Effect of material dispersion on the focusing of isodiffracting ultrashort pulses by a lens

Abstract

Based on the Fourier transform, the focusing of isodiffracting ultrashort pulses by a lens is studied, where the material dispersion of first, second and higher order is taken into account, respectively. Numerical calculation results for spatial and temporal intensity distributions, photon flux and energy density of focused isodiffracting ultrashort pulses are given and illustrated. It is shown, compared to the dispersion-free case, that the first-order dispersion leads to a broadening of the pulse form, photon flux and energy density, and a decrease of their peak values. The second-order dispersion results in a further broadening of the pulse form and photon flux, and a further decrease of their peak values, whereas the higher-order dispersion plays a relatively minor role.     

Bessel pulse beams and focus wave modes

Free-space propagation of ultrashort pulses is investigated. Space-time couplings are reduced for a particular form of beams that is termed a pulse beam, or a type 3 pulsed beam. General conditions for the formation of pulse beams in the paraxial approximation are presented. The free-space propagation of spatially localized ultrashort laser pulses is investigated. This treatment is based on a particular pulsed form of the well-known Bessel beam, which is termed a Bessel pulse beam. The connections with focus wave modes and X waves are discussed.     

Anomalous dynamic characteristics of semiconductor quantum-dot lasers generating on two quantum states

Dynamics of the emission spectra of semiconductor quantum dot (QD) lasers generating on two quantum states has been experimentally studied. Being pumped with 30-ns current pulses, a QD laser ceased to generate 2–5 ns after switch-on and exhibited a pause up to 10 ns or longer, depending on the pumping pulse amplitude. After the subsequent switch-on, the laser generated short (200–300 ps) pulses of emission from the excited state of QDs followed by minima of comparable duration (dark pulses) corresponding to the ground-state emission. This behavior is explained in terms of the laser Q-switching due to the charge carrier density redistribution between the excited and ground states.     

Complete characterization of a self-mode-locked ti:sapphire laser in the vicinity of zero group-delay dispersion by frequency-resolved optical gating

The intensity and the phase of ultrashort pulses from a self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser operating in the vicinity of zero group-delay dispersion (GDD) have been completely characterized by the technique of frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG). For small values of negative GDD, the appearance of a dispersive wave in the pulse spectrum is manifested in the measured FROG trace, and pulse retrieval directly shows its association with a broad leading-edge pedestal. For positive GDD, we confirm previous experimental observations of picosecond pulses with large positive chirp and report a new operating regime in which the output pulses are of picosecond duration but are intensity modulated at 20 THz. The physical origin of this modulation is discussed by analogy with similar effects observed during pulse propagation in optical fibers, and the experimental results are compared with a model of intracavity four-wave mixing about the cavity zero GDD wavelength.     

Physical significance of the group velocity in dispersive,ultrashort gaussian pulse dynamics

The properties of ultrashort gaussian pulse propagation in a dispersive, attenuative medium are reviewed with emphasis on the pulse velocity. Of particular interest is the group velocity whose physical interpretation loses meaning in causally dispersive materials as the temporal pulse width decreases into the ultrashort pulse regime. A generalized definition of the group velocity that applies to ultrashort pulses in causally dispersive materials is provided by the centroid velocity of the pulse Poynting vector whose properties are described here. In particular, it is shown that this physical velocity measure approaches the group velocity for any value of the initial pulse carrier frequency and at any fixed value of the propagation distance in the limit as the initial pulse width increases indefinitely. This then provides a convenient measure for determining when the group velocity approximation is valid.     

Origin and effect of high-order dispersion in ultrashort pulse multiphoton microscopy in the 10 fs regime

Short pulses can induce high nonlinear excitation, and thus they should be favorable for use in multiphoton microscopy. However, the large spectral dispersion can easily destroy the advantages of the ultrashort pulse if there is no compensation. The group delay dispersion (GDD), third-order dispersion, and their effects on the intensity and bandwidth of second-harmonic generation (SHG) signal were analyzed. We found that the prism pair used for compensating the GDD of the two-photon microscope actually introduces significant negative high-order dispersion (HOD), which dramatically narrowed down the two-photon absorption probability for ultrashort pulses. We also investigated the SHG signal after GDD and HOD compensation for different pulse durations. Without HOD compensation, the SHG efficiency dropped significantly for a pulse duration below 20 fs. We experimentally compared the SHG and two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) signal intensity for 11 fs versus 50 fs pulses, a pulse duration close to that commonly used in conventional multiphoton microscopy. The result suggested that after adaptive phase compensation, the 11fs pulse can yield a 3.2- to 6.0-fold TPEF intensity and a 5.1-fold SHG intensity, compared to 50 fs pulses.     

Optimal control approach for a degenerate STIRAP

We have looked at the laser-induced excitation of a level manifold coupled through a single excited level. This generalizes the ordinary Λ configuration to many levels. It is the original situation where stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) has been considered. We then apply optimal control theory to determine the pulse sequence which effects a predetermined superposition state with a minimal involvement of the excited state. The program is free to find its optimal pulse sequence, and we find that a generalization of the ordinary counterintuitive situation emerges. In addition to verifying the efficiency of the counterintuitive approach, the work justifies the separation into dark and bright subspaces, where time evolution in the former has to include the dynamical effects of adiabatic corrections.     

Wave packet engineering using a phase-programmable femtosecond optical source

Abstract

A new optical telecommunication method combining time and frequency domain multiplexing is proposed using phase-controlled femtosecond pulses. Each pulse in a pulse train can be used as a data packet with data bits in the frequency domain. We call the new principle ‘wave packet engineering’, which adjusts the amplitude and phase of the wave function in device materials arbitrarily by controlling the spectral phase of femtosecond pulses. The optical phase-to-amplitude converter is demonstrated with organic dye molecules, in which the phase information in the phase-modulated pulses can be demodulated into the luminescence intensity. The luminescence intensity from cyanine dye molecules is observed to be chirp dependent, and is explained quantum mechanically in terms of coherent population transfer. The design principle of the device using semiconductor coupled quantum nanostructures is also discussed in terms of wave packet engineering.     

Switching between generation of two quantum states in quantum-well laser diodes

The dynamics of emission spectra in semiconductor quantum-well lasers generating from two quantum states have been experimentally studied. In the case of electric pumping with 100-ns pulses, the lasing via transitions from the ground state is switched off and the emission from an excited state is switched on within 10–50 ns after laser turn-on. The switching is accompanied by a dip in the intensity of lasing, the duration of which depends on the pumping pulse amplitude. The observed phenomenon is explained in terms of gain clamping and redistribution of the carrier concentration between the ground and excited states.     

Phase-transitions in GeSb induced by customized ultrafast optical pulses

The use of ultrafast laser pulses to initiate solid-state phase-transitions in certain materials has shown promise in achieving sub-nanosecond phase changes with different optical properties. These phase changes have been well studied using pulse durations between femtoseconds and nanoseconds to determine the dynamics for the reversible phase changes on multiple time scales. In this study femtosecond pulse shaping techniques, driven by evolutionary algorithms, were used to obtain optimized temporally shaped ultrashort laser pulses to induce and control permanent phase changes in GeSb thin-films. Through monitoring the pulse effects it has been determined that the crystalline-to-amorphous phase transition is minimized using optical pulses with pulse widths less than the electron-phonon coupling time. It is maximized by using pulses longer than the time required for energy transfer from the excited carriers to the lattice.     

Optimal control of high harmonics for the generation of double attosecond pulses by using a chirped laser pulse

An efficient scheme for the optimization of ultrashort femtosecond pulse shapes interacting with an atom to control high harmonics spectrum and double attosecond pulse generation is presented. The time-dependent Schrödinger equation of one-dimensional hydrogen atom is solved numerically to obtain electric field emission. The genetic algorithm optimization method is used to control the phase and amplitude of ultrashort excitation laser pulses to generate the desired attosecond-shaped pulses. An appropriate cost function is introduced for genetic algorithm optimization of double attosecond pulse generation. It is shown that the relative intensity of two generated pulses, their delay time and duration can be controlled in this approach. Finally, the parameters of the optimized emitted attosecond pulse are compared with those of desired pulses, and the underlying physical mechanisms are discussed in detail.     

Far infrared radiation generated during femtosecond laser excitation of a semiconductor surface in magnetic field

The effect of a magnetic field on the generation of electromagnetic radiation pulses in the terahertz frequency range from a semiconductor surface excited by an ultrashort laser pulse is considered within the framework of a hydrodynamic model. The appearance of a photocurrent component in the Hall direction leads to elliptic polarization of the microwave radiation and to a severalfold increase in the generation efficiency. This is consistent with the results of Monte Carlo modeling of a self-consistent field and photogenerated carrier dynamics.     

Propagation of solitary waves in inhomogeneous erbium-doped fibers with third-order dispersion,self-steepening and gain/loss

We propose a generalized inhomogeneous Hirota–Maxwell–Bloch system which explains ultrashort optical pulse propagation in an inhomogeneous nonlinear, dispersive fiber doped with two-level resonant atoms. For this system, higher order effects like third-order dispersion and self-steepening are considered, which are assumed to be inhomogeneous together with group velocity dispersion and self-phase modulation. We have obtained a general solitary wave solution by using Lax pair and Bäcklund transformation techniques. We have analyzed various solitary wave forms like snaking solitons, classic solitons and compressed pulses by controlling the physical parameters and inhomogeneous functions.     

Photostability of a fluorescent marker under pulsed excited-state depletion through stimulated emission

Saturated stimulated-emission depletion (STED) of a fluorescent marker has been shown to break the diffraction barrier in far-field fluorescence microscopy and to facilitate spatial resolution down to a few tens of nanometers. Here we investigate the photostability of a fluorophore that, in this concept, is repeatedly excited and depleted by synchronized laser pulses. Our study of bacteria labeled with RH-414, a membrane marker, reveals that increasing the duration of the STED pulse from approximately 10 to 160 ps fundamentally improves the photostability of the dye. At the same time the STED efficiency is maintained. The observed photobleaching of RH-414 is due primarily to multiphoton absorption from its ground state. One can counteract photobleaching by employing STED pulses that range from 150 ps to approximately half of the lifetime of the excited state. The results also have implications for multiphoton excitation microscopy.     

Dynamic behavior of postfilamentation Raman pulses

We report on the postfilamentation behavior of a Stokes pulse created from intense and collimated ultrashort pulses propagating in air. A systematic analysis of the pulse propagation revealed that the redshifted Raman pulse produced during filamentation had a larger divergence than the postfilamentation intense pump pulse. Also, the analysis of the far-field Stokes transverse ring revealed that the intensity in this ionization-free light channel is still sufficiently high to induce stimulated Raman scattering after ionization had ended. This behavior further extends the potential of filamentation to remotely induce third-order nonlinearities.     

Quantification of optical pulsed-plane-wave-shaping by chiral sculptured thin films

The durations and average speeds of ultrashort optical pulses transmitted through chiral sculptured thin films (STFs) were calculated using a finite-difference time-domain algorithm. Chiral STFs are a class of nanoengineered materials whose microstructure comprises parallel helicoidal nanowires grown normal to a substrate. The nanowires are?～10–300 nm in diameter and?～1–10 µm in length. Durations of transmitted pulses tend to increase with decreasing (free-space) wavelength of the carrier plane wave, while average speeds tend to increase with increasing wavelength. An increase in nonlinearity, as manifested by an intensity-dependent refractive index in the frequency domain, tends to increase durations of transmitted pulses and decrease average speeds. The circular Bragg phenomenon exhibited by a chiral STF manifests itself in the frequency domain as high reflectivity for normally incident carrier plane waves whose circular polarization state is matched to the structural handedness of the film and whose wavelength falls in a range known as the Bragg regime; films of the opposite structural handedness reflect such plane waves little. This effect tends to distort the shapes of transmitted pulses with respect to the incident pulses, and such shaping can cause sharp changes in some measures of average speed with respect to carrier wavelength. A local maximum in the variation of one measure of the pulse duration with respect to wavelength is noted and attributed to the circular Bragg phenomenon. Several of these effects are explained via frequency-domain arguments. The presented results serve as a foundation for future theoretical and experimental studies of optical pulse propagation through causal, nonlinear, nonhomogeneous, and anisotropic materials.     

Design of an extreme-ultraviolet monochromator free from temporal stretching

High-order harmonic generation in gases by use of femtosecond lasers is a source of ultrashort pulses in the extreme-ultraviolet (XUV). For many applications it is necessary to select radiation of only one specific harmonic order without affecting the duration of the ultrashort pulse. A three-grating monochromator that meets this demand has been designed and modeled by ray tracing as well as by wave-optical simulations. The only remaining temporal stretching of an XUV pulse is due to distortion of the pulse front on the gratings and is predicted to be approximately 1 fs. The design has been successfully tested in the near infrared. Finally, the monochromator is also capable of eliminating any existing linear chirp in the harmonic pulses, thus compressing them to shorter durations.     

Spatially induced spatiotemporally nonspreading Airy-Bessel wave packets

By studying the effect of spatially induced group velocity dispersion (SIGVD) during the propagation of ultrashort pulsed Bessel beams in free space, we numerically prove that third-order SIGVD can temporally cause Gaussian distribution of pulsed Bessel beams to gradually evolve as unsymmetrical trailing oscillatory structures. The pulse shape is confirmed to be temporal Airy distributions on the basis of the cross-correlation function. Therefore, it is demonstrated that the scheme of generating spatiotemporally nonspreading Airy-Bessel wave packets in free space is possible by using a precompensating second-order SIGVD. The results of numerical simulation show that the quasi-Airy pulses induced by third-order SIGVD are temporally nonspreading during propagation in dispersive media. The reasons for nonspreading of such Airy distribution pulses are phenomenologically analyzed by a time-frequency Wigner distribution function of the pulse.     

Comparison between the effects of cavitation induced by two different pressure-time shock waveform pulses

Acoustic cavitation generates very large localized pressures and temperatures, and thus provides a mechanism whereby physical and biological effects are produced in a high-intensity acoustic field. In this work, we studied the influence of the temporal form of a pressure pulse waveform on the destructive effects of transient cavitation. Two different shock pressure-time waveforms with nearly the same acoustic energy content were used. The first pressure waveform starts with a tensile wave followed by a compressive one, and the second pressure waveform starts with a compressive wave followed by a tensile one. These two pressure waveforms are called direct and inverse-mode pulses respectively. Based on the measurements presented in this work, we can state that, between the two types of shock pressure pulses studied, the direct-mode pulse amplifies systematically tile cavitation effect. This conclusion was achieved from a series of several quantitative and qualitative experiments: cavitation bubble collapse time, disintegration efficacy of plaster balls (a kidney stone-mimicking material), macroscopic study of lesions in agar gel and in vitro isolated rabbit liver tissue destruction. Considering these results and those obtained by other research groups, we can express that the temporal form of a shock pressure pulse has a major role on the cavitation effects.