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We have demonstrated the possibility of measuring the femtosecond laser frequency comb shift by the position of a Fabry - Perot interferometer's transmission bands with a statistical error of 10{sup -2} and a systematic shift of 10{sup -1}. (control of laser radiation parameters)
For more than three decades, the quest for ever higher precision in laser spectroscopy of the simple hydrogen atom has inspired many advances in laser, optical, and spectroscopic techniques, culminating in femtosecond laser optical frequency combs as perhaps the most precise measuring tools known to man. Applications range from optical atomic clocks and tests of QED and relativity to searches for time variations of fundamental constants. Recent experiments are extending frequency comb techniques into the extreme ultraviolet. Laser frequency combs can also control the electric field of ultrashort light pulses, creating powerful new tools for the emerging field of attosecond science.
A miniature intracavity KTP-based electro-optic phase modulator has been developed which can be used for effective stabilisation of an optical frequency comb of a femtosecond erbiumdoped fibre laser to an optical frequency standard. The use of such an electro-optic modulator (EOM) has made it possible to extend the working frequency band of a phase-locked loop system for laser stabilisation to several hundred kilohertz. We demonstrate that the KTP-based EOM is sufficiently sensitive even at a small optical length, which allows it to be readily integrated into cavities of femtosecond fibre lasers with high mode frequency spacings (over 100 MHz). (extreme light fields and their applications)
We report measurements of absolute transition frequencies and hyperfine coupling constants for the 8S{sub 1/2}, 9S{sub 1/2}, 7D{sub 3/2}, and 7D{sub 5/2} states in {sup 133}Cs vapor. The stepwise excitation through either the 6P{sub 1/2} or 6P{sub 3/2} intermediate state is performed directly with broadband laser light from a stabilized femtosecond laser optical-frequency comb. The laser beam is split, counterpropagated, and focused into a room-temperature Cs vapor cell. The repetition rate of the frequency comb is scanned and we detect the fluorescence on the 7P{sub 1/2,3/2{yields}}6S{sub 1/2} branches of the decay of the excited states. The excitations to the different states are isolated by the introduction of narrow-bandwidth interference filters in the laser beam paths. Using a nonlinear least-squares method we find measurements of transition frequencies and hyperfine coupling constants that are in agreement with other recent measurements for the 8S state and provide improvement by 2 orders of magnitude over previously published results for the 9S and 7D states.
We report measurements of self- and nitrogen-pressure broadening of the P(11) line in the ?{sub 1} + ?{sub 3} combination band of acetylene at 195 739.649 5135(80) GHz by absorption of radiation emitted by an extended cavity diode laser referenced to a femtosecond frequency comb. Broadening, shift and narrowing parameters were determined at 296 K. For the most appropriate, hard collision, model in units of cm{sup -1}/atm, we find 0.146317(27), 0.047271(104) and -0.0070819(22) for the acetylene self-broadening, narrowing and shift, and 0.081129(35), 0.022940(74) and -0.0088913(25) respectively, for the nitrogen-broadening parameters. The uncertainties are expressed as one standard deviation (in parenthesis) in units of the last digit reported. These parameters are 2-3 orders of magnitude more precise than those reported in previous measurements. Similar analyses of the experimental data using soft collision and simple Voigt lineshape models were made for comparison.
A high-precision positioning stage based on an optical zooming interferometer is proposed. Two external-cavity diode lasers, stabilized to a femtosecond optical frequency comb, are used as optical sources. The zooming principle is demonstrated, and the positioning resolution of 0.2 nm is achieved. The positioning accuracy was partly evaluated.
Ultrafast optical frequency combs allow for both high spectral and temporal resolution in molecular spectroscopy and have become a powerful tool in many areas of chemistry and physics. Ultrafast lasers and frequency combs generated from ultrafast mode-locked lasers often need to be converted to other wavelengths. Commonly used wavelength conversions are optical parametric oscillators, which require an external optical cavity, and supercontinuum generation combined with optical parametric amplifiers. Whether commercial or home-built, these systems are complex and costly. Here, we investigate an alternative, simple, and easy-to-implement approach to tunable frequency comb ultrafast lasers enabled by new continuous-wave laser technology. Sum-frequency generation between an Nd:YAG continuous-wave laser and a Yb:fiber femtosecond frequency comb in a beta-barium borate (BBO) crystal is explored. The resulting sum-frequency beam is a pulsed frequency comb with the same repetition rate as the Yb:fiber source. SNLO simulation software is used to simulate the results and provide benchmarks for designing future systems to achieve wavelength conversion and tunability in otherwise difficult-to-reach spectral regions.
Femtosecond laser sources and optical frequency combs in the molecular fingerprint region of the electromagnetic spectrum are crucial for a plethora of applications in natural and life sciences. Here we introduce Cr 2+ -based lasers as a convenient means for producing super-octave mid-IR electromagnetic transients via optical rectification (or intra-pulse difference frequency generation, IDFG). We demonstrate that a relatively long, 2.5 μm, central wavelength of a few-cycle Cr 2+ :ZnS driving source (20 fs pulse duration, 6 W average power, 78 MHz repetition rate) enabled the use of highly nonlinear ZnGeP 2 crystal for IDFG with exceptionally high conversion efficiency (>3%) and output power of 0.15 W, with the spectral span of 5.8–12.5 μm. Even broader spectrum was achieved in GaSe crystal: 4.3–16.6 μm for type I and 5.8–17.6 μm for type II phase matching. The results highlight the potential of this architecture for ultrafast spectroscopy and generation of broadband frequency combs in the longwave infrared.
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Experimental studies aimed at developing an optical frequency standard based on ultracold magnesium atoms with a relative uncertainty of Δν/ν < 10{sup –16} are performed. The frequency of the clock laser system at a wavelength of 457 nm is stabilised to narrow optical resonances (Ramsey fringes) in time-separated laser fields interacting with cold magnesium atoms localised in a magneto-optical trap (MOT). The frequency stability of the laser system is investigated using a femtosecond comb based on a Ti:sapphire laser. Long-term frequency stability (determined by the Allan function) of ∼5 × 10{sup –15} at averaging time τ = 1000 s is obtained. (paper)
Stabilization of lasers through locking to optical cavities, atomic transitions, and molecular transitions has enabled the field of precision optical measurement since shortly after the invention of the laser. Recent advances in the field have produced an optical clock that is orders of magnitude more stable than those of just a few years prior. Phase locking of one laser to another, or to a frequency offset from another, formed the basis for linking stable lasers across the optical spectrum, such frequency chains exhibiting progressively finer precision through the years. Phase locking between the modes within a femtosecond pulsed laser has yielded the optical frequency comb, one of the most beautiful and useful instruments of our time. This talk gives an overview of these topics, from early work through to the latest 1E-16 thermal noise-limited precision recently attained for a stable laser, and the ongoing quest for ever finer precision and accuracy. The issues of understanding and measuring line widths and shapes are also studied in some depth, highlighting implications for servo design for sub-Hz line widths.
We propose an optical frequency standard based on a femtosecond laser, in which the shift of the frequency comb is controlled using a Michelson interferometer. (optical frequency standards)
A quasi-supercontinuum source in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) is demonstrated using a table-top femtosecond laser and a tunable optical parametric amplifier (OPA) as a driver for high-harmonic generation (HHG). The harmonic radiation, which is usually a comb of odd multiples of the fundamental frequency, is generated by near-infrared (NIR) laser pulses from the OPA. A quasi-continuous XUV spectrum in the range of 30 to 100 eV is realized by averaging over multiple harmonic comb spectra with slightly different fundamental frequencies and thus different spectral spacing between the individual harmonics. The driving laser wavelength is swept automatically during an averaging time period. With a total photon flux of 4×10 9 photons/s in the range of 30 eV to 100 eV and 1×10 7 photons/s in the range of 100 eV to 200 eV, the resulting quasi-supercontinuum XUV source is suited for applications such as XUV coherence tomography (XCT) or near-edge absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS).
In this paper, we report on the active filtering and amplification of a single mode from an optical femtosecond laser comb with mode spacing of 250 MHz by optical injection of two external-cavity diode lasers operating in cascade to build a narrow linewidth laser for laser cooling of the strontium atoms in an optical lattice clock. Despite the low injection of individual comb mode of approximately 50 nW, a single comb line at 689 nm could be filtered and amplified to reach as high as 10 mW with 37 dB side mode suppression and a linewidth of 240 Hz. This method could be applied over a broad spectral band to build narrow linewidth lasers for various applications.
We have demonstrated a microwave master oscillator operating on optical principles and based on a He – Ne/CH{sub 4} optical frequency standard (λ = 3.39 μm) and femtosecond fibre laser system ( λ = 1.54 μm). The output signal spectrum of the oscillator has the form of an equidistant frequency comb in the range 60 MHz to 10 GHz with a 60-MHz step. Comparison of the frequencies of two master oscillators shows that the short-term output frequency instability for the comb components in the range 0.8 – 1.5 GHz is under 1 × 10{sup −14} at an averaging time of 1 s. We have tested microwave signals from the oscillator using apparatus in the reference facility at the State Time and Frequency Service, All-Russia Research Institute of Physical and Radio Engineering Measurements. A signal at a nominal frequency of 100 MHz synthesised from one comb component was compared to signals from two hydrogen masers with enhanced short-term stability in the reference facility. The short-term frequency stability of the synthesised signal has been shown to be twice better than the stability of the masers and to be limited by the intrinsic instability of the commercial synthesiser of a 100-MHz nominal frequency. Our experiments confirm that the proposed microwave optical master oscillator is potentially attractive for use in systems with increased requirements for short-term frequency stability, in particular in time and frequency fountain references. (optical frequency standards)
A method for measuring the carrier envelope offset (CEO) frequency of the femtosecond frequency comb with a bandwidth of less than one octave by using a Fabry-Perot interferometer is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. (laser components)
Manipulating the quantum noise of continuous-wave lasers through squeezing has reshaped optical interferometry. However, progress in optical frequency comb interferometry with pulsed squeezed sources has been limited, despite the role of frequency combs in ultraprecise optical metrology. Here, we introduce a new time-domain approach to characterizing squeezed femtosecond light pulses using dual-comb interferometry. Time-domain interferograms are generated via multiheterodyne beating between the modes of a Kerr soliton-squeezed frequency comb and a coherent state comb. The interferogram noise reveals phase-dependent squeezing and antisqueezing, dipping as much as 3.8 ± 0.2 dB below the shot noise level at alternating zero crossings. We model this nonstationary quantum noise as a periodic optical displacement of the squeezed comb by the coherent comb. These results support a route toward quantum-enhanced dual-comb timing applications and high-speed quantum state tomography with dual-comb interferometers.
Integrating femtosecond lasers with electron microscopies has enabled direct imaging of transient structures and morphologies of materials in real time and space. Here, we report the development of a laser-free ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM) offering the same capability but without requiring femtosecond lasers and intricate instrumental modifications. We create picosecond electron pulses for probing dynamic events by chopping a continuous beam with a radio frequency (RF)–driven pulser with the pulse repetition rate tunable from 100 MHz to 12 GHz. As a first application, we studied gigahertz electromagnetic wave propagation dynamics in an interdigitated comb structure. We reveal, on nanometer space and picosecond time scales, the transient oscillating electromagnetic field around the tines of the combs with time-resolved polarization, amplitude, and local field enhancement. This study demonstrates the feasibility of laser-free UEM in real-space visualization of dynamics for many research fields, especially the electrodynamics in devices associated with information processing technology.