High Peak Power Pulses Research Articles

Over 100-kW peak power picosecond pulse generation at 2924 nm via efficient single-pass optical parametric generation with broadband tunability.

We report a high peak power mid-infrared (MIR) source via efficient optical parametric generation (OPG) in a piece of 50-mm-long MgO: PPLN crystal pumped by using a near-infrared (NIR) narrow-band picosecond laser source. The highest peak power of the idler pulse can reach ∼109.86 kW with a duration of ∼7.3 ps and wavelength of ∼2924 nm. Both the signal and idler pulses can be agilely tunable in repetition rate, from 500 kHz to 4 MHz, depending on the pump pulses. Through adjusting the operation temperature and switching the applied grating of the MgO: PPLN crystal, the emission wavelengths of the signal and idler can be broadband-tunable across the NIR range of 1430-1741nm and the MIR range of 2773-4156 nm, respectively. The root-mean-square errors of the delivered signal and idler average power are less than 1% for all operational parameters. Our result provides a simplified yet agile solution of a coherent MIR source featuring a high pulse peak power, customizable emission wavelength, exceptional operation stability, etc.

Passively Mode-Locked Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser and Application in Laser Thrombolysis

Fiber lasers have been widely used in surgery with the development of fiber photonics. Since the human body is prone to myocardial infarction caused by blood clots, laser thrombolysis was proposed as a safe and efficient treatment. Mode-locked fiber lasers have high peak power and narrow pulse width. In order to observe the effect of laser thrombolysis with mode-locked fiber lasers, a 1.5 µm mode-locked fiber laser based on carbon nanotubes was built, showing a pulse width of 1.46 ps, a 3 dB bandwidth of 1.65 nm, and a repetition rate of 29.5 MHz. The output pulses were amplified by an erbium-doped fiber amplifier to the hundred-milliwatt level and were applied to the surface of a self-made thrombus. The influences of lasing power and time on the damage diameter of the thrombus surface were evaluated. A low threshold damage power of 45 mW was observed, which resulted from the high peak power of the mode-locked pulses. These results demonstrate that high ablation efficiency can be achieved by using mode-locked pulses with a narrow pulse width and high peak power.

Nonlinear compression of mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in dispersion-engineered As2S5 chalcogenide ridge waveguide

We numerically demonstrated nonlinear compression of mid-infrared (mid-IR) supercontinuum (SC) generation in As2S5 chalcogenide glass (ChG) ridge waveguides, achieving a small dispersion value at the pump wavelength of 2.5 µm by adjusting the waveguide width (normal dispersions of -10.547 ps.nm−1.km−1 and the anomalous dispersions of +5.314 ps.nm−1.km−1). These waveguides were designed using the negative slope of the dispersions with the negative third-order dispersion, which are applied to generate the nonlinear compression of SC generation. Using a 50-fs pulse with the peak power of 2000 W, the two waveguides could compress the maximum pulse peak power of 6900 W (> 3.4 octaves) and 6360 W (> 3.1 octaves) and generate the widest SC spectra, spanning from 1.20 µm to 12.96 µm and from 1.25 µm to >13 µm with only short waveguides 0.85 mm and 1 mm long, respectively. The key process behind SC formation in such ChG waveguides is related to self-phase modulation, four-wave mixing, and nonlinear compression. This particular design is effective, and ChG waveguides can generate high peak power and the widest spectra of SC generation. Moreover, the waveguides are also relatively flexible in design, which is concerned with optical design and engineering, and micro-optical devices. As the ultra-wideband mid-IR SC source, high pulse peak power, very short waveguides, and low-energy pulses (<1 pJ) are important for on-chip mid-IR SC sources, the proposed work would offer the greatest benefits in practical application.

Experimental study of injection seeded single-longitudinal-mode Q-switched fiber laser

--The role of injection seeding power on the operation and output characteristics of a single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) injection seeded Q-switched fiber laser is investigated. The mode coupling between seeding laser and the potential longitudinal-modes of the oscillator changes as the injection seeding power increase. So the Q-switched laser may operate at different regimes which can be distinguished by the pulse features. Only with a proper range of injection seeding power that is not too larger or too small, the operation of injection seeded Q-switched fiber laser with narrow-linewidth, high peak power and narrow pulsewidth laser pulses is possible. The Q-switched fiber laser linewidth is narrowed through inserting a dual-OCs oscillator into the laser cavity. 200-ns, 1-W peak power SLM Q-switched laser pulse with nearly transform-limited linewidth is obtained when the pump power is 300 mW.

Commissioning of X-LAB: a very high-capacity X-band RF test stand facility at the University of Melbourne

The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) beam-based acceleration baseline uses high-gradient travelling wave accelerating structures at a frequency of 12 GHz. In order to prove the performance of these structures at high peak power and short pulse width RF, two klystron-based test facilities will be put in operation this year. The first Southern Hemisphere X-band Laboratory for Accelerators and Beams (X-LAB) is currently being commissioned at the University of Melbourne, it will house half of the CERN X-band test stand XBOX3, which has been renamed Mel-BOX. Like XBOX3, Mel-BOX employs a novel means of combining high average power but relatively low peak power (6 MW) klystron units to direct power to two testing slots with a repetition rate of up to 400 Hz. As well as the repetition rate, peak power, pulse length and pulse shape can be customised to fit the testing requirements. This novel means of producing high power and high repetition RF pulses can eventually be used for many other applications where multiple test slots are required. This proceedings focuses on the integration and 1st commissioning of Mel-BOX with short pulses. There are also plans for it to form the basis for developing a compact accelerator for medical or university applications, such as radiotherapy and compact light sources [1].

Pulsed swept-source FDML-MOPA laser with kilowatt picosecond pulses around 1550 nm.

Swept-source lasers are versatile light sources for spectroscopy, imaging, and microscopy. Swept-source-powered multiphoton microscopy can achieve high-speed, inertia-free point scanning with MHz line-scan rates. The recently introduced spectro-temporal laser imaging by diffractive excitation (SLIDE) technique employs swept-source lasers to achieve kilohertz imaging rates by using a swept-source laser in combination with a diffraction grating for point scanning. Multiphoton microscopy at a longer wavelength, especially in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) region, can have advantages in deep tissue penetration or applications in light detection and ranging (LiDAR). Here we present a swept-source laser around 1550 nm providing high-speed wavelength agility and high peak power pulses for nonlinear excitation. The swept-source laser is a Fourier-domain mode-locked (FDML) laser operating at 326 kHz sweep rate. For high peak powers, the continuous wave (cw) output is pulse modulated to short picosecond pulses and amplified using erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) to peak powers of several kilowatts. This FDML-master oscillator power amplifier (FDML-MOPA) setup uses reliable, low-cost fiber components. As proof-of-principle measurement, we show third-harmonic generation (THG) using harmonic nanoparticles at the 10 MHz pulse excitation rate. This new, to the best of our knowledge, laser source provides unique performance parameters for applications in nonlinear microscopy, spectroscopy, and ranging.

Wideband ultrafast mode-locked praseodymium- and erbium-doped fiber lasers using zinc phosphate at 1.3- and 1.5 µm

The nonlinear optical behavior of novel zinc phosphate-based saturable absorber (SA) was investigated for the first time in this work. Zinc phosphate was synthesized and coated over an arc-shaped fiber to work as a SA. The zinc phosphate SA was then optically characterized for linear and nonlinear optical absorption. Linear absorption of the zinc phosphate SA was 3.3 dB at 1301 nm and 3.9 dB at 1561 nm. The nonlinear optical analysis of the zinc phosphate SA showed a modulation depth of 18 %. The SA was then incorporated in a praseodymium (Pr3+) doped fluoride fiber laser (PDFFL) to achieve stretched pulse mode-locked pulses at 1.3 µm. Ultrashort pulses of 452 fs were obtained from the mode-locked PDFFL with a repetition rate of 0.4 MHz. A high pulse peak power of up to 29.6 kW was obtained at a maximum pump power of 196 mW. Also, incorporating SA in an erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) resulted in mode-locked laser operation at 1561 nm. The soliton mode-locked EDFL pulses of 900 fs duration and 19.14 MHz repetition rate were achieved at C-band. These demonstrations validate the wideband saturable absorption of zinc phosphate to generate short pulses in the femtosecond regime.

Ultrafast Buildup Dynamics of Terahertz Pulse Generation in Mode-Locked Quantum Cascade Lasers

Ultrashort terahertz pulse generation is essential for a range of proven terahertz applications, from time-resolved spectroscopy of fundamental excitations to nondestructive testing and imaging. Recently, it has been shown that semiconductor-based terahertz quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) can be used to generate pulses as short as a few picoseconds through active mode locking. However, further progress for subpicosecond and high peak power pulse generation is hampered by poor knowledge on how the electric field actually forms in these lasers. Here, we theoretically and experimentally show the amplitude- and phase-resolved buildup of pulse generation through active mode locking, from initiation of pulse generation to the nanosecond steady state. The experimental results, using an ultrafast coherent seeding technique to probe the laser from femtosecond to nanosecond time scales, are in full agreement with the theoretical calculations based on a theoretical model using multimode reduced rate equations. In particular, we show that the electric field buildup to achieve short pulse operation is extremely fast, requiring only a few photon round trips, owing to the ultrafast gain dynamics of the lasers. Further, this shows a gain recovery time of the order of a few picoseconds, an order of magnitude smaller than the photon round-trip time, highlighting that terahertz QCLs are categorically class-A lasers. This demonstration marks an important formulism for future progress towards exploring the ultrafast pulse generation buildup dynamics of these complex semiconductor lasers.

Recent advance of high-energy ultrafast mode-locked oscillators based on Mamyshev mechanism with different starting modes

The nonlinear effect of fiber limits the further increase in pulse energy, and Mamyshev oscillator shows outstanding advantages in managing nonlinearity in waveguide medium, which is now associated with high peak power and high pulse energy. The potential applications of these laser sources based on Mamyshev mechanism have facilitated aggressive research and innovative ideas by researchers around the world. Here, we focus on the mode-locked principle and starting dynamics of Mamyshev oscillator. The review of Mamyshev technology is summarized from two starting modes of seed source injection and self-starting. Initial research and significant progress in this field, plus new insights and challenges of Mamyshev oscillator for ultrafast fiber laser technology are analyzed.

Sub-nanosecond diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:LuAG ceramic microchip lasers

Diode-pumped continuous-wave and passively Q-switched Nd:LuAG ceramic microchip lasers at 1064 nm and 1053 nm have been demonstrated, for the first time to our knowledge. For the continuous-wave operation, the achieved maximum output powers of the two lasers reaches 1.62 W and 0.75 W, respectively. Using Cr:YAG crystal as saturable absorber, the two lasers can also been operated in passively Q-switched regimes with sub-nanosecond pulse durations of 489 ps and 556 ps, respectively. The maximum single pulse energy and pulse peak power for the 1064 nm and 1053 nm lasers are calculated to be about 22.25 μJ and 45.49 kW, as well as 12.74 μJ and 22.91 kW. All solid-state microchip lasers give the tremendous potential for high performance laser generation with sub-nanosecond short pulse duration, high single pulse energy and high pulse peak power.

High-sensitivity frequency comb carrier-envelope-phase metrology in solid state high harmonic generation

Non-perturbative and phase-sensitive light–matter interactions have led to the generation of attosecond pulses of light and the control of electrical currents on the same time scale. Traditionally, probing these effects via high harmonic generation has involved complicated lasers and apparatuses to generate the few-cycle and high peak power pulses needed to obtain and measure spectra that are sensitive to the phase of the light wave. Instead, we show that nonlinear effects dependent on the carrier-envelope phase can be accessed in solid state crystals with simple, low pulse energy frequency combs that we combine with high-sensitivity demodulation techniques to measure harmonic spectral modulations. Central to this advance is the use of a scalable 100 MHz erbium-fiber frequency comb at 1550 nm to produce 12 nJ, 20 fs pulses that are focused to the T W / c m 2 level. In a single pass through a 500 µm ZnO crystal, this yields harmonic spectra extending down to 200 nm. With this system, we introduce a technique of carrier-envelope amplitude modulation spectroscopy (CAMS) and use it to characterize the phase-sensitive modulation of the ultraviolet harmonics with an 85 dB signal-to-noise ratio. We further verify the non-perturbative nature of the harmonic generation through polarization gating of the driving pulse to increase the effects of the carrier-envelope phase. This work demonstrates robust and ultra-sensitive methods for generating and characterizing harmonic generation at 100 MHz rates that should provide advantages in the study of attosecond nonlinear processes in solid state systems. Additionally, as a simple and low-noise frequency comb, this broadband source will be useful for precision dual-comb spectroscopy of a range of physical systems across the ultraviolet and visible spectral regions (200–650 nm).

Frontier and Hot Topics of Pulsed Fiber Lasers via CiteSpace Scientometric Analysis: Passively Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers with Real Saturable Absorbers Based on Two-Dimensional Materials.

Pulsed fiber lasers, with high peak power and narrow pulse widths, have been proven to be an important tool for a variety of fields of application. In this work, frontier and hot topics in pulsed fiber lasers were analyzed with 11,064 articles. Benefitting from the scientometric analysis capabilities of CiteSpace, the analysis found that passively mode-locked fiber lasers with saturable absorbers (SAs) based on two-dimensional (2D) materials have become a hot research topic in the field of pulsed fiber lasers due to the advantages of self-starting operation, high stability, and good compatibility. The excellent nonlinear optical properties exhibited by 2D materials at nanometer-scale thicknesses have become a particularly popular research topic; the research has paved the way for exploring its wider applications. We summarize the performance of several typical 2D materials in ultrafast fiber lasers, such as graphene, topological insulators (TIs), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and black phosphorus (BP). Meanwhile, we review and analyze the direction of the development of 2D SAs for ultrafast fiber lasers.

Spectrally tunable high-power Yb:fiber chirped-pulse amplifier

Tailoring the properties of the driving laser to the need of applications often requires compromises among laser stability, high peak and average power levels, pulse duration, and spectral bandwidth. For instance, spectroscopy with optical frequency combs in the extreme/visible ultraviolet spectral region requires a high peak power of the near-IR driving laser, and therefore high average power, pulse duration of a few tens of fs, and maximal available spectral bandwidth. Contrarily, the parametric conversion efficiency is higher for pulses with a duration in the 100-fs range due to temporal walk-off and coating limitations. Here we suggest an approach to adjust the spectral characteristics of high-power chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) to the requirements of different nonlinear frequency converters while preserving the low-phase-noise (PN) properties of the system. To achieve spectral tunability, we installed a mechanical spectral shaper in a free-space section of the stretcher of an in-house-developed ytterbium-fiber-based CPA system. The CPA system delivers 100 W of average power at a repetition rate of 132.4 MHz. While gaining control over the spectral properties, we preserve the relative-intensity-noise and PN properties of the system. The high-power CPA can easily be adjusted to deliver either a spectrum ideal for mid-IR light generation (full width at half maximum of ∼ 11 nm , compressed pulse duration of 230 fs) or a spectrum ideal for highly nonlinear processes such as high-harmonic generation ( - 10 dB level of > 50 nm , transform-limited pulse duration of ∼ 65 fs ).

Spectral purification of single-frequency Stokes pulses in doubly resonant integrated diamond resonators

Pulsed spectrally pure light is required for applications in high-resolution spectroscopy, optical coherent communications, and quantum technologies. In this work, we report on the efficient generation of high peak power, single-frequency, and tunable nanosecond pulses utilizing stimulated scattering, with an increased spectral brightness by exploiting double resonances in an integrated diamond Raman resonator. The device is based on a miniature monolithic Fabry–Perot design pumped by a milliwatt-class average power Q-switched single-frequency pulsed laser at 532 nm. Our device was capable of enhancing the peak spectral brightness by greater than three times compared with conventional singly resonant diamond Raman lasers by tuning the effective resonator length at pump and Stokes wavelengths simultaneously. Our results facilitate the integration of pulsed and power scalable single frequency sources into hybrid photonic integrated platforms with a broad range of applications.

Diode-pumped passively Q-switched Yb[formula omitted]:LuYLaVO4 laser with GaAs saturable absorber

A passively Q-switched (PQS) Yb3+:LuYLaVO4 laser based on a GaAs saturable absorber is reported. The nonlinear saturable absorption property of GaAs has been studied, the saturation fluence, modulation depth and non-saturation loss were characterized to be 3.3 MW/cm2, 4.5% and 54.7%, respectively. In the PQS laser operation, the highest pulse repetition rate, shortest pulse width, largest single pulse energy and highest pulse peak power were measured to be 40 kHz, 4 ns, 16.7 μJ and 4.2 kW. The peak power achieved nearly three orders of magnitude improvement compared with the former Yb3+:LuYLaVO4 PQS lasers.

Dissipative pure-quartic soliton fiber laser.

The evolution of ultrafast laser technology hinges partially on the understanding of the soliton nonlinear dynamics. Recently, the concept of pure-quartic soliton (PQS) that arises from the balance of pure negative fourth-order dispersion (FOD) and nonlinearity was proposed to generate high peak power pulse. Herein, we investigate the generation of dissipative pure-quartic soliton (DPQS) in a fiber laser, which is balanced among the positive FOD, nonlinearity, gain and loss. The DPQS features the shape-preserving propagation despite the asymmetrical temporal profile at higher pulse energy. It is found that the asymmetrical temporal profile of DPQS is resulted from the mismatching of the phase shift profiles caused by self-phase modulation and FOD. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the DPQS possesses a higher energy-scaling ability compared to conventional dissipative soliton, owing to the nonlinear relationship between the pulse energy and pulse duration. These findings demonstrated that the employment of positive FOD could be a promising way for manipulation of optical pulse as well as the improvement of laser performance.

Generation of High Peak Power Pulses With Controllable Repetition Rate in Doubly Q-Switched Laser With AOM/SnSe2

By simultaneously employing self-made SnSe2 saturable absorber (SA) and an acous-to-optic modulator (AOM), a dual-loss-modulated Q-switched Nd:YVO4 laser with short pulse width, high peak power and adjustable pulse repetition rate is presented. The maximum pulse peak power of 37.57 KW with the minimum pulse duration of 5.52 ns were obtained under the pump power of 8 W and the pulse repetition rate of 5 kHz. The experimental results demonstrate that the dual-loss modulation technology with AOM and SnSe2 SA is a simple and efficient method to generate short pulses with high peak power and adjustable low repetition rates.

Experimental investigation and optimization of femtosecond laser processing parameters of silicon carbide–based on response surface methodology

The femtosecond laser, with its extremely high peak power and ultrashort pulse duration, is widely used in silicon carbide (SiC) processing. Herein, the response surface method was used to develop four quadratic regression models to predict the groove depth, width, heat affected zone (HAZ), and material removal rate (MRR). The effects of each parameter were investigated using variance analysis. In addition, the interaction of processing parameters with groove depth, width, HAZ and MRR was investigated, which provided an important analysis for the precise selection of processing parameters. The laser fluence is shown to significantly impact the groove depth, width, HAZ, and MRR. The scan speed significantly influences the groove depth, width, and HAZ but not the MRR. The repetition rate and multipass scanning significantly influence the groove depth, HAZ, and MRR but only moderately influence the groove width. The models show that changing the energy received by the groove can change the groove depth, width, HAZ, and MRR. The groove depth, width, and HAZ increase as the laser fluence, repetition rate, and multipass scanning increase; and they decrease as the scan speed increases. The MRR increases as laser fluence and multipass scanning increase. Meanwhile, the MRR varies slightly with repetition rate and scan speed. A nonlinear functional relationship exists in the interaction process of processing parameters. The processing parameters were optimized using response surface methodology with the maximum MRR and minimum HAZ as the objective function. Within the range of the processing parameters used, the average relative error between the experimental and predicted values was less than 5%. Consequently, the established regression models can accurately predict the groove depth, width, HAZ, and MRR in SiC femtosecond laser processing.

Immediate effect of Nd:YAG laser monotherapy on subgingival periodontal pathogens: a pilot clinical study.

PurposeThis pilot study assessed the immediate in vivo effect of high peak pulse power neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser monotherapy on selected red/orange complex periodontal pathogens in deep human periodontal pockets.MethodsTwelve adults with severe periodontitis were treated with the Laser-Assisted New Attachment Procedure (LANAP®) surgical protocol, wherein a free-running, digitally pulsed, Nd:YAG dental laser was used as the initial therapeutic step before mechanical root debridement. Using a flexible optical fiber in a handpiece, Nd:YAG laser energy, at a density of 196 J/cm2 and a high peak pulse power of 1,333 W/pulse, was directed parallel to untreated tooth root surfaces in sequential coronal-apical passes to clinical periodontal probing depths, for a total applied energy dose of approximately 8–12 joules per millimeter of periodontal probing depth at each periodontal site. Subgingival biofilm specimens were collected from each patient before and immediately after Nd:YAG laser monotherapy from periodontal pockets exhibiting ≥6 mm probing depths and bleeding on probing. Selected red/orange complex periodontal pathogens (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Prevotella intermedia/nigrescens, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Parvimonas micra, and Campylobacter species) were quantified in the subgingival samples using established anaerobic culture techniques.ResultsAll immediate post-treatment subgingival biofilm specimens continued to yield microbial growth after Nd:YAG laser monotherapy. The mean levels of total cultivable red/orange complex periodontal pathogens per patient significantly decreased from 12.0% pre-treatment to 4.9% (a 59.2% decrease) immediately after Nd:YAG laser monotherapy, with 3 (25%) patients rendered culture-negative for all evaluated red/orange complex periodontal pathogens.ConclusionsHigh peak pulse power Nd:YAG laser monotherapy, used as the initial step in the LANAP® surgical protocol on mature subgingival biofilms, immediately induced significant reductions of nearly 60% in the mean total cultivable red/orange complex periodontal pathogen proportions per patient prior to mechanical root instrumentation and the rest of the LANAP® surgical protocol.

Pulsed High-Peak Power Microwaves at 9.4 GHz Do Not Affect Basic Endpoints in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Because of the extensive application of electromagnetic technology, its health impact on humans has attracted widespread attention. Due to the lack of a model organism with a stable response to electromagnetic waves, the research conclusions on the biological effects of electromagnetic waves have been vague. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of irradiation by pulsed 9.4 GHz high-power microwaves with a peak power density of 2126 W/cm2 using Caenorhabditis elegans. The development, movement, egg production, ROS, and lifespan of C. elegans were detected at different times after irradiation with different repetitive frequencies of 10, 20, and 50 Hz for 30 min. The results indicated that no obvious changes in basic life indices were induced compared with the sham radiation group, but the survival rate of positive control was significantly decreased compared with other groups, which is of interest for microwave protection research based on C. elegans and provides data for updating safety standards with respect to pulsed high-peak power microwave. © 2021 Bioelectromagnetics Society.