Generation of optimized wavelength-tunable optical pulse from an uncooled gain-switched Fabry-Perot semiconductor laser using optical amplifier as external light injection

We present a novel system design that can generate the optimized wavelength-tunable optical pulse streams from an uncooled gain-switched Fabry-Perot semiconductor laser using an optical amplifier as external light source. The timing jitter of gain-switched laser has been reduced from about 3 ps to 600 fs and the pulse width has been optimized by using our system. The stability of the system was also experimentally investigated. Our results show that an uncooled gain-switched FP laser system can feasibly produce the stable optical pulse trains with pulse width of 18 ps at the repetition frequency of 5 GHz during 7 h continuous working. We respectively proved the system feasibility under 1 GHz, 2.5 GHz and 5 GHz operation. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low-timing-jitter, stretched-pulse passively mode-locked fiber laser with tunable repetition rate and high operation stability

We design a low-timing-jitter, repetition-rate-tunable, stretched-pulse passively mode-locked fiber laser by using a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM), a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM), and a tunable optical delay line in the laser configuration. Low-timing-jitter optical pulses are stably produced when a SESAM and a 0.16 m dispersion compensation fiber are employed in the laser cavity. By inserting a tunable optical delay line between NALM and SESAM, the variable repetition-rate operation of a self-starting, passively mode-locked fiber laser is successfully demonstrated over a range from 49.65 to 50.47 MHz. The experimental results show that the newly designed fiber laser can maintain the mode locking at the pumping power of 160 mW to stably generate periodic optical pulses with width less than 170 fs and timing jitter lower than 75 fs in the 1.55 mu m wavelength region, when the fundamental repetition rate of the laser is continuously tuned between 49.65 and 50.47 MHz. Moreover, this fiber laser has a feature of turn-key operation with high repeatability of its fundamental repetition rate in practice.

Characteristics of plasma induced by interaction of a free-oscillated laser pulse with a coal target in air and combustible gas

Plasma in the air is successfully induced by a free-oscillated Nd:YAG laser pulse with a peak power of 10(2-3) W. The initial free electrons for the cascade breakdown process are from the ablated particles from the surface of a heated coal target, likewise induced by the focused laser beam. The laser field compensates the energy loss of the plasma when the corresponding temperature and the images are investigated by fitting the experimental spectra of B-2 Sigma(+) -> X-2 Sigma(+) band of CN radicals in the plasma with the simulated spectra and a 4-frame CCD camera. The electron density is estimated using a simplified Kramer formula. As this interaction occurs in a gas mixture of hydrogen and oxygen, the formation and development of the plasma are weakened or restrained due to the chaining branch reaction in which the OH radicals are accumulated and the laser energy is consumed. Moreover, this laser ignition will initiate the combustion or explosion process of combustible gas and the minimum ignition energy is measured at different initial pressures. The differences in the experimental results compared to those induced by a nanosecond Q-switched laser pulse with a peak power of 10(6-8) W are also discussed. (C) 2009 Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Isolated sub-30-as pulse generation of an He+ ion by an intense few-cycle chirped laser and its high-order harmonic pulses

We present an efficient method to generate a ultrashort attosecond (as) pulse when a model He+ ion is exposed to the combination of an intense few-cycle chirped laser pulse and its 27th harmonics. By solving the time-dependent Schroumldinger equation, we found that high-order harmonic generation (HHG) from He+ ion is enhanced by seven orders of magnitude due to the presence of the harmonic pulse. After optimizing the chirp of the fundamental pulse, we show that the cut-off energy of the generated harmonics is extended effectively to I-p+25.5U(p). As a result, an isolated 26-as pulse with a bandwidth of 170.5 eV can be obtained directly from the supercontinuum around the cut-off of HHG. To better understand the physical origin of HHG enhancement and attosecond pulse emission, we perform semiclassical simulations and analyze the time-frequency characteristics of attosecond pulse.

Molecular dynamics and control following excitation with an ultra-short intense laser pulse

Vibronic excitations of the tri-atomic molecule OClO (A(2)A(2)(nu(1), nu(2), nu(3)) <-- (XB1)-B-2 (0, 0, 0)) with weak and strong ultra-short laser fields are studied within full quantum wavepacket dynamics in hyperspherical coordinates. Different dynamics is observed following excitation with laser pulses of different intensities. With a strong laser pulse, many vibrational states are excited and a spatially more localised wavepacket arises. The numerical results show that the population of different vibrational states of the wavepacket on the excited potential energy surface is altered by the intensity of the laser pulse. The numerical results also suggest a related effect on the phase of the wavepacket. These interesting phenomena can be understood by an analysis of the corresponding results for two model diatomic molecules. The possible physical mechanisms of control of chemical processes using strong laser fields are discussed. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Selecting ionization path by dynamic stark shift with strong laser pulse

Multiphoton ionization of NO via intermediate Rydberg states with ultra-short laser pulses is investigated with time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy in combination with fermosecond pump-probe technology. The Rydberg states of NO, which are characterized by obvious ac-Stark shift in ultra-strong laser field, can be tuned in resonance to ionize NO molecule at one's will with identical laser pulses, i.e., one can 'select' resonance path to ionization. The results shown in this Letter demonstrate that the states holding notable dynamic Stark shift provide us another dimension to chemical control with strong laser field. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.