Abstract
We showed that the nonlinear Mach–Zehnder interferometer may be used not only for enhancing temporal contrast, as proposed earlier, but also for increasing pulse power due to efficient pulse compression. The interferometer introduces into the output pulse a nonlinear phase equal to π/2. This allows increasing laser power by a factor of 1.5 only by means of a chirped mirror. Use of an additional nonlinear plate leads to a multi-fold power increase retaining the contrast enhancement.
Highlights
High temporal contrast has an important role in experiments on studying the behavior of matter in extreme light fields
Several new ideas have been proposed for contrast enhancement, by means of a nonlinear phase induced by cubic nonlinearity: spectral filtering [6,7], spatial filtering [8], a nonlinear polarization interferometer [9], as well as a nonlinear Mach–Zehnder interferometer with symmetric arms [10]
We show that a nonlinear Mach–Zehnder interferometer may be used for contrast enhancement, and for multi-fold pulse compression simultaneously
Summary
High temporal contrast has an important role in experiments on studying the behavior of matter in extreme light fields. Several new ideas have been proposed for contrast enhancement, by means of a nonlinear phase induced by cubic nonlinearity: spectral filtering [6,7], spatial filtering [8], a nonlinear polarization interferometer [9], as well as a nonlinear Mach–Zehnder interferometer with symmetric arms [10] In the latter case, the phase difference without non-linearity ∆φL equals π, and the radiation of the pedestal does not pass to the dark port (see Figure 1a). We restrict the consideration to the case in which the CM introduced a purely quadratic spectral phase, i.e., group velocity dispersion only Such a type of CMs cannot compress the pulse to a Fourier transform limit, but they are usually commercially available. Using Equations (3) and (4), we found the output pulses both for the setup with (Figure 1a) and without interferometer (Figure 1b)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
