Carrier-envelope Frequency Research Articles

Hook-and-Loop laser fastening of an optical frequency comb to a strongly driven two-level quantum system

In order to control the state of a two-level quantum system (e.g. the spin state of an ion qubit), optical frequency combs perform a two-photon stimulated Raman process through stimulated absorption from one comb tooth and stimulated emission into another comb tooth. If the two-level energy gap is an integer multiple of the repetition rate of the laser, resonant Rabi oscillations are excited. When these latter have a frequency close to the qubit’s transition one, a strongly anharmonic phase-locked cycle may exist on the Bloch sphere, which generates a sub-harmonic series of very narrow, equally spaced, spectral lines. If the repetition rate of an optical frequency comb is appropriately tuned to these latter (up to the average carrier envelope frequency), a highly resonant dynamical regime of the two-level system should be reached where the Raman stimulated absorption and emission processes would occur for any pair of adjacent comb teeth.

Carrier-envelope-stabilized optical frequency combs: effect of fluctuations on the comb line shape

We consider theoretically the power spectral density S E ( ν ) of an otherwise periodic optical pulse train with optical field E ( t ) , i.e., the optical frequency comb, in the presence of noise in the pulse-to-pulse carrier-envelope phase slip in carrier-envelope-stabilized optical pulse trains. The spectrum is a frequency comb where the comb line shape is Gaussian. To obtain these results, we implement a heuristic theory based on an Adler equation for the carrier-envelope frequency noise that for weak noise leads to fluctuation statistics described by an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process.

Molecular orientation induced by H+ collision and modulated with combined fields

We take H++CO as a prototype to analyze the effect of ion or proton collision on molecular orientation modulated by a two-color shaped pulse combined with the time-delayed terahertz (THz) pulse. Through examining the effect of ion collision on the molecular orientation, we found that when the impact parameter and collisional velocity have weak inverse influences on the maximal orientation degree, the appropriate two-color and THz field intensity employed can improve the molecular orientation degree. The carrier envelope phase and frequency of the THz laser pulse as well as the temperature also have certain influence on the collision-induced molecular orientation.

Optical frequency comb noise spectra analysis using an asymmetric fiber delay line interferometer.

A simple and practical apparatus enabling repetition rate (frep) noise, carrier-envelope frequency (fceo) noise and nth optical comb mode (νn) noise spectra measurements with high precision is established. The frep and νn noise spectra are measured by a fiber delay line interferometer, while fceo noise spectrum is measured by an f-2f interferometer. We utilize this apparatus to characterize the noise performance of an Er-fiber optical frequency comb (OFC) and analyze the origin of dominant noise sources. Moreover, this apparatus provides a powerful tool for diagnosing noise dynamics intrinsic in mode-locked lasers and OFCs. To this end, we uncover the anti-correlation between frep and fceo noise as well as the impact of servo loops on noise characteristics in the stabilized OFC.

Influence of the Doppler effect of a periodically moving mirror on the carrier-envelope frequency of a pulse train.

We investigate the influence of the optical Doppler effect on the carrier-envelope frequency (CEF) of a mode-locked pulse train. The laser pulses are Doppler-shifted in frequency during reflection off a periodically moving mirror that is driven by an electro-dynamical exciter inside an f-2f interferometer. Depending on the relative movement of the mirror at the instant of reflection, we experimentally demonstrate a CEF shift of the laser pulses up to ±69 kHz, which is sufficient for the carrier-envelope phase control of laser amplifiers with repetition rates of 10kHz and beyond. Using piezoelectric thick films, we show that the scheme also appears to be adaptable to the megahertz repetition rates of typical oscillators. As the phase control is exerted extra-cavity, Doppler-induced CEF modulation is virtually free of any side effects of traditional stabilization schemes that typically act on the pump power. Finally, the Doppler scheme may overcome servo loop bandwidth limitations associated with pump power control.

Generation of carrier-envelope phase-controlled isolated attosecond pulses using chirped femtosecond excitation lasers

ABSTRACTWe present an efficient approach for producing a carrier-envelope phase controlled isolated attosecond pulse by an optimized intense driving laser pulse. High-order harmonics are produced by numerically solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for the one-dimensional hydrogen atom in an ultrashort laser pulse. We define an efficient cost function to optimize the laser pulse by a genetic algorithm scheme. Our approach produces single attosecond pulses with desired properties, including the carrier-envelope phase, central frequency, and duration. Also, we analyze the time–frequency profiles of the attosecond emissions to gain a deeper insight into the underlying physical mechanism.

High contrast linking six lasers to a 1 GHz Yb:fiber laser frequency comb

We demonstrate a 0.95 GHz repetition rate fully stabilized Yb:fiber frequency comb without optical amplification. Benefitted from the high mode power and high coherence, this comb achieved 35 dB to 42 dB signal to noise ratio on the direct heterodyne beat signals with at least 6 continuous wave lasers (at 580nm, 679nm, 698nm, 707nm, 813nm and 922 nm) while keeping >40 dB carrier envelop frequency signal. It can be used for the direct measurement of optical frequencies in visible and near-infrared wavelengths, and has a great potential on simultaneous comparison of multiple optical frequencies.

Carrier-envelope frequency stabilization of a Ti:sapphire oscillator using different pump lasers: part II

Complementing an earlier report (Vernaleken et al. in Opt Exp 20:18387, 2012), we investigate the residual phase jitter of a carrier-envelope frequency stabilized Ti:sapphire oscillator when pumped by additional commercially available pump lasers that were not part of the first study. We find that all tested pump lasers allow stabilization of the oscillator with a residual rms phase noise (integrated between 2 Hz and 5 MHz) of less than 150 mrad despite their different design and properties. Possible sources of technical noise and their elimination for specific models are discussed.

Carrier-envelope frequency stabilization of a Ti:sapphire oscillator using different pump lasers

We investigate the suitability of various commercially available pump lasers for operation with a carrier-envelope offset frequency stabilized Ti:sapphire oscillator. Although the tested pump lasers differ in their setup and properties (e.g., single vs. multi-mode), we find that they are all well-suited for the purpose. The residual rms phase noise (integrated between 20 Hz and 5 MHz) of the stabilized oscillator is found to be below 160 mrad with each pump laser, corresponding to less than 1/40 of an optical cycle. Differences in performance vary slightly. In particular, our results indicate that the latest generation of multi-mode pump lasers can be used for applications where precise phase control of the oscillator is strictly required.

Carrier-envelope phase control by a composite plate

We demonstrate a new concept to vary the carrier-envelope phase of a mode-locked laser by a composite plate while keeping all other pulse parameters practically unaltered. The effect is verified externally in an interferometric autocorrelator, as well as inside the cavity of an octave-spanning femtosecond oscillator. The carrier-envelope frequency can be shifted by half the repetition rate with negligible impact on pulse spectrum and energy.

Carrier-envelope phase dynamics and noise analysis in octave-spanning Ti:sapphire lasers

We investigate the carrier-envelope phase dynamics of octave-spanning Ti:sapphire lasers and perform a complete noise analysis of the carrier-envelope phase stabilization. We model the effect of the laser dynamics on the residual carrier-envelope phase noise by deriving a transfer function representation of the octave-spanning frequency comb. The modelled phase noise and the experimental results show excellent agreement. This greatly enhances our capability of predicting the dependence of the residual carrier-envelope phase noise on the feedback loop filter, the carrier-envelope frequency control mechanism and the pump laser used.