Abstract
A mode-locked laser operating at a frequency over 10 THz is reported, which is three orders of magnitude greater than a standard mode-locked laser. The system used molecules with a Raman gain as an amplifier, while coherent molecular motions were used for optical modulation. Molecules in a high-finesse optical cavity modulated a continuous-wave beam to produce a train of ultrashort optical pulses at a repetition rate corresponding to the frequency of molecular motion. Phase-locking was achieved by an appropriate compensation of the total dispersion of the optical cavity. Thus, the oscillating multiple longitudinal modes were all coupled under phase-matching conditions of parametric four-wave mixing.
Highlights
Mode-locked lasers are powerful tools for the exploration of ultrafast phenomena in physical systems, as well as for producing high-intensity electromagnetic radiation fields[1,2]
The highest reported repetition rate for a mode-locked pulse train from a single optical cavity was in the 100 GHz regime[11,12]
The use of molecular orth-hydrogen for modulation and amplification led to the generation of a 17.6-THz ultrafast optical pulse train that corresponds to the rotational frequency of the molecules, and is 103 larger than that of common mode-locked lasers
Summary
A mode-locked laser operating at a frequency over 10 THz is reported, which is three orders of magnitude greater than a standard mode-locked laser. Molecules in a highfinesse optical cavity modulated a continuous-wave beam to produce a train of ultrashort optical pulses at a repetition rate corresponding to the frequency of molecular motion. The combination of high peak intensities and average powers is achieved by coherent stacking of the ultrashort pulses in an external enhancement cavity[6] This enables extension of the wavelength range to the extreme ultraviolet via generation of higher-order harmonics[7]. An approach is described that produces a 10 THz rate by using coherent molecular motion as an optical modulator and the Raman gain of molecules as an amplifier. The use of molecular orth-hydrogen for modulation and amplification led to the generation of a 17.6-THz ultrafast optical pulse train that corresponds to the rotational frequency of the molecules, and is 103 larger than that of common mode-locked lasers.
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