Novel approaches for ultrashort pulse generation

凯尔特纳飞秒激光器，特别是钛宝石激光器和光纤激光器，在过去几年中性能有了显著的提高。这些进展为科学界提供了强大的工具，在某些情况下深刻改变了现有的领域，或使之成为可能，例如，具有相位控制的几个周期脉冲的极端非线性光学的诞生，具有超宽带脉冲的光学频率计量，阿秒脉冲的产生，以及飞秒微加工，仅举几个例子。这个项目是首席研究员弗朗茨·X·卡尔特纳和来自麻省理工学院电子研究实验室和电气工程与计算机科学系的联合研究员詹姆斯·G·藤本的合作成果。这一提议的具体目的是：1.发展利用固体激光器产生飞秒脉冲的新模型，以便能够产生具有记录脉冲能量的几个周期的脉冲，同时显著提高紧凑型飞秒激光器的性能。2.发展双啁啾反射镜(DCM)技术和新的设计方法，使飞秒激光的性能得到显著提高。3.研制并演示了一种具有自相似脉冲演化的钛宝石激光器，可以直接从脉冲宽度为10秒的振荡器中获得接近1uJ的记录脉冲能量。智力上的价值：该研究有望对超快激光动力学的基本理解做出重要贡献，并展示在高脉冲能量、少周期激光振荡器以及紧凑、低功率、少周期激光器的互补限制下产生飞秒脉冲的新方法。改进的少周期激光动力学模型和精确的DCM设计将是超快激光领域的重要进展，使一系列新的高性能激光系统的开发以及许多新的应用成为可能。更广泛的影响：高能激光振荡器的发展将使物理和材料科学的许多应用成为可能，从非线性频率产生到非线性光学测量和微机械加工。紧凑型、低成本飞秒激光器的发展将在光学采样、光信号处理、生物医学显微镜和成像等方面具有广泛的工程应用。这个项目还将为研究生、博士后助理和来访的科学家提供一个很好的教学工具。学员将学习光子学、量子电子学、非线性动力学和波传播、超短脉冲激光和精密测量技术等方面的知识。我们的团队与其他大学研究团队以及工业界有着广泛的合作。最后，发展先进技术，培养先进人才，促进经济全面发展。

0501478KaertnerFemtosecond lasers, particularly Ti:sapphire lasers and fiber lasers, have dramatically advanced in performance in the past few years. These advances have provided powerful tools for the scientific community, in certain cases profoundly transforming existing fields, or enabling completely new ones, e.g., the birth of extreme nonlinear optics with phase-controlled few-cycle pulses, optical frequency metrology with ultra-broad bandwidth pulses, attosecond pulse generation, and femtosecond micromachining, to mention only a few examples. This program is a collaborative effort between principle investigator, Franz X. Kaertner and co-investigator, James G. Fujimoto from the Research Laboratory of Electronics and Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at M.I.T.. The specific aims of this proposal are: 1. To develop new models of femtosecond pulse generation from solid-state lasers to enable the generation of few-cycle pulses with record pulse energies as well as dramatically improve the performance of compact femtosecond lasers. 2. To develop double chirped mirror (DCM) technology and new design methods which will yield dramatic improvements in femtosecond laser performance. 3. To develop and demonstrate a Ti:sapphire laser with self-similar pulse evolution to achieve record pulse energies approaching 1 uJ directly from the oscillator with 10 fs pulse durations.Intellectual Merit: The proposed research promises to make important contributions to the fundamental understanding of ultrafast laser dynamics as well as to demonstrate new methods for femtosecond pulse generation in the complementary limits of high pulse energy, few-cycle laser oscillators, as well as compact, low power, few-cycle lasers. Improved models for few-cycle laser dynamics and precision DCM design will be important advances in the field of ultrafast lasers, enabling the development of a wide range of new high performance laser systems, as well as many new applications. Broader Impact: The development of high energy laser oscillators would enable many applications in physics and materials science, ranging from nonlinear frequency generation, to nonlinear optical measurements, and micromachining. The development of compact, low cost femtosecond lasers would have widespread engineering applications such as optical sampling, optical signal processing, biomedical microscopy and imaging. This project will also provide an excellent teaching vehicle for graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and visiting scientists. Participants will learn aspects of photonics, quantum electronics, nonlinear dynamics and wave propagation, ultrashort pulse lasers, and precision measurement techniques. Our groups have extensive collaborations with other university research groups as well as with industry. Finally, development of advanced technology and training of advance personnel improves overall economic development.