Amanda Meier

Simultaneously spatially and temporally focusing light for tailored ultrafast micro-machining

Simultaneous spatially and temporally focussing (SSTF) of ultrashort pulses allows for an unprecedented control of the intensity distribution of light. It has therefore a great potential for widespread applications ranging from nonlinear microscopy, ophthalmology to micro-machining. SSTF also allows to overcome many bottlenecks of ultrashort pulse micro-machining, especially non-linear effects like filamentation and self-focussing. Here, we describe and demonstrate in detail how SSTF offers an additional degree of freedom for shaping the focal volume. In order to obtain a SSTF beam, the output of an ultrafast laser is usually split by a grating into an array of copies of the original beam, which we refer to as beamlets. The ratio of the beamlet array width to the width of the invidual beamlet is the beam aspect ratio. The focal volume of the SSTF beam can now be tailored transversally by shaping the cross-section of the beamlets and axially by choosing the right beam aspect ratio. We will discuss the requirements of the setup for a successful implementation of this approach: Firstly, the group velocity dispersion and the third order dispersion have to be compensated in order to obtain a high axial confinement. Secondly, the beamlet size and their orientation should not vary too much spectrally. Thirdly, beamlet and SSTF focus should match. We will hence demonstrate how SSTF allows to inscribe tailored three-dimensional structures with fine control over their aspect ratio. We also show how the SSTF focus can be adapted for various glasses and crystals.

Measurement of energy contrast of amplified ultrashort pulses using cross-polarized wave generation and spectral interferometry

We interfere an amplified output pulse with a copy that has been converted using third-order cross-polarized wave generation. The ASE pedestal shows as a background in the interference, yielding the short-pulse/ASE energy contrast.

Spatial–spectral characterization of focused spatially chirped broadband laser beams

Proper alignment is critical to obtain the desired performance from focused spatially chirped beams, for example in simultaneous spatial and temporal focusing (SSTF). We present a simple technique for inspecting the beam paths and focusing conditions for the spectral components of a broadband beam. We spectrally resolve the light transmitted past a knife edge as it was scanned across the beam at several axial positions. The measurement yields information about spot size, M2, and the propagation paths of different frequency components. We also present calculations to illustrate the effects of defocus aberration on SSTF beams.

Broadband interferometric characterization of divergence and spatial chirp.

We demonstrate a spectral interferometric method to characterize lateral and angular spatial chirp to optimize intensity localization in spatio-temporally focused ultrafast beams. Interference between two spatially sheared beams in an interferometer will lead to straight fringes if the wavefronts are curved. To produce reference fringes, we delay one arm relative to another in order to measure fringe rotation in the spatially resolved spectral interferogram. With Fourier analysis, we can obtain frequency-resolved divergence. In another arrangement, we spatially flip one beam relative to the other, which allows the frequency-dependent beamlet direction (angular spatial chirp) to be measured. Blocking one beam shows the spatial variation of the beamlet position with frequency (i.e., the lateral spatial chirp).

Nonlinear dynamics of double-pass cross-polarized wave generation in the saturation regime

The conversion efficiency of cross-polarized wave (XPW) generation can be improved using two separate thinner nonlinear crystals versus a single thick one, due to the evolution of the beam sizes and individual phases after the first crystal. In this paper, we present an alternative scheme in which a curved mirror is used to reimage a plane just after the BaF2 crystal for a second pass. We also develop a simple analytic model for XPW conversion that describes the origin of a nonlinear phase mismatch and nonlinear lensing for both the fundamental wave and XPW. Coupled with the numerical solution for the process and the Fresnel propagation after the first pass, we also explore the factors that affect the efficiency of saturated, seeded XPW conversion. These include the development of the on-axis relative phase difference in the first crystal and after it (during free-space propagation), mode matching, wavefront curvature difference, and crystal tuning angle. We also experimentally demonstrate that the beam quality of the XPW signal after the second pass can be improved by the reimaging.

Highly localized plasma formation in air using space-time cusing of mJ ultrafast pulses

Space-time focusing of spatially-chirped Ti:Sapphire laser pulses is used to generate a plasma in air axially localized to 28× less than the confocal parameter, suppressing filamentation on the way to the focus.

Isolated circularly polarized attosecond pulses driven by few-cycle and multi-cycle non-collinear laser beams

We propose two schemes for generating pure circularly polarized isolated attosecond pulses by crossing two non-collinear counter-rotating circularly polarized pulses. Isolation of a single attosecond pulse can be achieved either using few-cycle or multi-cycle drivers.