Novel approaches for ultrashort pulse generation

飞秒激光器，特别是钛蓝宝石激光器和光纤激光器，在过去几年中在性能上有了显著的进步。这些进步为科学界提供了强大的工具，在某些情况下深刻地改变了现有领域，或使全新的领域成为可能，例如，具有相位控制的少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测量，阿秒脉冲产生和飞秒微加工，仅举几个例子。这个项目是由麻省理工学院电子研究实验室和电子工程与计算机科学系的首席研究员Franz X. Kaertner和共同研究员James G. Fujimoto合作完成的。本建议的具体目的是：1。开发新的飞秒脉冲产生模型，使固体激光器能够产生具有记录脉冲能量的少周期脉冲，并显着提高紧凑飞秒激光器的性能。2. 发展双啁啾反射镜（DCM）技术和新的设计方法，将大大提高飞秒激光器的性能。3. 研制并演示了一种具有自相似脉冲演化的钛蓝宝石激光器，可直接从振荡器获得接近1 uJ的记录脉冲能量，脉冲持续时间为10 fs。智力优势：提出的研究承诺对超快激光动力学的基本理解做出重要贡献，并在高脉冲能量，少周期激光振荡器的互补限制下展示飞秒脉冲产生的新方法，以及紧凑，低功率，少周期激光器。改进的少周期激光动力学模型和精密DCM设计将是超快激光器领域的重要进展，使开发各种新型高性能激光系统以及许多新应用成为可能。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中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加工。紧凑、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领域具有广泛的工程应用。该项目还将为研究生、博士后和访问科学家提供一个优秀的教学工具。参与者将学习光子学、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。我们的小组与其他大学的研究小组以及工业界有广泛的合作。最后，先进技术的发展和先进人才的培养促进了整体经济的发展。

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.