性,当入射角增大到60°时仍然能够保持较高的吸收率和较宽的吸收频带.     

Nanosecond optical pulse shaping in cadmium-sulfide-selenide glasses

Transmission characteristics of a nonlinear Fabry-Perot interferometer containing Cd(S, Se)-glasses were measured using laser pulses of 10 ns duration. The interferometer functioned as an optical limiter and optical discriminator. Optical bistability has not been observed, probably because of the finite relaxation time of the nonlinear effects.     

Nonlinear absorption and pulse shaping in InSb

A high stability pulsed CO₂ laser was used to measure the transmission of InSb at 293, 77 and 10 K, and comparison made between the results for 10.6 and 9.6 μm radiation. At high powers significant changes of transmitted pulse shape due to generated free hole absorption were observed and are discussed.     

Coherent tunable far infrared radiation

Tunable, cw, far infrared (FIR) radiation has been generated by nonlinear mixing of radiation from two CO₂ lasers in a metal-insulator-metal, (MIM) diode. The FIR difference-frequency power was radiated from the MIM diode antenna to a calibrated indium antimonide bolometer. Two-tenths of a microwatt of FIR power was generated by 250 mW from each of the CO₂ lasers. Using the combination of lines from a waveguide CO₂ laser, with its larger tuning range, with lines from CO₂, N₂O, and CO₂ isotope lasers promises complete coverage of the entire far infrared band from 100 to 5000 GHz (3–200 cm^–1) with stepwise-tunable cw radiation.Contribution of the National Bureau of Standards, not subject to copyright     

Micromirror SLM for femtosecond pulse shaping in the ultraviolet

We present the application of a novel micro mirror array, which is based on a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS), as one- and two-dimensional phase-modulating spatial light modulator (SLM) for femtosecond pulse shaping in the spectral region from the deep-ultraviolet (DUV) to the near-infrared (NIR) (200–900 nm). Using such a high-resolution MEMS-SLM, we demonstrate one-dimensional pulse shaping at 400 nm, including THz-pulse train generation, chirp compensation, and phase wraps. Received: 7 April 2003 / Published online: 2 June 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +49-3461/947-202, E-mail: hacker@ioq.uni-jena.de     

Tunable pulse repetition-rate multiplication using phase-only line-by-line pulse shaping

We demonstrate a method for all-optical, tunable pulse repetition-rate multiplication of a mode-locked laser based on spectral line-by-line control. In particular, two-to-five-times repetition-rate multiplication of a 9 GHz source is achieved with very high fidelity.     

Generation of intense highly coherent femtosecond pulses in the mid infrared

Highly coherent mid-infrared femtosecond pulses, tunable between 2.5 and 4.4 mum, and with an average energy and duration between 2.6 and 3.6 microm of 11 microJ and 200fs, respectively, have been produced by an optical parametric amplifier setup driven at 1kHz by a 400- microJ , 800-nm pulse from a Ti:sapphire amplifier. In this system, first tunable moderate-energy femtosecond pulses in the near infrared are produced by continuum amplification in beta -barium borate, and subsequently the near-infrared pulses are amplified and frequency mixed with 800-nm radiation in potassium titanyl phosphate to produce intense tunable mid-infrared pulses. The time-bandwidth product of the mid-infrared pulses is 0.28+/-0.02 over the whole high-energy tuning range. Experimental results are compared with numerical simulations and a simple model.     

External shaping of laser pulse trains

Two simple passive systems are presented for modifying the gaussian pulse train envelope produce by a dye-mode-locked Nd: YAG laser oscillator. The first system truncates the gaussian to produce a flat-topped envelope; the second system sharpens the envelope to a triangular form. The second system is analyzed as an intensity-dependent filter.