Propagation Of Ultrashort Laser Pulses Research Articles

Ultrafast nonlinear optical response of layered violet phosphorus for femtosecond noise-like pulse generation

As a new member of two-dimensional (2D) phosphorene, 2D layered violet phosphorus (VP) has unique optoelectronic properties and good environmental stability, showing its huge advantages in optoelectronic applications. In this paper, the ultrafast nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of layered VP nanosheets at 1 µm band were explored, which exhibit an obvious saturable absorption response with a modulation depth of ∼1.97%. Meanwhile, the fast and slow carrier lifetimes of VP nanosheets at 1µm band were also determined as 295.9 fs and 2.36 ps, respectively, which are much shorter than that of most reported 2D materials. The excellent saturable absorption response combined with ultrashort carrier lifetimes indicate the prospect of layered VP nanosheets as a fast saturable absorber (SA) for ultrafast laser modulation. Then we demonstrated a Yb-doped fiber laser based on the VP-deposited taper-shaped fiber (TSF) SA, which delivers stable Q-switched mode-locked (QSML) pulses, dual-wavelength mode-locked pulses and 404-fs noise-like pulses. This work fully demonstrates the great potential of 2D VP materials for 1 µm ultrashort laser pulse generation.

Structural, spectroscopi c and laser properties of transparent Tm:YScO3 ceramic based on gas-phase synthesized nanoparticles

Owing to the combination of good thermo-optical properties and inhomogeneously broadened fluorescence spectra suitable for ultrashort laser pulse generation, rare-earth doped solid solutions of sesquioxides (Y,Lu,Sc)2O3 have attracted considerable interest in recent years. In this study, compositionally disordered Tm3+-doped YScO3 transparent ceramic was fabricated using solid-state vacuum sintering of nanopowder produced using laser ablation of solid target in air flow. The as-synthesized powder consisted of weakly aggregated spherical particles having 20 nm diameter and a mostly monoclinic (space group C2/m) crystal structure, whose symmetry was transformed into cubic (space group Ia-3) by calcination at 1050 °C. From high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), we observed a homogeneous distribution of components both throughout individual nanoparticles and 100-nm-thick ceramic foil resulting in high structural and optical quality of the obtained samples. The sintered ceramic featured an optical transmission of 77% at 600 nm and above 81% near 2 μm, an average grain size of 24.2 μm and a content of scattering centers of 26.1 ppm. The absorption spectra at several temperatures, from 93 K to 293 K, were measured and the corresponding absorption coefficients were obtained by Lambert-Beer formula in the range from 600 nm to 900 nm and from 1400 nm to 2100 nm. In particular, the room temperature absorption cross section at 794 nm and 1634 nm were determined to be σabs = 4.25 × 10−21 cm2 and σabs = 5.01 × 10−21 cm2 respectively. Concerning the emission cross section it was calculated by Fuchtbauer-Ladenburg equation starting from the fluorescence spectrum acquired at the laser work temperature: at 1951 nm and 2106 nm corresponding to the main two emission peaks belonging the curve, it was found σem = 9.2 × 10−21 cm2 and σem = 4.9 × 10−21 cm2, respectively. Finally, it was tested the laser behavior of the ceramic: pumped at 793 nm in quasi-CW mode it delivered 1.27 W of output power with a slope efficiency of 10.33% at 2081 nm. The tunability curve spans from 1942 nm to 2110 nm (i.e. 168 nm).

Proposal of a novel analytical method for simultaneous ultra-broadband and ultrashort laser pulses generation in photonic crystal fibers with optimized manufacturing process

In this paper, a novel method for simultaneous ultra-broadband and ultrashort femtosecond laser pulse generation in silica photonic crystal fibers is investigated analytically using the fully vectorial effective index method (FVEIM). By reducing the impact of fifth and lower-order dispersions, the method produces narrower laser pulses and wider supercontinuum using a fixed soliton order over a specific distance of the fiber. Additionally, the larger effective areas utilized in this approach make the manufacturing process simpler compared to other samples. These simultaneous features represent the primary innovations of this study.

Emergence of polynomial external potentials in solitonic hierarchies: Applications to the nonisospectral LPDE model

Inspired by the work of Akira Hasegawa, recently published in Optik 279 (2023) 170769, we set ourselves the task of explaining in detail how external nonstationary polynomial potentials appear in the nonisospectral NLSE hierarchy. We consider possible applications for observing solitonic regimes of propagation of ultrashort laser pulses in optical fibers. Our main goal is pedagogical, and our central point is the detailed derivation of new equations resulting from the application of the concept of nonautonomous solitons. It is revealed that complex potentials arise as polynomial series of the fourth degree of the spatial coordinate Uext(x,t)=α0(t)+α1(t)x+α2(t)x2+α3(t)x3+α4(t)x4, if the derivative of the spectral parameter is also expanded into a polynomial series of the spectral parameter up to the second order Λt(t)=λ0t+λ1(t)Λ+λ2(t)Λ2. It is predicted that new fourth-order nonlinear models arise if and only if the NLSE operator, the mKdV complex operator, and the fourth-order LPDE operators are connected by the extended Hirota constraint. We focus on exact analytical solutions and basic dynamic regimes of formation and interaction of new phase-modulated nonautonomous solitons of the nonisospectral LPDE model with fourth-order and time-dependent polynomial potentials.

Exceeding the Boundaries of the Paraxial Spatiotemporal Nonlinear Optics and Filamentation for Ultrashort Laser Pulses.

An impressive phenomenon of observed plasma instability and conical emission under the propagation of ultrashort laser pulses in the air is reported. The discussed novel findings demonstrating nonlinear effects are incapable to be explained in the standard spatiotemporal paraxial optics. Three main mechanisms are investigated. The first one is related to the nonlinear nonparaxial mechanisms for waveguiding of femtosecond pulses, and the second one considers the mechanism of single filament formation at weak ionization. The third mechanism demonstrates a new physical effect leading to collision ionization with intensities in the range of 1010-1011 W/cm2. Furthermore, a new ionization regime of instability is suggested at intensities below the critical thresholds for multiphoton and tunnel ionization. The experimental results and findings are supported by theoretical analyses and numerical simulations.

“Stealth Scripts”: Ultrashort Pulse Laser Luminescent Microscale Encoding of Bulk Diamonds via Ultrafast Multi-Scale Atomistic Structural Transformations

The ultrashort-laser photoexcitation and structural modification of buried atomistic optical impurity centers in crystalline diamonds are the key enabling processes in the fabrication of ultrasensitive robust spectroscopic probes of electrical, magnetic, stress, temperature fields, and single-photon nanophotonic devices, as well as in "stealth" luminescent nano/microscale encoding in natural diamonds for their commercial tracing. Despite recent remarkable advances in ultrashort-laser predetermined generation of primitive optical centers in diamonds even on the single-center level, the underlying multi-scale basic processes, rather similar to other semiconductors and dielectrics, are almost uncovered due to the multitude of the involved multi-scale ultrafast and spatially inhomogeneous optical, electronic, thermal, and structural elementary events. We enlighten non-linear wavelength-, polarization-, intensity-, pulsewidth-, and focusing-dependent photoexcitation and energy deposition mechanisms in diamonds, coupled to the propagation of ultrashort laser pulses and ultrafast off-focus energy transport by electron-hole plasma, transient plasma- and hot-phonon-induced stress generation and the resulting variety of diverse structural atomistic modifications in the diamond lattice. Our findings pave the way for new forthcoming groundbreaking experiments and comprehensive enlightening two-temperature and/or atomistic modeling both in diamonds and other semiconductor/dielectric materials, as well as innovative technological breakthroughs in the field of single-photon source fabrication and "stealth" luminescent nano/microencoding in bulk diamonds for their commercial tracing.

Propagation characteristics of relativistic ultrashort laser pulse in inhomogeneous plasma

We study the propagation of a relativistic ultrashort laser pulse in two-dimensional inhomogeneous plasma with a density ripple based on the theoretical analysis and the particle-in-cell simulation. An analytical solution of the laser pulse propagating in the homogeneous plasma is completely obtained. It is found that the stable propagation of the relativistic ultrashort laser pulse in homogeneous plasma can be realized, and the propagation distance and intensity of the laser pulse and the spatial distribution of electron density can be effectively modulated by adjusting the pulsewidth of the incident laser and the plasma frequency. More interestingly, in the inhomogeneous plasma with a density ripple, when the wave amplitude of the density ripple is less than a critical value, the intensity of the ultrashort laser pulse is almost unchanged and the propagation characteristics of the laser in the inhomogeneous plasma are basically consistent with those in the homogeneous plasma. However, when the wave amplitude of the density ripple is larger than the critical value, the inhomogeneity of the plasma has an obvious effect on the laser characteristics, and the intensity and the spatial distribution of the laser pulse will be modulated by the plasma density ripple. The influence of the laser pulsewidth, plasma density, and plasma density ripple on the laser characteristics is discussed in detail.

Nonlinear absorption in lithium triborate frequency converters for high-power ultrafast lasers.

We report on an analysis of the nonlinear absorption in lithium triborate (LBO) used for second and third harmonic generation of ultrashort laser pulses at average powers in the order of kW and with sub-picosecond pulse duration. Thermographic imaging of the LBO crystals together with a simple analytical model revealed the presence of nonlinear absorption in both harmonic generation processes. Subsequent processing with a numerical model considering the nonlinear mixing, the absorption, and the heat conduction was used to estimate the absorption coefficients. Average powers exceeding 100 W in the ultraviolet and 400 W in the visible spectral range were obtained while maintaining a good beam quality by avoiding excessive nonlinear absorption.

Ultra-Short Pulses Generation of Free Electron Laser

The major problem facing the development of civil and military laser applications lies in the attempts to obtain short pulses close to the length of the bond that connects the atoms of certain materials. In this paper, an executable program has been constructed to simulate and analyze the generation of ultra-short free electron laser pulses; it contains several parameters directing the creation of short pulses within a time duration of femtoseconds (fs). On analyzing the simulation results, it can be concluded that it is possible to generate ultra-short pulses with a duration of about 7.4 – 87.4 fs with the storage ring free-electron laser Fabry–Perot resonator with noticeably short wavelengths (11.4–190.2) for the output laser beam. KEYWORDS Homogenous broadening; SR-FEL; undulator; energy spread gain; Q- switching

Rogue waves in the three-level defocusing coupled Maxwell–Bloch equations

The coupled Maxwell–Bloch (CMB) system is a fundamental model describing the propagation of ultrashort laser pulses in a resonant medium with coherent three-level atomic transitions. In this paper, we consider an integrable generalization of the CMB equations with the defocusing case. The CMB hierarchy is derived with the aid of a 3 × 3 matrix eigenvalue problem and the Lenard recursion equation, from which the defocusing CMB model is proposed as a special reduction of the general CMB equations. The n -fold Darboux transformation as well as the multiparametric n th-order rogue wave solution of the defocusing CMB equations are put forward in terms of Schur polynomials. As an application, the explicit rogue wave solutions from first to second order are presented. Apart from the traditional dark rogue wave, bright rogue wave and four-petalled rogue wave, some novel rogue wave structures such as the dark four-peaked rogue wave and the double-ridged rogue wave are found. Moreover, the second-order rogue wave triplets which contain a fixed number of these rogue waves are shown.

Growth, Optical, and Spectroscopic Properties of Pure and Nd3+-Doped GdSr3(PO4)3 Crystals with Disordered Structure.

Disordered crystals have attracted immense attention for the generation of ultrashort laser pulses due to their good thermomechanical characteristics and wide emission bandwidths. In this work, a Gd-based orthophosphate crystal, GdSr3(PO4)3, (GSP), and a Nd3+-doped GdSr3(PO4)3 crystal, (Nd:GSP), were obtained by the Czochralski method. The crystal structure, optical properties, electronic band structure, laser damage threshold, and hardness of the GSP crystal were comprehensively investigated. It exhibited a disordered structure due to the random distribution of Sr and Gd atoms in the same Wyckoff site, which caused inhomogeneous spectral broadening. Additionally, it exhibited a short UV absorption cutoff edge (<200 nm), a large band gap (5.81 eV), and a high laser damage threshold (∼1850 MW/cm2). The spectral properties and Judd-Ofelt calculations of the Nd:GSP crystals were analyzed. A wide absorption band at 803 nm, with a full width at half-maximum value of 20 nm, makes the Nd:GSP crystal suitable for the efficient pumping of AlGaAs laser diodes. Sub-100-fs pulses could be supported by its 25 nm emission bandwidth. Hence, the GSP crystal could be a promising disordered crystal laser matrix.

Ultrashort laser pulse spatiotemporal profile manipulation using a single-mode-few-mode optical fiber device

Ultrashort laser pulse propagation through few-mode optical fibers is a complex spatiotemporal event: due to mode spatial structures and intermodal delays and dispersions, pulses in such fibers experience spatial patterns and temporal elongations, which are generally considered detrimental for beam quality and pulse shape. However, with careful control of the launched modal contents and their interactions, we demonstrate that, using a single-mode-few-mode (SFe) optical fiber device, ultrashort pulses with various desirable spatiotemporal properties can be achieved. In the SFe device, pulse transformations over space, time, and frequency are related by multimode interference, and in the far field, pulse profile can be obtained by calculating diffraction integrals. We show that, using two example cases (a Bessel-like pulse and an optical bottle pulse), our approach can generate spatiotemporally structured pulses potentially suitable for applications in material science and biological imaging.

Bayesian approach for the optimal control of high-order harmonics for the generation of ultrashort attosecond laser pulses

We present an efficient and powerful method to optimize the production of high-order harmonic generation (HHG) and the synthesis of an isolated attosecond pulse. The system under investigation is the helium atoms that are exposed to the combination of chirped two-color mid-IR laser field and its 1s–2p transition frequency. An ab initio study is conducted by solving the three dimensional time-dependent Schrödinger equation accurately and efficiently by means of the time-dependent generalized pseudospectral method. We applied Bayesian optimization to obtain an optimal laser waveform to generated a HHG spectrum with enhanced harmonics and extended cutoff frequency. Harmonic phases are analysed by the wavelet transform. We demonstrated that an isolated 10 attosecond pulse can be synthesized using a sequence of consecutive and phase-locked harmonics in the plateau region.

Passively mode-locked fiber laser based on graphene covered single-mode fiber with inner short waveguides

A saturable absorber based on graphene film covered single-mode fiber with inner short waveguides is proposed and demonstrated for passively mode-locked laser operation. The output laser pulses produced have the center wavelength of 1556.9 nm and pulse width of 830.5 fs at the fundamental repetition rate of 18.7 MHz. Such a saturable absorber is highly robust as the graphene film is covered on the surface of single-mode fiber, instead on tapered fiber or side-polished fiber. Moreover, compared with the saturable absorber based on clamping the graphene film between the two fiber connectors in a fiber adaptor, our device provides a large interaction surface area, thus effectively avoiding the thermal damage and ensuring a long time and stable system operation. The device is attractive for high power ultra-short laser pulse generation.

Generation and compression of 10-fs deep ultraviolet pulses at high repetition rate using standard optics.

The generation and characterization of ultrashort laser pulses in the deep ultraviolet spectral region is challenging, especially at high pulse repetition rates and low pulse energies. Here, we combine achromatic second harmonic generation and adaptive pulse compression for the efficient generation of sub-10 fs deep ultraviolet laser pulses at a laser repetition rate of 200 kHz. Furthermore, we simplify the pulse compression scheme and reach pulse durations of ≈10 fs without the use of adaptive optics. We demonstrate straight-forward tuning from 250 to 320 nm, broad pulse spectra of up to 63 nm width, excellent stability and a high robustness against misalignment. These features make the approach appealing for numerous spectroscopy and imaging applications.

Spectral-angular patterns and energy threshold for linear-to-nonlinear femtosecond laser pulse focusing in air

Focused propagation of a high-power ultrashort laser pulse is strongly influenced by optical medium nonlinearity that can significantly affect pulse parameters in the focusing region as compared to the linear focusing regime. We present the results of our experimental study and numerical simulations of frequency-angular patterns and laser plasma distribution of a gigawatt-power femtosecond Ti-sapphire laser pulse propagating in air under various focusing conditions. For the first time to the best of our knowledge, we found experimentally and confirm theoretically the range of pulse numerical aperture (NA), from approximately NA = 2 ⋅ 10−3 to 5 ⋅ 10−3, when both frequency and angular spectra broadening during supercritical laser pulse focusing in air is minimal. We attribute this NA-range to the transition region between quasilinear and nonlinear pulse focusing regimes. Additionally, the energy threshold for different pulse focusing regimes in the wide range of focusing conditions is obtained for the first time through the numerical simulations. This threshold is demonstrated to decrease with pulse NA increase.

Broadband Metallic Carbon Nanotube Saturable Absorber for Ultrashort Pulse Generation in the 1500–2100 nm Spectral Range

Herein, we report on the possibility of ultrashort laser pulse generation in the broadband spectral range using a saturable absorber based on free-standing metallic carbon nanotube thin film. Erbium, thulium, and holmium-doped all-fiber lasers were mode-locked with a single saturable absorber containing a 300 nm thick material layer. Subpicosecond pulses were generated at 1559, 1938, and 2082 nm. Our work validates the broadband operation of metallic carbon nanotube-based saturable absorbers and highlights the suitable performance of nanomatematerial for ultrafast photonic applications.

Study of propagation of ultrashort laser pulses in the atmosphere

Study of propagation of ultrashort laser pulses in the atmosphere

Recent Trend of High Repetition Rate Ultrashort Laser Pulse Generation and Frequency Conversion

Recent Trend of High Repetition Rate Ultrashort Laser Pulse Generation and Frequency Conversion

ПАССИВНАЯ СТАБИЛИЗАЦИЯ ИНТЕРФЕРОМЕТРА МАЙКЕЛЬСОНА

In some applications of a Michelson interferometer, in particular, when it is used in a laser resonator, the phase difference of radiation beams passing the interferometer optical branches must be stabilized with high accuracy. The proposed paper is devoted to experimental studying the long-term stability of several interferometer designs and choosing the optimal version for applying as a compound resonator mirror with the controllable reflection for generation of ultrashort laser pulses.