MRI: Development of Ultra-Broadband High-Power Frequency Comb Light Source for Advanced Spectroscopy and Imaging

MRI：开发用于先进光谱和成像的超宽带高功率频率梳光源

• 批准号: 2216021
• 负责人: Thomas Allison
• 金额: $ 100万
• 依托单位: SUNY at Stony Brook
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-01 至 2027-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2216021&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Development; Ultra; Broadband; Power

General Audience Abstract:With support from the Physics Division, three programs in the Chemistry Division (CRIF, CMI, CSDM-A), the Astronomy Division, the Division of Materials Research, and the Office of Integrative Activities, Professors Allison and Liu at Stony Brook University will develop a new laser-based light source spanning a wide swath of the electromagnetic spectrum. The research will advance the state of the art in frequency comb technology and enable a variety of experiments involving 10 principal investigators (PIs) at Stony Brook along with a regional network of PIs from other nearby institutions. A frequency comb is a synthesizer for light waves, with which the user can control the electric field of light waves with the same precision routinely accomplished for radio frequency and microwave fields using the electronic technology that is the backbone of modern life. This control over light waves can enable myriad applications, however many applications of frequency combs have been limited by the available power and spectral coverage from currently available light sources. The new light source to be developed at Stony Brook will address this challenge by using high-power fiber lasers and nonlinear optics to generate frequency combs with unprecedented brightness and spectral coverage. With frequency combs spanning from the far-infrared to the soft x-ray, it is planned to cover more than 17 octaves (or about 2 and a half pianos’ worth) of frequency space. After development, the light source will be applied to experiments in four targeted areas: 1) nanometer resolved characterization of quantum materials and devices, 2) time-resolved imaging of electron motion in molecules and quantum materials, 3) ultrasensitive gas-phase molecular spectroscopy for both fundamental studies and analytical chemistry, and 4) quantum information science using atomic, molecular, and optical physics (AMO) platforms. It is also expected that the research will have a much broader impact than these activities at Stony Brook via the dissemination of detailed construction plans for the light source to the broader community, the training of students and postdocs in advanced optical methods, the development of new pedagogical experiments for undergraduate education, and potential future integration of the developed frequency comb technology into the NSF NeXUS, NSF’s new flagship laser-based user facility for ultrafast science.Technical Audience Abstract:PIs Allison and Liu will develop a new frequency comb light source at Stony Brook University with output spanning a wide swath of the electromagnetic spectrum, from the THz region (E 0.001 eV) all the way to the soft x-ray (E 200 eV). Built with a robust and reliable fiber-laser backbone, this light source will provide phase-coherent femtosecond-duration light pulses at MHz repetition rates that will be used in a variety of experiments. The light source development work proposed here will quantitatively advance the state of the art in frequency combs, and ultrafast optics in general, in a number of important ways. For one example, the PIs will produce the brightest source of broadband coherent THz and far-infrared radiation, orders of magnitude brighter than dedicated infrared/THz beamlines at synchrotron light sources. Similar to previous advances in light source technology, these developments will have a large qualitative impact on a wide range of science, with many applications both foreseen and unforeseen. At Stony Brook, the light source will specifically impact four activities, undertaken by 13 additional major users in collaboration with the PIs: 1) scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) of quantum materials, 2) time- and angle-resolved photoemission (tr-ARPES) of quantum materials and molecular systems, 3) high-resolution and ultrafast spectroscopy of gas-phase molecules, and 4) laser stabilization in atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics labs. Technology transfer to the broader community will be accomplished via detailed “how-to” papers, with complete parts lists, that enable others to build their own combs, and also via collaboration with the NSF NeXUS facility, NSF’s new flagship user facility for ultrafast spectroscopy. At Stony Brook, the new frequency comb system will also enable new experiments in the Laser Teaching Center, a unique facility at Stony Brook with full-time staff dedicated to education, outreach, and training.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

普通观众摘要：在物理系、化学系(CRIF、CMI、CSDM-A)、天文学系、材料研究系和综合活动办公室三个项目的支持下，石溪大学的Allison和Liu教授将开发一种新的基于激光的光源，跨越广泛的电磁光谱。这项研究将推进频率梳技术的最先进水平，并使石溪大学的10名首席调查人员(PI)以及附近其他机构的PI区域网络能够进行各种实验。频率梳是一种光波合成器，用户可以使用作为现代生活支柱的电子技术来控制光波的电场，其精度与射频和微波场的常规控制相同。这种对光波的控制可以实现无数的应用，然而，频率梳的许多应用已经受到当前可用光源的可用功率和光谱覆盖的限制。将在石溪开发的新光源将通过使用高功率光纤激光器和非线性光学来产生具有前所未有的亮度和光谱覆盖范围的频率梳来应对这一挑战。随着频率梳从远红外到软X射线，它计划覆盖超过17个八度(或大约2.5架钢琴的价值)的频率空间。经过开发，该光源将应用于四个目标领域的实验：1)量子材料和器件的纳米分辨表征，2)分子和量子材料中电子运动的时间分辨成像，3)用于基础研究和分析化学的超灵敏气相分子光谱，4)使用原子、分子和光学物理(AMO)平台的量子信息科学。预计这项研究将产生比石溪大学的这些活动更广泛的影响，包括向更广泛的社区传播光源的详细建设计划，对学生和博士后进行先进光学方法的培训，为本科教育开发新的教学实验，以及未来可能将开发的频率梳技术整合到NSF Nexus中，NSF Nexus是NSF用于超快科学的新的基于激光的旗舰用户设备。技术观众摘要：PiS Allison和Liu将在石溪大学开发一种新的频率梳光源，输出跨越广泛的电磁频谱，从太赫兹区域(E 0.001 eV)一直到软X射线(E 200 EV)。这种光源由坚固可靠的光纤激光器主干构成，将以MHz的重复频率提供相位相干的飞秒持续时间的光脉冲，将用于各种实验。这里提出的光源开发工作将在许多重要方面定量地提高频率梳和一般超快光学的技术水平。例如，PI将产生宽带相干太赫兹和远红外辐射的最亮光源，比同步加速器光源上的专用红外/太赫兹光束线亮几个数量级。与以前光源技术的进步类似，这些发展将对广泛的科学产生重大的质的影响，许多应用既可预见也可预见。在Stony Brook，该光源将具体影响由另外13个主要用户与PI合作开展的四项活动：1)量子材料的扫描近场光学显微镜(SNOM)，2)量子材料和分子系统的时间和角度分辨光电发射(TR-ARPES)，3)气相分子的高分辨率和超快光谱，以及4)原子、分子和光学(AMO)物理实验室中的激光稳定。向更广泛社区的技术转让将通过详细的“如何使用”文件和完整的部件清单来完成，使其他人能够制造他们自己的梳子，也可以通过与NSF Nexus设施的合作来完成，NSF Nexus设施是NSF的新的超快光谱旗舰用户设施。在石溪，新的频率梳系统还将在激光教学中心进行新的实验，这是石溪的一个独特设施，拥有致力于教育、外展和培训的全职工作人员。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。