Carrier-envelope offset phase control: A novel concept for absolute optical frequency measurement and ultrashort pulse generation |
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Authors: | HR Telle G Steinmeyer AE Dunlop J Stenger DH Sutter U Keller |
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Institution: | (1) Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig, Germany (Fax: +49-531/592-4423, harald.telle@ptb.de), DE;(2) Institut für Quantenelektronik, ETH Zürich, Switzerland (Fax: +41-1/633-1059, sguenter@iqe.phys.ethz.ch), CH |
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Abstract: | The shortest pulses periodically emitted directly from a mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser are approaching the two-optical-cycle
range. In this region, the phase of the optical carrier with respect to the pulse envelope becomes important in nonlinear
optical processes such as high-harmonic generation. Because there are no locking mechanisms between envelope and carrier inside
a laser, their relative phase offset experiences random fluctuations. Here, we propose several novel methods to measure and
to stabilize this carrier-envelope offset (CEO) phase with sub-femtosecond uncertainty. The stabilization methods are an important
prerequisite for attosecond pulse generation schemes. Short and highly periodic pulses of a two-cycle laser correspond to
an extremely wide frequency comb of equally spaced lines, which can be used for absolute frequency measurements. Using the
proposed phase-measurement methods, it will be possible to phase-coherently link any unknown optical frequency within the
comb spectrum to a primary microwave standard. Experimental studies using a sub-6-fs Ti:sapphire laser suggesting the feasibility
of carrier-envelope phase control are presented.
Received: 19 August 1999 / Published online: 8 September 1999 |
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Keywords: | PACS: 06 30 Ft 42 65 Re 42 65 Ky |
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