Quantum correlated twin beams

We discuss recent progress in the study of the non-classical properties of light beams generated by non-degenerate parametric splitting in ⁽²⁾ nonlinear birefringent crystals, with special emphasis on their quantum correlation (twin beams). We describe experimental results using successively pure parametric fluorescence, parametric amplification of a weak signal beam pumped by a pulsed laser, and parametric oscillation in a cavity pumped by a cw laser. In this review, we compare the respective advantages and drawbacks of the different approaches.     

Narrow-band seeding of an optical parametric amplifier in the femtosecond regime

Nearly transform limited femtosecond pulses tunable between 2.56 and 3.16 m have been generated by optical parametric amplification. The single stage parametric amplifier is pumped by a tunable high power femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser system at 1 kHz repetition rate and seeded by quasi-continuous wave (cw) radiation from the Q-switched Nd:YLF laser used to pump the regenerative amplifier. The 100 fs idler pulses are shorter than the pump pulses. The mechanism of the achieved pulse compression is discussed and experimental results are compared with numerical simulations.     

High-efficiency mid-infrared ZnGeP2 optical parametric oscillator directly pumped by a lamp-pumped, Q-switched CrTmHo:YAG laser

We report a singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (SRO) based on a ZnGeP(2) crystal directly pumped by a lamp-pumped Q-switched CrTmHo:YAG laser. The IR was tunable from 4.7 to 7.8 microm via crystal angle tuning. A maximum optical to optical efficiency of 56% was obtained from the pump (2.09 microm) to total IR at a pump energy of 6.5 mJ. The corresponding idler energy was 1.45 mJ. The SRO was measured to have a slope efficiency of 64% and a threshold of 1 mJ. The spatial beam quality of the idler, characterized by the M(2) parameter, was 1.38 when the SRO was pumped at 2.5 times threshold. These results show that ZnGeP(2) optical parametric oscillators directly pumped by a CrTmHo:YAG laser can be operated efficiently, while maintaining good IR beam quality.     

Cascaded synchronous terahertz optical parametric oscillations in a single MgO:PPLN crystal

We present a synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on a single MgO-doped periodically poled lithium niobate crystal (MgO:PPLN) delivering high-repetition-rate picosecond idler output in the mid-infrared. At high power levels, cascaded optical parametric oscillations are observed, from which the forward and backward idler waves are generated in the terahertz (THz) spectral region. We demonstrate the cascaded processes involving THz-wave generation and make explanations for the highorder cascaded optical parametric processes. The cascaded terahertz optical parametric oscillations in a synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator are reported for the first time to the best of our knowledge.     

基于双抽运参量放大中的信号波和闲频波特性

根据信号波和闲频波所满足的耦合非线性薛定谔方程,导出了双抽运参量放大增益系数g、信号波的放大因子和闲频波转换效率,并在输入总抽运功率不变的情况下,仅改变双抽运功率P1,P2的比值s,对参量放大增益系数g、信号波的放大因子和闲频波转换效率理论研究和数值模拟;数值模拟结果表明：相位匹配条件下,通过改变双抽运功率的比值 ,可获得适当的放大的信号波和一定转换效率的闲频波。     

基于双抽运参量放大中的信号波和闲频波特性

根据信号波和闲频波所满足的耦合非线性薛定谔方程,导出了双抽运参量放大增益系数g、信号波的放大因子和闲频波转换效率,并在输入总抽运功率不变的情况下,仅改变双抽运功率P1,P2的比值s,对参量放大增益系数g、信号波的放大因子和闲频波转换效率理论研究和数值模拟;数值模拟结果表明：相位匹配条件下,通过改变双抽运功率的比值 ,可获得适当的放大的信号波和一定转换效率的闲频波。     

高斯反射率镜单谐振光参量振荡器模式分析

采用高斯光束传输矩阵描述光参量谐振腔的行为,通过迭代计算模拟高斯光抽运高斯反射镜单谐振光参量振荡器的振荡过程,分析了谐振腔参数和抽运光口径对腔内输出模式的影响。报道了1 064μm脉冲抽运平 GRM腔单谐振非临界相位匹配KTP光参量振荡器的实验,其结果与理论分析相符。     

Demonstration of highly efficient broadband amplification in a optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier system

We have demonstrated highly efficient broadband amplification by an optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier (OPCPA) system that uses high energy seed pulses. The OPCPA consists of three type I B-barium borate (BBO) crystals pumped by a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. We successfully amplified the microjoule level seed pulses to 78 mJ with a pump-to-signal optical conversion efficiency of 26% at a 10 Hz repetition rate. To our knowledge these results represent the most optically efficient OPCPA to date pumped by a typical Q-switched laser.     

Phase-matched self-doubling optical parametric oscillator

We report a synchronously pumped intracavity frequency-doubled optical parametric oscillator that employs a single KTiOPO(4) crystal for both parametric generation and frequency doubling. Both nonlinear processes are phase matched for the same direction of propagation in the crystal. The parametric oscillator, pumped by a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser at a wavelength of 745 nm, generates a green output beam at 540 nm with a 29% power conversion efficiency. Angle tuning in conjunction with pump wavelength tuning provides output tunability in the 530-585-nm range.     

Picosecond parametric Raman laser based on KGd(WO4)2 crystal

Simultaneous frequency up and down conversion using a biharmonically pumped parametric Raman laser (PRL) based on a KGd(WO₄)₂ (KGW) crystal has been demonstrated experimentally. Collimated beams have been generated for both the 1st anti-Stokes (1AS) at 511 nm and 2nd Stokes (2S) at 579 nm by four-wave parametric Raman interaction. To excite PRL biharmonically, we pumped the KGW crystal with 20 ps pulses at the fundamental 530 nm and its 1st Stokes component at 555 nm. The 1st Stokes pump beam was generated using stimulated Raman scattering in a separate KGW Raman oscillator. The energy conversion efficiencies reached experimentally were 10% for the 2S and 4% for the 1AS.     

Entangling the optical frequency comb: Simultaneous generation of multiple 2 × 2 and 2 × 3 continuous-variable cluster states in a single optical parametric oscillator

We report on our research effort to generate large-scale multipartite optical-mode entanglement using as few physical resources as possible. We have previously shown that cluster-and GHZ-type N-partite continuous-variable entanglement can be obtained in an optical resonator that contains a suitably designed second-order nonlinear optical medium, pumped by at most \(\mathcal{O}\)(N ²) fields. In this paper, we show that the frequency comb of such a resonator can be entangled in an arbitrary number of independent 2 × 2 and 2 × 3 continuousvariable cluster states by a single optical parametric oscillator pumped by just a few optical modes.     

Instabilities in intracavity pumped optical parametric oscillators and methods of stabilization

A high conversion efficiency and stability are the anticipated advantages of intracavity pumped parametric oscillators, as opposed to the traditional externally pumped ones. The dynamics of the coupled pump and signal cavities, however, is very complex and poses a considerable design challenge. In this paper we present a simulation of an optical parametric oscillator, pumped intracavity by a mode-locked solid-state laser. Different unstable modes of operation are identified in an experimental setup and the simulation is used to reproduce and analyze them. Based on this analysis we present techniques to amplitude stabilize the system.     

Tunable te-CO2 laser-pumped formaldehyde far-infrared lasers: Offsets, assignment, and superfluorescence

Sixty and three absorption transitions in D₂CO and H₂CO, respectively, have produced a number of far infrared laser lines when they are pumped by an etalon-tuned TE-CO₂ laser. Almost all the absorption transitions pumped previously by a free runing TE-CO₂ laser have been efficiently pumped by the etalon tuned CO₂ laser and found to have offset within ±500 MHz from the line-center of the relevant CO₂ pump lines. 22 (1) absorption and 63 (4) emission lines of D₂CO (H₂CO) are assigned. Some of these lines have generated superfluorescence. In paticular, the D₂CO 319-m line pumped by CO₂-9P(32) delivered an output energy of approximately one half that of the well-known D₂O 66-m. It is shown that a large electric dipole moment and an appreciable amount of fractional population in the lower level of the pump transition of this line are responsible to the superfluorescence.     

Generation of accurately synchronized pump source for optical parametric chirped pulse amplification

We demonstrate the generation of ultra-short pulses at 1064 nm by continuous-wave seeded non-collinear optical parametric amplification in a -barium borate crystal pumped by the second harmonics of a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser. After two stages of seeded parametric amplifiers, the generated pulses at 1064 nm were accurately synchronized with the fundamental pump pulses, which could be used as seeding pulses for further amplification and then frequency doubling to produce an accurately synchronized pump source for optical parametric amplification of chirped pulses from the same Ti:sapphire laser. PACS 42.65.Re; 42.65.-k; 52.35.Mw     

Composite frequency comb spanning 0.4-2.4 microm from a phase-controlled femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser and synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator

A repetition-rate-stabilized frequency comb ranging from the violet to the mid-infrared (0.4-2.4 microm) is obtained by phase locking a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser and a synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator to a common supercontinuum reference. The locking results have bandwidths lower than 3 kHz. By changing the locking frequencies, different relative and absolute offsets of the constituent frequency combs are achievable.     

Energy-scalable pulsed mid-IR source using orientation-patterned GaAs

Coherent mid-IR sources based on orientation-patterned GaAs (OPGaAs) are of significant interest in diverse scientific, medical, and military applications. The generation of long-wavelength mid-IR beams in OPGaAs using optical parametric oscillation exhibits limitations in the obtainable pulse energy and peak power. The master oscillator power amplifier concept is demonstrated in OPGaAs, by which a mid-IR source based on optical parametric oscillation can be scaled to high energy by amplification of the output of the optical parametric oscillator in an optical parametric amplifier (OPA). A fivefold increase in the pulse energy is obtained using this method by amplifying 3.85μm pulses in an OPGaAs OPA pumped by a Th,Ho:YLF Q-switched laser.     

Effect of resonator length on a doubly resonant optical parametric oscillator pumped by a multilongitudinal-mode beam

The resonator length of an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) is normally made a short as possible to minimize the signal-buildup time and maximize the output energy. We have found that, when a doubly resonant OPO is pumped by a multilongitudinal-mode beam, its output energy has a significant maximum when its optical length matches that of the pump source, even if this length is much greater than the shortest possible for the OPO. We have observed this effect in a ZnGeP>(2)-based OPO and reproduced it in numerical simulations.     

Subterahertz superlattice parametric oscillator

We report a superlattice parametric oscillator (SPO), with a GaAs/AlAs superlattice as the active element. The SPO was pumped by a microwave field (power 4 mW) and produced third harmonic radiation at subterahertz frequencies (near 300 GHz; 0.1 mW). We attribute the parametric gain to the nonlinearity of the miniband transport.     

Parametric amplification of few-cycle carrier-envelope phase-stable pulses at 2.1 microm

We demonstrate an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier producing infrared 20 fs (3-optical-cycle) pulses with a stable carrier-envelope phase. The amplifier is seeded with self-phase-stabilized pulses obtained by optical rectification of the output of an ultrabroadband Ti:sapphire oscillator. Energies of -80 microJ with a well-suppressed background of parametric superfluorescence and up to 400 microJ with a superfluorescence background are obtained from a two-stage parametric amplifier based on periodically poled LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 crystals. The parametric amplifier is pumped by an optically synchronized 1 kHz, 30 ps, 1053 nm Nd:YLF amplifier seeded by the same Ti:sapphire oscillator.     

飞秒脉冲正交位相压缩光的产生

利用锁模飞秒脉冲激光二次谐波为抽运源, 同步抽运单共振光学参量振荡器, 抽运光中心波长为425 nm, 重复率为76 MHz, 脉宽180 fs, 光学振荡器下转换晶体采用Ⅰ类共线PPKTP, 实验上实现了压缩度为2.58 dB的正交位相压缩光.考虑到实验系统的效率, 可以推知光学参量振荡器输出的下转换光压缩度为 4.48 dB. 关键词： 同步抽运光学参量振荡器 压缩光 锁模飞秒脉冲