A. A. Podshivalov

Frequency-shifted megawatt soliton output of a hollow photonic-crystal fiber for time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microspectroscopy

Hollow-core photonic-crystal fibers (PCFs) provide soliton delivery and frequency shifting of 2.8 MW femtosecond pulses with an input central wavelength of 618 nm. The frequency-shifted megawatt soliton output of the hollow PCF is used as a high-peak-power Stokes field for coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microspectroscopy, providing a dynamic range of nearly four decades for anti-Stokes signal detection, thus enabling time-resolved CARS studies of ultrafast relaxation processes on time scales from tens of femtoseconds up to tens of picoseconds.

Highly extended high density filaments in tight focusing geometry in water: from femtoseconds to microseconds

We report a new regime of filamentation in water in tight focusing geometry, very similar to the so-called superfilamentation seen in air. In this regime there is no observable conical emission and multiple small-scale filaments, but instead a single continuous plasma channel is formed. To achieve this specific regime the principal requirement is the usage of tight focusing and supercritical power of laser radiation. Together they guarantee extremely high intensity in the microvolume in water (~1014 W cm−2) and clamp the energy in the ultra-thin (approximately several microns) channel with a uniform plasma density distribution in it. Each point of the superfilament becomes a center of spherical shock wave generation. The overlapped shock waves transform into one cylindrical shock wave. At low energies, a single spherical shock wave is generated from the laser beam waist, and its radius tends toward saturation as energy increases. At higher energies, a long stable contrast cylindrical shock wave is generated, whose length increases logarithmically with laser pulse energy. The linear absorption decreases the incoming energy delivered to the focal spot, which dramatically complicates the filament formation, especially in the case of loose focusing. Aberrations added to the optical scheme lead to multiple dotted plasma sources for shock wave formation, spaced along the axis of pulse propagation. Increasing the laser energy launches the filaments at each of the dots, whose overlapping leads to enhancing the length of the whole filament and therefore the shock impact on the material.

Cross-phase-modulation-controlled spectral transformations of ultrashort pulses in photonic-crystal fibres

Cross-phase modulation provides an efficient means to control spectral transformations of femtosecond laser pulses in photonic-crystal fibres with a specially designed dispersion profile. Femtosecond pulses of fundamental radiation of a Cr?:?forsterite laser are shown to induce an asymmetric spectral broadening of the anti-Stokes signal generated in a photonic-crystal fibre by the pulses of second-harmonic radiation of the same laser. Cross-phase-modulation-induced phase shifts control the efficiency of anti-Stokes generation in a photonic-crystal fibre, suggesting a method of switching the anti-Stokes signal on and off by varying the intensity of the control laser pulse.

Laser control of filament-induced shock wave in water

We discovered that tight focusing of Cr:forsterite femtosecond laser radiation in water provides the unique opportunity of long filament generation. The filament becomes a source of numerous spherical shock waves whose radius tends to saturate with the increase of energy. These overlapping waves create a contrast cylindrical shock wave. The laser-induced shock wave parameters such as shape, amplitude and speed can be effectively controlled by varying energy and focusing geometry of the femtosecond pulse. Aberrations added to the optical scheme lead to multiple dotted plasma sources for shock wave formation, spaced along the optical axis. Increasing the laser energy launches filaments at each dot that enhance the length of the entire filament and as a result, the shock impact on the material.

Toward sub-terrawatt mid-IR (4-5 micrometer) femtosecond hybrid laser system based on parametric seed pulse generation and amplification in Fe2+: ZnSe

For the first time, an experimentally measured seed pulse gain of about 2 cm−1 allows possibilities in the scaling power of such a femtosecond laser system in terawatts. The concept of a subterawatt power level hybrid femtosecond mid-IR (4–5 μm) laser system, based on a weak pulse from an optical parametric mid-IR seeder that is amplified in chalcogenide monocrystalline Fe2+:ZnSe, to gain medium has been proposed and designed. The method and approach for optimizing the choice of nonlinear medium, its length, and the required light intensity for the efficient non-linear self-compression of an ultrashort pulse has also been proposed and considered.

Broadband femtosecond parametric amplification in KTA close to mid-IR transparency cutoff

We report an increase in conversion efficiency and significant broadening of signal and idler bandwidth in the collinear KTA optical parametric amplifier operating close to mid-IR transparency cutoff (5.2 μm) for a visible and near IR pump. Using a 1.24 μm pump we have produced 2 μJ idler pulses at 3.8 μm central wavelength with a bandwidth supporting 65 fs transform limited duration. Further tuning to mid-IR up to 5 μm could be achieved with a 620 nm pump.

The transient regime of synchronously pumped picosecond dye lasers

Using a four-level model of the active medium, ultrashort pulse generation in the synchronously-pumped dye laser is investigated theoretically. Particular attention is paid to the transient regime in which the pump pulse train is relatively short. On the basis of these calculations a stable generator of tunable bandwidth-limited picosecond pulses was optimized.

Amplitude and polarization instability of picosecond light pulses exciting a semiconductor optical resonator

The first results of our study of nonlinear shift, distortion of form, and destruction of picosecond light pulses interacting with a nonlinear Fabry-Perot resonator in a strongly nonstationary regime are reported. Polarization instability of the light pulse transmitted through a nonlinear resonator has been observed.

Two-photon absorption-induced effects in femtosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman-scattering microspectroscopy of silicon photonic components

We study the effects related to two-photon absorption (TPA) in the microspectroscopy of the silicon photonic components based on coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) of femtosecond pulses. With 300-fs pulses of 1.24-μm Cr:forsterite laser radiation delivering pump and probe fields and a frequency-shifted soliton output of a large-mode area photonic-crystal fiber employed as a Stokes field, pronounced TPA effects have been observed in the CARS microspectroscopy of silicon components for pump-pulse intensities exceeding 10 GW/cm2.

Spectral-temporal properties and nonlinear-optical transformation of supercontinuum radiation with an energy over 1 μJ generated by a large-mode-area photonic-crystal fiber

Nonlinear-optical transformation of chirped femtosecond Cr:forsterite-laser pulses in a large-mode-area photonic-crystal fiber gives rise to the generation of a supercontinuum in the near infrared spectral range with an energy exceeding 1 μJ. A broadband light source with a wavelength tunability range from 550 to 1800 nm is implemented through second-harmonic-and sum-frequency-generation transformation of the supercontinuum photonic-crystal fiber output.