1
|
Fernández A, Straw A, Distel M, Leitgeb R, Baltuska A, Verhoef AJ. Dynamic real-time subtraction of stray-light and background for multiphoton imaging. Biomed Opt Express 2021; 12:288-302. [PMID: 33659077 PMCID: PMC7899518 DOI: 10.1364/boe.403255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We introduce a new approach to reduce uncorrelated background signals from fluorescence imaging data, using real-time subtraction of background light. This approach takes advantage of the short fluorescence lifetime of most popular fluorescent activity reporters, and the low duty-cycle of ultrafast lasers. By synchronizing excitation and recording, laser-induced multiphoton fluorescence can be discriminated from background light levels with each laser pulse. We demonstrate the ability of our method to - in real-time - remove image artifacts that in a conventional imaging setup lead to clipping of the signal. In other words, our method enables imaging under conditions that in a conventional setup would yield corrupted data from which no accurate information can be extracted. This is advantageous in experimental setups requiring additional light sources for applications such as optogenetic stimulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Fernández
- IQSE and Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4242 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Photonics Institute, TU Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27-29/387, 1040 Vienna, Austria
- Centro Regional Universitario de Coclé, Universidad de Panamá, Penonomé, Coclé, Panama
| | - A Straw
- Institute of Biology I and Bernstein Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Hauptstrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - M Distel
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Zimmermannplatz 10, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - R Leitgeb
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20/4L, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - A Baltuska
- Photonics Institute, TU Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27-29/387, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - A J Verhoef
- IQSE and Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4242 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Photonics Institute, TU Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27-29/387, 1040 Vienna, Austria
- Centro Regional Universitario de Coclé, Universidad de Panamá, Penonomé, Coclé, Panama
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20/4L, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Fernández A, Grüner-Nielsen L, Andreana M, Stadler M, Kirchberger S, Sturtzel C, Distel M, Zhu L, Kautek W, Leitgeb R, Baltuska A, Jespersen K, Verhoef A. Optimizing pulse compressibility in completely all-fibered Ytterbium chirped pulse amplifiers for in vivo two photon laser scanning microscopy. Biomed Opt Express 2017; 8:3526-3537. [PMID: 28856032 PMCID: PMC5560822 DOI: 10.1364/boe.8.003526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Revised: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/22/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
A simple and completely all-fiber Yb chirped pulse amplifier that uses a dispersion matched fiber stretcher and a spliced-on hollow core photonic bandgap fiber compressor is applied in nonlinear optical microscopy. This stretching-compression approach improves compressibility and helps to maximize the fluorescence signal in two-photon laser scanning microscopy as compared with approaches that use standard single mode fibers as stretcher. We also show that in femtosecond all-fiber systems, compensation of higher order dispersion terms is relevant even for pulses with relatively narrow bandwidths for applications relying on nonlinear optical effects. The completely all-fiber system was applied to image green fluorescent beads, a stained lily-of-the-valley root and rat-tail tendon. We also demonstrated in vivo imaging in zebrafish larvae, where we simultaneously measure second harmonic and fluorescence from two-photon excited red-fluorescent protein. Since the pulses are compressed in a fiber, this source is especially suited for upgrading existing laser scanning (confocal) microscopes with multiphoton imaging capabilities in space restricted settings or for incorporation in endoscope-based microscopy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Fernández
- Photonics Institute, TU Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27-29/387, 1040 Vienna, Austria
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medizinische Universität Wien, Währinger Gürtel 18-20/4L, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - L Grüner-Nielsen
- Danish Optical Fiber Innovation, Åvendingen 22A, 2700 Brønshøj, Denmark
| | - M Andreana
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medizinische Universität Wien, Währinger Gürtel 18-20/4L, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - M Stadler
- St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung e.V., Children's Cancer Research Institute, Zimmermannplatz 10, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - S Kirchberger
- St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung e.V., Children's Cancer Research Institute, Zimmermannplatz 10, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - C Sturtzel
- St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung e.V., Children's Cancer Research Institute, Zimmermannplatz 10, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - M Distel
- St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung e.V., Children's Cancer Research Institute, Zimmermannplatz 10, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - L Zhu
- Photonics Institute, TU Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27-29/387, 1040 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Universität Wien, Währinger Strasse 42, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - W Kautek
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Universität Wien, Währinger Strasse 42, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - R Leitgeb
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medizinische Universität Wien, Währinger Gürtel 18-20/4L, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - A Baltuska
- Photonics Institute, TU Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27-29/387, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - K Jespersen
- NKT Photonics A/S, Blokken 84, 3460 Birkerød, Denmark
| | - A Verhoef
- Photonics Institute, TU Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27-29/387, 1040 Vienna, Austria
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medizinische Universität Wien, Währinger Gürtel 18-20/4L, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Polónyi G, Monoszlai B, Gäumann G, Rohwer EJ, Andriukaitis G, Balciunas T, Pugzlys A, Baltuska A, Feurer T, Hebling J, Fülöp JA. High-energy terahertz pulses from semiconductors pumped beyond the three-photon absorption edge. Opt Express 2016; 24:23872-23882. [PMID: 27828222 DOI: 10.1364/oe.24.023872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A new route to efficient generation of THz pulses with high-energy was demonstrated using semiconductor materials pumped at an infrared wavelength sufficiently long to suppress both two- and three-photon absorption and associated free-carrier absorption at THz frequencies. For pumping beyond the three-photon absorption edge, the THz generation efficiency for optical rectification of femtosecond laser pulses with tilted intensity front in ZnTe was shown to increase 3.5 times, as compared to pumping below the absorption edge. The four-photon absorption coefficient of ZnTe was estimated to be β4=(4±1)×10-5 cm5/GW3. THz pulses with 14 μJ energy were generated with as high as 0.7% efficiency in ZnTe pumped at 1.7 µm. It is shown that scaling the THz pulse energy to the mJ level by increasing the pump spot size and pump pulse energy is feasible.
Collapse
|
4
|
Balciunas T, Verhoef A, Mitrofanov A, Fan G, Serebryannikov E, Ivanov M, Zheltikov A, Baltuska A. Optical and THz signatures of sub-cycle tunneling dynamics. Chem Phys 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphys.2012.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
5
|
Verhoef A, Mitrofanov A, Krikunova M, Kabachnik N, Drescher M, Baltuska A. Attosecond streaking of shake-up and Auger electrons in xenon. EPJ Web of Conferences 2013. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/20134102003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
|
6
|
Popmintchev T, Chen MC, Popmintchev D, Arpin P, Brown S, Alisauskas S, Andriukaitis G, Balciunas T, Mucke OD, Pugzlys A, Baltuska A, Shim B, Schrauth SE, Gaeta A, Hernandez-Garcia C, Plaja L, Becker A, Jaron-Becker A, Murnane MM, Kapteyn HC. Bright Coherent Ultrahigh Harmonics in the keV X-ray Regime from Mid-Infrared Femtosecond Lasers. Science 2012; 336:1287-91. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1218497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1273] [Impact Index Per Article: 106.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
|
7
|
Fernández A, Zhu L, Verhoef AJ, Sidorov-Biryukov D, Pugzlys A, Baltuska A, Liao KH, Liu CH, Galvanauskas A, Kane S, Holzwarth R, Ilday FO. Broadly tunable carrier envelope phase stable optical parametric amplifier pumped by a monolithic ytterbium fiber amplifier. Opt Lett 2009; 34:2799-2801. [PMID: 19756109 DOI: 10.1364/ol.34.002799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
In an effort to develop a robust and efficient front end for a chirped-pulse parametric amplification chain, we demonstrate a broadband difference-frequency converter driven by a monolithic femtosecond Yb-doped-fiber amplifier and emitting carrier-envelope-offset-free pulses with the energy of tens of nanojoules tunable in the wavelength range from 1200 nm to beyond 2 mum. Next to providing these seed pulses, the system enables direct optical synchronization of Nd- and Yb-doped pump lasers for subsequent parametric amplification.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Fernández
- Institut für Photonik, Technische Universität Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27-29/387, A-1040 Wien, Austria.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Pugzlys A, Andriukaitis G, Baltuska A, Su L, Xu J, Li H, Li R, Lai WJ, Phua PB, Marcinkevicius A, Fermann ME, Giniūnas L, Danielius R, Alisauskas S. Multi-mJ, 200-fs, cw-pumped, cryogenically cooled, Yb,Na:CaF2 amplifier. Opt Lett 2009; 34:2075-2077. [PMID: 19572004 DOI: 10.1364/ol.34.002075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Using a novel (to our knowledge) broadband Yb-doped Yb3+,Na+:CaF2 crystal cooled in a closed loop to 130 K we demonstrate a chirped pulse regenerative laser amplifier delivering the energy of up to 3 mJ at a repetition rate of 1 kHz and an average output power of 6 W at 20 kHz. The gain narrowing in the laser crystal is compensated by shaping the amplitude of the seed pulse spectrum. As the result, at the highest amplified pulse energy we obtain a 12 nm FWHM bandwidth supporting a 130 fs pulse duration, assuming ideal compression. Amplified pulses were recompressed from 250 ps to 195 fs with a 1700 lines/mm transmission grating compressor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Pugzlys
- Photonics Institute, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Mücke OD, Sidorov D, Dombi P, Pugzlys A, Baltuska A, Alisauskas S, Smilgevicius V, Pocius J, Giniūnas L, Danielius R, Forget N. Scalable Yb-MOPA-driven carrier-envelope phase-stable few-cycle parametric amplifier at 1.5 microm. Opt Lett 2009; 34:118-120. [PMID: 19148227 DOI: 10.1364/ol.34.000118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Carrier-envelope phase-stable 4 microJ pulses at approximately 1.5 microm are obtained from a femtosecond Yb:KGW-MOPA-pumped two-stage optical parametric amplifier. This novel technology represents a highly attractive alternative to traditional Ti:sapphire front-ends for seeding multimillijoule-level optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers. For this task, we demonstrate stretching of the OPA output to approximately 40 ps and recompression to 33 fs pulse duration. As a stand-alone system, our tunable two-stage OPA might find numerous applications in time-resolved spectroscopy and micromachining.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- O D Mücke
- Photonics Institute, Vienna University of Technology, Gusshausstrasse, Vienna, Austria.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Sidorov-Biryukov DA, Fernandez A, Zhu L, Verhoef A, Dombi P, Pugzlys A, Serebryannikov EE, Zheltikov AM, Knight JC, Baltuska A. Solitonic dynamics of ultrashort pulses in a highly nonlinear photonic-crystal fiber visualized by spectral interferometry. Opt Lett 2008; 33:446-448. [PMID: 18311287 DOI: 10.1364/ol.33.000446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
A linear technique of phase measurement based on spectral interferometry is employed to visualize the fine details in the spectral phase of a soliton produced in a highly nonlinear photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with a resolution better than 0.1 nm. Gigahertz features have been resolved in the spectral phase of the soliton PCF output, allowing the accuracy of time-domain soliton envelope reconstruction to be improved on the timescale of a few femtoseconds.
Collapse
|
11
|
Sidorov-Biryukov DA, Fernandez A, Zhu L, Pugzlys A, Serebryannikov EE, Baltuska A, Zheltikov AM. Spectral narrowing of chirp-free light pulses in anomalously dispersive, highly nonlinear photonic-crystal fibers. Opt Express 2008; 16:2502-2507. [PMID: 18542329 DOI: 10.1364/oe.16.002502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Spectral narrowing of nearly chirp-free 50-fs pulses delivered by a diode-pumped ytterbium solid-state laser (Yb DPSSL) is experimentally demonstrated using an anomalously dispersive, highly nonlinear photonic-crystal fiber (PCF). The ratio of spectral narrowing and the accompanying temporal pulse broadening are controlled by the peak power of Yb DPSSL pulses at the input of the fiber.
Collapse
|
12
|
Ishii N, Teisset CY, Köhler S, Serebryannikov EE, Fuji T, Metzger T, Krausz F, Baltuska A, Zheltikov AM. Widely tunable soliton frequency shifting of few-cycle laser pulses. Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys 2006; 74:036617. [PMID: 17025774 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.74.036617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2005] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Photonic-crystal fibers are employed to demonstrate widely tunable frequency down-conversion of unamplified 6-fs Ti:sapphire laser pulses through the soliton self-frequency shift induced by the Raman effect. Wavelength shifts as large as 500 nm are achieved for input few-cycle pulses with broadband spectra centered at approximately 820 nm. The central wavelength of the redshifted output of a photonic-crystal fiber is smoothly tuned from the low-frequency edge in the spectrum of the 6-fs Ti:sapphire laser pulse up to 1.35 microm by varying the input energy in the fundamental mode of the fiber.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N Ishii
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Strasse 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Serebryannikov EE, Zheltikov AM, Köhler S, Ishii N, Teisset CY, Fuji T, Krausz F, Baltuska A. Diffraction-arrested soliton self-frequency shift of few-cycle laser pulses in a photonic-crystal fiber. Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys 2006; 73:066617. [PMID: 16907007 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.73.066617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2005] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The balance between diffraction and index-step guiding in photonic-crystal fibers is controlled by modifying the fiber structure, leading to different wavelength dependences of the effective mode area and providing a mechanism to control nonlinear-optical phenomena. In optical fibers with a steep profile, the guided mode of the light field tends to become much less compact with an increase in radiation wavelength, slowing down the Raman-induced soliton self-frequency shift of an ultrashort laser pulse. A reduction of the soliton self-frequency shift is demonstrated for input laser pulses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E E Serebryannikov
- Physics Department, International Laser Center, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorob'evy gory, Moscow 119992, Russia
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Fuji T, Ishii N, Teisset CY, Gu X, Metzger T, Baltuska A, Forget N, Kaplan D, Galvanauskas A, Krausz F. Parametric amplification of few-cycle carrier-envelope phase-stable pulses at 2.1 microm. Opt Lett 2006; 31:1103-5. [PMID: 16625917 DOI: 10.1364/ol.31.001103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier producing infrared 20 fs (3-optical-cycle) pulses with a stable carrier-envelope phase. The amplifier is seeded with self-phase-stabilized pulses obtained by optical rectification of the output of an ultrabroadband Ti:sapphire oscillator. Energies of -80 microJ with a well-suppressed background of parametric superfluorescence and up to 400 microJ with a superfluorescence background are obtained from a two-stage parametric amplifier based on periodically poled LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 crystals. The parametric amplifier is pumped by an optically synchronized 1 kHz, 30 ps, 1053 nm Nd:YLF amplifier seeded by the same Ti:sapphire oscillator.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T Fuji
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Strasse 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Serebryannikov EE, Zheltikov AM, Ishii N, Teisset CY, Köhler S, Fuji T, Metzger T, Krausz F, Baltuska A. Nonlinear-optical spectral transformation of few-cycle laser pulses in photonic-crystal fibers. Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys 2005; 72:056603. [PMID: 16383767 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.72.056603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2005] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Photonic-crystal fibers with special dispersion profiles are shown to provide a high efficiency of spectral transformation of chirped sub-6-fs Ti:sapphire laser pulses. With the wavelength of zero group-velocity dispersion of the fiber lying within the broad spectrum of the input few-cycle pulse, the output spectra feature well-resolved spectral peaks, indicative of soliton self-frequency shift, four-wave mixing, and Cherenkov emission of dispersive waves. We demonstrate that up to 3% of radiation energy at the output of the fiber can be confined within a spectrally isolated soliton peak centered at , which is ideally suited as a seed for Nd:YAG- and ytterbium-based laser devices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E E Serebryannikov
- Physics Department, International Laser Center, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorob'evy gory, Moscow 119992, Russia
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
16
|
Teisset C, Ishii N, Fuji T, Metzger T, Köhler S, Holzwarth R, Baltuska A, Zheltikov A, Krausz F. Soliton-based pump-seed synchronization for few-cycle OPCPA. Opt Express 2005; 13:6550-6557. [PMID: 19498670 DOI: 10.1364/opex.13.006550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate a significant simplification of the scheme for few-cycle Optical Parametric Chirped Pulse Amplification (OPCPA) which results in the elimination of a picosecond's master oscillator and electronic synchronization loops. A fraction of a broadband seed pulse centered at 760 nm from a 70-MHz Ti:sapphire oscillator was frequency-shifted in a photonic crystal fiber to enable synchronized seeding of a picosecond's Nd:YAG pump laser. The seed radiation at 1064 nm is produced in the soliton regime which makes it inherently more intense and stable in comparison with other methods of frequency conversion. The remaining fraction of the Ti:sapphire output is amplified with a FWHM bandwidth of 250 nm in a single timing-jitter-free OPCPA stage. Our work opens up the exciting possibility to use sub-picosecond's pump pulses from highly efficient Yb-based amplifiers for jitter-less parametric amplification of carrier-envelope phase stabilized pulses from Ti:sapphire oscillators.
Collapse
|
17
|
Lindner F, Schätzel MG, Walther H, Baltuska A, Goulielmakis E, Krausz F, Milosević DB, Bauer D, Becker W, Paulus GG. Attosecond double-slit experiment. Phys Rev Lett 2005; 95:040401. [PMID: 16090782 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.95.040401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2005] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
A new scheme for a double-slit experiment in the time domain is presented. Phase-stabilized few-cycle laser pulses open one to two windows (slits) of attosecond duration for photoionization. Fringes in the angle-resolved energy spectrum of varying visibility depending on the degree of which-way information are measured. A situation in which one and the same electron encounters a single and a double slit at the same time is observed. The investigation of the fringes makes possible interferometry on the attosecond time scale. From the number of visible fringes, for example, one derives that the slits are extended over about 500 as.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Lindner
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Garching, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Ishii N, Turi L, Yakovlev VS, Fuji T, Krausz F, Baltuska A, Butkus R, Veitas G, Smilgevicius V, Danielius R, Piskarskas A. Multimillijoule chirped parametric amplification of few-cycle pulses. Opt Lett 2005; 30:567-569. [PMID: 15789738 DOI: 10.1364/ol.30.000567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The concept of optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification is applied to attain pulses with energies up to 8 mJ and a bandwidth of more than 100 THz. Stretched broadband seed pulses from a Ti:sapphire oscillator are amplified in a multistage noncollinear type I phase-matched beta-barium borate parametric amplifier by use of an independent picosecond laser with lock-to-clock repetition rate synchronization. Partial compression of amplified pulses is demonstrated down to a 10-fs duration with a down-chirped pulse stretcher and a nearly lossless compressor comprising bulk material and positive-dispersion chirped mirrors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N Ishii
- Institut für Photonik, Technische Universität Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27/387, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Goulielmakis E, Uiberacker M, Kienberger R, Baltuska A, Yakovlev V, Scrinzi A, Westerwalbesloh T, Kleineberg U, Heinzmann U, Drescher M, Krausz F. Direct Measurement of Light Waves. Science 2004; 305:1267-9. [PMID: 15333834 DOI: 10.1126/science.1100866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The electromagnetic field of visible light performs approximately 10(15) oscillations per second. Although many instruments are sensitive to the amplitude and frequency (or wavelength) of these oscillations, they cannot access the light field itself. We directly observed how the field built up and disappeared in a short, few-cycle pulse of visible laser light by probing the variation of the field strength with a 250-attosecond electron burst. Our apparatus allows complete characterization of few-cycle waves of visible, ultraviolet, and/or infrared light, thereby providing the possibility for controlled and reproducible synthesis of ultrabroadband light waveforms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Goulielmakis
- Institut für Photonik, Technische Universität Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27, A-1040 Wien, Austria
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Lindner F, Paulus GG, Walther H, Baltuska A, Goulielmakis E, Lezius M, Krausz F. Gouy phase shift for few-cycle laser pulses. Phys Rev Lett 2004; 92:113001. [PMID: 15089129 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.92.113001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2003] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
We measured for the first time the influence of the Gouy effect on focused few-cycle laser pulses. The carrier-envelope phase is shown to undergo a smooth variation over a few Rayleigh distances. This result is of critical importance for any application of ultrashort laser pulses, including high-harmonic and attosecond pulse generation, as well as phase-dependent effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Lindner
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Kienberger R, Goulielmakis E, Uiberacker M, Baltuska A, Yakovlev V, Bammer F, Scrinzi A, Westerwalbesloh T, Kleineberg U, Heinzmann U, Drescher M, Krausz F. Atomic transient recorder. Nature 2004; 427:817-21. [PMID: 14985755 DOI: 10.1038/nature02277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 292] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2003] [Accepted: 12/05/2003] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In Bohr's model of the hydrogen atom, the electron takes about 150 attoseconds (1 as = 10(-18) s) to orbit around the proton, defining the characteristic timescale for dynamics in the electronic shell of atoms. Recording atomic transients in real time requires excitation and probing on this scale. The recent observation of single sub-femtosecond (1 fs = 10(-15) s) extreme ultraviolet (XUV) light pulses has stimulated the extension of techniques of femtochemistry into the attosecond regime. Here we demonstrate the generation and measurement of single 250-attosecond XUV pulses. We use these pulses to excite atoms, which in turn emit electrons. An intense, waveform-controlled, few cycle laser pulse obtains 'tomographic images' of the time-momentum distribution of the ejected electrons. Tomographic images of primary (photo)electrons yield accurate information of the duration and frequency sweep of the excitation pulse, whereas the same measurements on secondary (Auger) electrons will provide insight into the relaxation dynamics of the electronic shell following excitation. With the current approximately 750-nm laser probe and approximately 100-eV excitation, our transient recorder is capable of resolving atomic electron dynamics within the Bohr orbit time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Kienberger
- Institut für Photonik, Technische Universität Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27, A-1040 Wien, Austria
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Paulus GG, Lindner F, Walther H, Baltuska A, Goulielmakis E, Lezius M, Krausz F. Measurement of the phase of few-cycle laser pulses. Phys Rev Lett 2003; 91:253004. [PMID: 14754112 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.91.253004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2003] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
For the shortest pulses generated to date, the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave changes almost as rapidly as the field oscillates. The temporal variation of the field, which directly governs strong-field interactions, therefore depends on whether the maximum of the pulse amplitude coincides with that of the wave cycle or not, i.e., on the phase of the field with respect to the pulse envelope. It is demonstrated that the direction of electron emission from photoionized atoms can be controlled by varying the phase of the field, providing for the first time a tool for its accurate determination. Directing fast electron emission to the right or to the left with the light phase constitutes a new kind of coherent control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- G G Paulus
- Department of Physics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-4242, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Baltuska A, Udem T, Uiberacker M, Hentschel M, Goulielmakis E, Gohle C, Holzwarth R, Yakovlev VS, Scrinzi A, Hänsch TW, Krausz F. Attosecond control of electronic processes by intense light fields. Nature 2003; 421:611-5. [PMID: 12571590 DOI: 10.1038/nature01414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 379] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2002] [Accepted: 01/03/2003] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The amplitude and frequency of laser light can be routinely measured and controlled on a femtosecond (10(-15) s) timescale. However, in pulses comprising just a few wave cycles, the amplitude envelope and carrier frequency are not sufficient to characterize and control laser radiation, because evolution of the light field is also influenced by a shift of the carrier wave with respect to the pulse peak. This so-called carrier-envelope phase has been predicted and observed to affect strong-field phenomena, but random shot-to-shot shifts have prevented the reproducible guiding of atomic processes using the electric field of light. Here we report the generation of intense, few-cycle laser pulses with a stable carrier envelope phase that permit the triggering and steering of microscopic motion with an ultimate precision limited only by quantum mechanical uncertainty. Using these reproducible light waveforms, we create light-induced atomic currents in ionized matter; the motion of the electronic wave packets can be controlled on timescales shorter than 250 attoseconds (250 x 10(-18) s). This enables us to control the attosecond temporal structure of coherent soft X-ray emission produced by the atomic currents--these X-ray photons provide a sensitive and intuitive tool for determining the carrier-envelope phase.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Baltuska
- Institut für Photonik, Technische Universität Wien, Gusshausstrasse. 27, A-1040 Wien, Austria
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Baltuska A, Pshenichnikov MS, Wiersma DA. Amplitude and phase characterization of 4.5-fs pulses by frequency-resolved optical gating. Opt Lett 1998; 23:1474-1476. [PMID: 18091821 DOI: 10.1364/ol.23.001474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The technique of second-harmonic generation frequency-resolved optical gating is applied to measure the intensity and the phase of 4.5-fs pulses resulting from the fiber-compressed output of a cavity-dumped Ti:sapphire laser. Characterization of even shorter optical pulses by this method should also be feasible.
Collapse
|
25
|
Ranka JK, Gaeta AL, Baltuska A, Pshenichnikov MS, Wiersma DA. Autocorrelation measurement of 6-fs pulses based on the two-photon-induced photocurrent in a GaAsP photodiode. Opt Lett 1997; 22:1344-1346. [PMID: 18188234 DOI: 10.1364/ol.22.001344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
We experimentally characterize the two-photon response of a GaAsP photodiode by use of a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser tuned below the diode bandgap. The photodiode is shown to be highly suitable for real-time second-order autocorrelation measurements of pulses as short as 6fs in duration and with energies as small as a few picojoules.
Collapse
|
26
|
Abstract
We report on the characterization and compression of the white-light continuum produced by injection of a 13-fs pulse from a cavity-dumped self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser into a single-mode fiber. Pulses as short as 5 fs were generated at repetition rates up to 1 MHz.
Collapse
|
27
|
Baltuska A, Berzanskis A, Gadonas R, Pugzlys A, Smilgevicius V, Stabinis A. Angular structure formation in single-pass optical parametric generators pumped by intersecting beams. Opt Lett 1995; 20:2174. [PMID: 19862288 DOI: 10.1364/ol.20.002174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
|