Laser Frequency Research Articles

Pound–Drever–Hall feedforward: laser phase noise suppression beyond feedback

Pound–Drever–Hall (PDH) laser frequency stabilization is a powerful technique widely used for building narrow linewidth lasers. This technique is, however, ineffective in suppressing high-frequency (>100kHz) laser phase noise detrimental for many applications. Here, we introduce an effective method that can greatly enhance its high-frequency performance. The idea is to recycle the residual PDH signal of a laser locked to a cavity by feedforwarding it directly to the laser output field after a delay fiber. Using this straightforward method, we demonstrate a phase noise suppression capability about four orders of magnitude better than just using the usual PDH feedback for noise around a few MHz. We further find that this method exhibits noise suppression performance equivalent to cavity filtering. This method holds great promise for applications demanding highly stable lasers with diminished phase noise up to tens of MHz (e.g., precise and high-speed control of atomic and molecular quantum states).

Near Ultraviolet-Excitable Cyan-Emissive Hybrid Copper(I) Halides Nonlinear Optical Crystals with Near-Unity Photoluminescence Quantum Yield and High-Efficiency X-ray Scintillation.

Designing and synthesizing multifunctional hybrid copper halides with near ultraviolet (NUV) light-excited high-energy emission (<500 nm) remains challenging. Here, a pair of broadband-excited high-energy emitting isomers, namely, α-/β-(MePh3P)2CuI3 (MePh3P=methyltriphenylphosphonium), were synthesized. α-(MePh3P)2CuI3 with blue emission peaking at 475 nm is firstly discovered wherein its structure contains regular [CuI3]2- triangles and crystallizes in centrosymmetric space group P21/c. While β-(MePh3P)2CuI3 featuring distorted [CuI3]2- planar triangles shows inversion symmetry breaking and crystallizes in the noncentrosymmetric space group P21, which exhibits cyan emission peaking at 495 nm with prominent near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield and the excitation band ranging from 200 to 450 nm. Intriguingly, β-(MePh3P)2CuI3 exhibits phase-matchable second-harmonic generation response of 0.54×KDP and a suitable birefringence of 0.06@1064 nm. Furthermore, β-(MePh3P)2CuI3 also can be excited by X-ray radioluminescence with a high scintillation light yield of 16193 photon/MeV and an ultra-low detection limit of 47.97 nGy/s, which is only 0.87 % of the standard medical diagnosis (5.5 μGy/s). This work not only promotes the development of solid-state lighting, laser frequency conversion and X-ray imaging, but also provides a reference for constructing multifunctional hybrid metal halides.

Research on frequency response effect of microwave photonic filter based on Brillouin effect

Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) effect is a typical third-order optical nonlinearity that can be generated in various media through the excitation by intense light. Due to the excellent characteristics of the SBS laser, such as low threshold, wide ultra-narrow line width, and counter-propagating scattering light of adjacent orders, it has been widely applied in fields like high-resolution spectrometry, optical sensing, and quantum computing. This paper utilizes the OptiSystem software for simulation and explores the integration of microwave filters with the SBS effect. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of adjusting the pump branch laser frequency to achieve tunable filter passband characteristics.

Quality improvement of BaGa4Se7 crystal by annealing in BaSe vapor atmosphere

Infrared nonlinear optical crystals are widely used in all-solid-state lasers as pivotal devices for laser frequency conversion. BaGa4Se7 (BGSe) crystal has attracted much attention due to its excellent optical properties. However, the presence of point defects in BGSe increases the absorption loss and reduces the laser-induced damage threshold, thus limiting its practical application in high-power mid- and far-infrared lasers. Therefore, it is crucial to reveal the types of defects and their formation mechanisms in BGSe crystal, which is conducive to the design of rational strategies to improve the crystal quality. In this work, the defect activation energies were calculated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and the existence of three types of defects, GaBa, VSe and VBa were verified in the as grown BGSe crystal. Therefore, a thermal annealing process under BaSe vapor was rationally designed to compensate for the loss of Ba and Se elements and to reduce the defect concentration in BGSe. In addition, the changes of defects in BGSe crystal were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. All the experimental results confirm that the defect concentration in BGSe decreases greatly and the crystal quality is significantly improved after annealing in BaSe vapor.

The Uncertainty Evaluation of Determining the Trace H2S in SF6/N2 Insulating Gas Mixture by Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy

Abstract H2S is one of the most important characteristic components of sulfur hexafluoride gas insulated electrical equipment. The detection of trace H2S is of great significance for early fault diagnosis of such equipment. Based on the 1578 nm wavelength distributed feedback diode laser (DFB-DL), cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) can effectively measure the concentration of trace H2S in SF6/N2 gas mixtures. Starting from the principle of methodology, this article establishes a mathematical model for evaluating the measurement uncertainty of CRDS and analyzes its sources of uncertainty: gas constant R1 , temperature T, Avogadro constant NA , gas pressure p in the optical cavity, volume V of the optical cavity, speed c of light, the absorption cross-section parameter σ(ν) of H2S molecules in the laser frequency ν, the ring-down time τ with absorption sample H2S and the ring-down time τ0 without absorption sample. After evaluating the uncertainty components, it was found that the main component was σ(ν) and the secondary components were τ and τ0. The H2S content in the 80% SF6-20% N2 mixed gas measured is (7.64 ± 0.12) × 10−6 mol/mol.

Turning up the HEAT Surgical simulation of the Moses 2.0 laser in an anatomic model.

With advancements in laser technology, urologists have been able to treat urinary calculi more efficiently by increasing the energy delivered to the stone. With increases in power used, there is an increase in temperatures generated during laser lithotripsy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the thermal dose and temperatures generated with four laser settings at a standardized power in a high-fidelity, anatomic model. Using high-fidelity, 3D-printed hydrogel models of a pelvicalyceal collecting system with a synthetic BegoStone implanted in the renal pelvis, surgical simulation of ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy was performed with the Moses 2.0 holmium laser. At a standard power (40 W) and irrigation pressure (100 cm H2O), we evaluated operator duty cycle (ODC) variations with different time-on intervals at four different laser settings. Temperature was measured at two separate locations: at the stone and ureteropelvic junction. Greater cumulative thermal doses and maximal temperatures were achieved with greater ODCs and longer laser activation periods. There were statistically significant differences between the thermal doses and temperature profiles of the laser settings evaluated. Temperatures were greater closer to the tip of the laser fiber. Laser energy and frequency play an important role in the thermal loads delivered during laser lithotripsy. Urologists must perform laser lithotripsy cautiously when aggressively treating large renal pelvis stones, as dangerous temperatures can be reached. To reduce the risk of causing thermal tissue injury, urologists should consider reducing their ODC and laser-on time.

Role of blue-shift length in macroscopic properties of high-harmonic generation

The production of brighter coherent XUV radiation by intense laser pulses through the process of high-harmonic generation (HHG) is one of the central challenges in contemporary nonlinear optics. We study the generation and spatial propagation of high harmonics analytically and via ab initio simulations. We focus on the length scales defining the growth of the harmonic signal with propagation distance and show that the well-known coherence length limits HHG only for relatively low driving intensities. For higher intensities, the photoionisation of the medium, naturally accompanying HHG, leads to essentially transient phase matching and laser frequency blue shift. By systematically taking both of these factors into account, we demonstrate that the behaviour of the harmonic signal at higher intensities is defined by another length scale—the blue-shift length. In this generation regime the XUV intensity at a given frequency first grows quadratically and then saturates passing the blue-shift length, but the total harmonic efficiency continues growing linearly due to the linear increase of the harmonic line bandwidth. The changeover to this generation regime takes place for all harmonic orders roughly simultaneously. The rate of the efficiency growth is maximal if the atomic dispersion is compensated by photoelectrons near the centre of the laser pulse. Our theory offers a robust way to choose the generation conditions that optimise the growth of the harmonic signal with propagation.

Computational insights into the static, solvent and frequency-dependent nonlinear optical properties of head-to-tail novel non-fullerene compounds for modern electro-optic applications

Addressing the growing demand of novel nonlinear optical (NLO) materials, hyper-rayleigh-scattering (HRS) in solution, static and frequency-dependent NLO properties of novel IsoIDTC-based derivatives (AFS1-AFS9) are computed at laser frequencies of 1064 nm and 532 nm to explore SHG β (−2ω, ω, ω) and EOPE β (−ω, ω, 0) for modern electro-optic applications. Structural, electrical, and NLO features were calculated using DFT, and TDDFT modeling, HRS, and DR measurement. The polar, non-polar solvent, and gas phase NLO properties show the highest linear polarizability of 8.92 × 102 a.u. (AFS8) in water, 9.68 × 102 a.u. (AFS5) in gas, and 9.56 × 102 a.u. (AFS) in benzene. AFS8 push-pulls exhibit the highest first hyper-polarizability (βtot) at 1.05 × 105 a.u. and 1.47 × 105 a.u. in gas and benzene solvent, respectively. The proposed chromophores showed substantial SHG and EOPE values at 532 nm and 1064 nm lasers compared toIDT, hence, allowed the successful synthesis of NLO materials for future cutting-edge optoelectronic applications.

Simplified 1.5 μm Distributed Feedback Semiconductor Laser (DFB-LD) Frequency Stabilization System Based on Gas Absorption Chamber

The classical 1.5 μm band frequency-stabilized laser using acetylene gas saturated absorption can achieve high frequency stability and reproducibility, but its system design is complex and bulky. For some practical applications, a simple, compact system containing anti-interference abilities is preferred. In this study, a low-cost and simple-structured 1.5 μm frequency-stabilized laser is constructed using digital control methods, wavelength modulation technology, and acetylene gas absorption. The fiber input and output optical devices of the system significantly simplify the optical path and reduce the volume of the system. The error signal is obtained by the first-order differential method, and a combination of the high-speed comparator circuit and the microcontroller unit (MCU) is used to detect the error signal. Through the feedback control method of coarse temperature adjustment and fine current adjustment, the second-level frequency stability of the laser is stabilized within 100 kHz, that is, the frequency stability reaches 10​−10. The designed system achieved continuous and stable operation for more than 6 h, and the long-term frequency stability reached 10​−9.

Effect of laser shock peening on cylinder-on-flat torsional fretting wear resistance performance of titanium alloy

Torsional fretting wear is a commonly wear form in assemblies, while its inherent concealment and debris evolution make it difficult to study. Titanium alloy, widely used in aviation and aerospace, suffer from fretting wear under complex alternating load. In this paper, the effects of laser shock peening (LSP), fretting amplitude, and frequency on cylinder-on-flat torsional fretting wear of TC21 alloy was investigated. The friction torque and fretting loop were illustrated to identify the fretting regime. Results shown that LSP reconstructed surface morphology, increased surface roughness and hardness, meanwhile reduced the wear volume of titanium by more than 30 %. The fretting wear mechanisms varied with amplitude: lower amplitudes led to oxidation and adhesive wear, while higher amplitudes caused oxidation and abrasive wear. The results of wear volume shown that the influence of fretting frequency on wear was related to the difficulty of wear debris discharge.

Drag increase behavior of micro-textured concave titanium surface generated by oblique laser etching

Titanium alloy has been widely used in the clinical preparation of artificial jawbone implants due to its excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Artificial bone implantation drug-carrying research can realize the targeted release of drugs at the lesion, however, it is still at the technical bottleneck in inhibiting the sudden release of drugs. In this paper, based on the typical wettability model, a drug-loading and release-retarding method for artificial titanium jawbone drug-storage microcapacitor has been proposed by studying the oblique laser etching process of the inner surface of the drug-storage capsule and by investigating the resistance-enhancing mechanism of the texturization of concave surface of the inner wall. Using the oblique laser etching texture, the contact angle measurement reveals that when the laser frequency is 40KHz, the laser pulse width is 11 ns, the scanning speed is 130 mm/s, and the laser incidence angle is kept at 30° and the number of processing is one, the minimum surface contact angle can be obtained is only 8°. By combining the “3 + 2″ nanosecond laser etching device with the laser depth of focus theory, a curved surface laser etching process method was proposed. A titanium alloy jawbone with drug-carrying cavities was printed using SLM 3D printing technology, and the drag-enhancing effect of the texture was verified using sodium fluorescein labeling method, and it was found that the hydrophilic microtexture had a significant drag-enhancing effect on the liquid flow in the microfluidic channel.

Effects of Physical Therapy in The Postoperative Period of Plastic Surgery: An Integrative Review

Introduction: The practice of plastic surgery began in the field of reconstructive surgery, in an attempt to recover the functionality of some area of ​​the body or give it a more natural appearance. In this sense, the role of the physical therapist is recommended in various aesthetic surgeries that, through physical therapy resources and techniques, promote tissue healing, reduce the appearance of adhesions, and reduce or eliminate pain, bruises, and edema. Objective: to identify the effects of physical therapy in the postoperative period of plastic surgery. Methodology: This is an integrative literature review, in which there will be a review of articles related to the study of the effects of physical therapy assistance applied to the postoperative period of plastic surgery. Articles related to the proposed theme were included, published between 2011 and 2024, available in full, without language restriction; in addition to theses, dissertations, and monographs. Exclusion criteria were literature review articles, articles or abstracts that had been published in conference proceedings; as well as letters from editors and preprints. Results and discussions: it can show that physiotherapy in the postoperative period of plastic surgery is essential in reducing recovery time, reducing edema, improving the healing process, and preventing the risk of complications in the postoperative period. The main physiotherapeutic resources and techniques were: lymphatic drainage, ultrasound, radiofrequency, laser, and high frequency. Regarding plastic surgeries, the most frequent in the literature were: abdominoplasty, blepharoplasty, rhytidectomy, and liposuction. Final considerations: Dermatofunctional physiotherapy is of paramount importance in the postoperative period of plastic surgery. It is essential in reducing recovery time and reducing the risks arising from surgery.

Investigations on the interaction of laser parameters for efficient microdrilling of NiTiV smart alloy system

Ni–Ti shape memory alloys (SMAs) are popular in current research due to their usefulness and mechanical properties. At different temperatures, Ni–Ti alloys transition from austenite to martensite. To restore high-temperature memory in nickel-titanium SMAs, vanadium (V) is added as an alloying element. For Ni–Ti-based SMAs, the fiber laser is one of the best machining procedures for bio-implants, actuators, and aircraft engine parts. Using a Box–Behnken design to experiment with laser power, nozzle distance, cutting speed, and frequency, this study examines fiber laser micro-drilled Ni50Ti48V2 SM alloy material removal and hole taper angle. By increasing power (P), frequency (F), and cutting speed (C S ), Ni50Ti48V2 alloy material removal rate (MRR) increased by 75.79%. The hole taper angle (HTA) dropped 75.33% when cutting speed, laser power and frequency decreased. Lowering cutting speed and laser power increases micro-hole circularity and reduces HTA. Upon surface topographical inspection, debris and molten materials were found on the drilled surface. The flow of nitrogen gas caused materials to diffuse on the Ni50Ti48V2 alloy’s entry and exit surfaces, changing surface roughness. High parameters influence surface roughness, HTA, and circularity due to nitrogen gas flow. The material’s DSC and XRD tests confirmed its suitability for biomedical microhole production.

Wideband finely tunable, ultralow-phase noise microwave generation in a Brillouin cavity.

A novel, to the best of our knowledge, approach to generate frequency-tunable microwave sources with low-phase-noise based on a Brillouin laser frequency comb is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The Brillouin laser frequency comb is generated by combining stimulated Brillouin scattering, frequency shifting optical injection locking, modulation sideband optical injection locking (MSOIL), and four-wave mixing effects. By beating the generated comb lines, the microwave is generated with an extremely low-level phase noise of -120 dBc/Hz at a 10-kHz offset. The frequency of the microwave signal can be finely tuned in steps of a Brillouin cavity mode spacing (i.e., 2 MHz) and coarsely adjusted to integer times the applied RF signal frequency in the MSOIL unit. Remarkably, the phase noise of the microwave source can be kept at almost the same low level during the whole tuning process over the frequency range of 30-75 GHz. The proposed tunable low-phase-noise microwave generation approach has great potential applications in communications, radars, and metrology.

Femtosecond laser ablation responses of kerogen-rich, argillaceous, and bituminous shale rocks

Shale rocks have become one of the major sources of natural gas and oil. Laser drilling has emerged as a promising technique that can be incorporated into horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing processes. In this study, we selected three types of shales (kerogen-rich, argillaceous, and bituminous) with distinct compositions and microstructures and performed femtosecond laser irradiation with different power and energy to investigate their ablation characteristics. Evidence of melting and solidification was observed in all samples, despite the ultra-high pulse frequency of the femtosecond laser. Among the three types of shale rocks, the kerogen-rich shale exhibited the highest ablation rate, while argillaceous and bituminous shale showed lower and comparable rates. The above observations highlight the significance of shale chemistry in influencing laser ablation characteristics under femtosecond laser irradiation. Furthermore, no ablation rate anisotropy was observed when irradiating the samples parallel with and perpendicular to the bedding direction, although shale rocks are microstructurally and mechanically anisotropic.

Multi-energy field simulation and experimental research on laser composite machining of micro-holes

Thin-walled micro-holes are frequently used in aerospace components to achieve specific functions, such as heat dissipation and filtration. However, traditional manufacturing technologies face difficulties in achieving precision machining of these holes due to deformation caused by cutting force or heat. Laser machining is a highly flexible and efficient advanced processing technology that aims to achieve precise machining of thin-walled holes. However, it is important to note that the thermal energy generated by the laser can cause deformation of the thin walls. To address these issues, this paper proposes a process that combines laser and backside electrochemical composite machining. The model for laser electrochemical composite processing after through-hole formation suggests that the laser's temperature rise effect on the electrolyte can significantly enhance the efficiency of electrochemical processing. Furthermore, the laser exerts a micro-zone stirring effect on the electrolyte in the processed micro-zone, which promotes the liquid-phase mass transfer process during the electrochemical reaction. Furthermore, a one-way experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of the main laser parameters on the processing results. The results indicated that higher laser power, as well as lower laser frequency and scanning speed, significantly reduced the edge damage and pore taper of the processed micro-holes. The language used is clear, concise, and objective, adhering to a formal register and avoiding biased or ornamental language. Technical terms are consistently used and explained when first introduced. The text is grammatically correct and free from spelling and punctuation errors. Furthermore, this process has significantly reduced the oxygen content and surface roughness of the sidewalls of the micro-holes.

Numerical investigation on nonlinear dynamics of two-state quantum dot laser subject to optical injection

Based on the cascade relaxation model of the quantum dot (QD) lasers, the nonlinear dynamics of a two-state QD laser subject to optical injection is numerically studied. The simulation results show that, for a two-state QD laser operating at the ground-state (GS) and excited-state (ES) emission simultaneously, through adjusting the injection parameters, the two emission states can display the stable (S), injection locking (IL), suppression (SP), period-one (P1), period-two (P2), multi-period (MP), and chaotic pulse (CP) states when the frequency of the injection light is close to the GS lasing frequency. Further mapping of these dynamic states in the parameter space of frequency detuning and injection strength, it is found that the complex dynamic behaviors are mainly distributed in the negative frequency detuning region. In addition, the complexity of the chaotic signal is qualified by the permutation entropy (PE) calculating, and the high complexity signal with PE value over 0.95 is obtained. Moreover, within a certain frequency detuning range, the ES emission can be effectively suppressed by increasing the injection strength.

Active offset-frequency control of optical frequency comb via sum-frequency mixing of passively mode-locked laser and continuous-wave laser

We propose a method for actively controlling the frequency of an optical frequency comb (OFC) using sum-frequency generation (SFG) with a nonlinear crystal. For the first time, OFC generation was experimentally demonstrated via sum-frequency mixing of a narrowband continuous wave (CW) laser and a passively mode-locked fiber laser. By adjusting the optical frequency of the CW laser, we successfully controlled the offset-frequency of the SFG-OFC, which was mapped from the OFC of the pulse pump laser. Furthermore, by comparing the spectral widths of the SFG-OFC modes generated from two CW lasers with different spectral widths, we confirmed that the spectral characteristics of the SFG-OFC modes depended on the spectral features of the CW laser.

Cross-dispersion spectrograph calibration using only a laser frequency comb

High-resolution cross-dispersion spectrographs are widely used in spectroscopy, but the two-dimensional format of the spectrum requires sophisticated calibration, conventionally performed by illuminating the instrument with a broadband hollow-cathode lamp and cross-referencing the result to an emission-line atlas. Here, we introduce a new technique to completely calibrate a high-resolution echelle spectrograph using only a laser frequency comb. Selected individual comb lines are removed from a broadband 20 GHz laser frequency comb—revealing their exact location in the spectrograph echellogram—and wavelength-tagged with sub-fm accuracy. In a complementary procedure, the comb is reduced to contain one line per echellogram order, enabling the spectrograph’s free spectral range to be visualized and the exact concatenation between orders to be determined. In this way, the complete calibration of the high-resolution spectrograph is achieved using only a laser frequency comb, directly providing GPS-referenced accuracy without the need to bootstrap the calibration by indexing the comb modes using a broadband atomic-line source.

Thermal-noise-limited ultra-stable laser operated at 698 nm

Ultra-stable lasers are indispensable in high precision measurements. Here we demonstrate an ultra-stable laser system that reaches the thermal noise limit of the optical cavity for the 698 nm clock transition laser of strontium atomic optical clock. This is achieved by locking the frequency of the external-cavity diode laser (ECDL) to a full ULE optical cavity with a length of 10 cm. By suppressing noise such as temperature disturbance, vibration, residual amplitude modulation (RAM), and fiber phase noise, the measured laser linewidth is less than 0.9 Hz. After subtracting the linear drift of 60 mHz/s, the frequency instability of the beat signal reaches 1.2 × 10−15 at 1 s averaging time, which is close to the thermal noise limit of the optical cavity.