D.Z. Kandula

Extreme Ultraviolet Frequency Comb Metrology

The remarkable precision of frequency-comb (FC) lasers is transferred to the extreme ultraviolet (XUV, wavelengths shorter than 100 nm), a frequency region previously not accessible to these devices. A frequency comb at XUV wavelengths near 51 nm is generated by amplification and coherent up-conversion of a pair of pulses originating from a near-infrared femtosecond FC laser. The phase coherence of the source in the XUV is demonstrated using helium atoms as a ruler and phase detector. Signals in the form of stable Ramsey-like fringes with high contrast are observed when the FC laser is scanned over P states of helium, from which the absolute transition frequency in the XUV can be extracted. This procedure yields a (4)He ionization energy at h×5 945 204 212(6)  MHz, improved by nearly an order of magnitude in accuracy, thus challenging QED calculations of this two-electron system.

Phase stability of terawatt-class ultrabroadband parametric amplification

The phase stability of broadband (280 nm bandwidth) terawatt-class parametric amplification was measured, for the first time to our knowledge, with a combination of spatial and spectral interferometry. Measurements at four different wavelengths from 750 to 900 nm were performed in combination with numerical modeling. The phase stability is better than 1/23 rms of an optical cycle for all the measured wavelengths, depending on the phase-matching conditions in the amplifier.

Ultrafast double-pulse parametric amplification for precision Ramsey metrology

We demonstrate phase stable, mJ-level parametric amplification of pulse pairs originating from a Ti:Sapphire frequency comb laser. The amplifier-induced phase shift between the pulses has been determined interferometrically with an accuracy of approximately 10 mrad. Typical phase shifts are on the order of 50-200 mrad, depending on the operating conditions. The measured phase-relation can be as stable as 20 mrad rms (1/300(th) of an optical cycle). This makes the system suitable for Ramsey spectroscopy at short wavelengths by employing harmonic upconversion of the double-pulses in nonlinear media.

XUV frequency comb metrology on the ground state of helium

The operation of a frequency comb at extreme ultraviolet (xuv) wavelengths based on pairwise amplification and nonlinear upconversion to the 15th harmonic of pulses from a frequency-comb laser in the near-infrared range is reported. It is experimentally demonstrated that the resulting spectrum at 51 nm is fully phase coherent and can be applied to precision metrology. The pulses are used in a scheme of direct-frequency-comb excitation of helium atoms from the ground state to the 1s4p and 1s5p 1 P 1 states. Laser ionization by auxiliary 1064 nm pulses is used to detect the excited-state population, resulting in a cosine-like signal as a function of the repetition rate of the frequency comb with a modulation contrast of up to 55%. Analysis of the visibility of this comb structure, thereby using the helium atom as a precision phase ruler, yields an estimated timing jitter between the two upconverted-comb laser pulses of 50 attoseconds, which is equivalent to a phase jitter of 0.38(6) cycles in the xuv at 51 nm. This sets a quantitative figure of merit for the operation of the xuv comb and indicates that extension to even shorter wavelengths should be feasible. The helium metrology investigation results in transition frequencies of 5740806993(10) and 5814248672(6) MHz for excitation of the 1s4p and 1s5p 1 P1 states, respectively. This constitutes an important frequency measurement in the xuv, attaining high accuracy in this windowless part of the electromagnetic spectrum. From the measured transition frequencies an eight-fold-improved 4 He ionization energy of 5945204212(6) MHz is derived. Also, a new value for the 4 He ground-state Lamb shift is found of 41247(6) MHz. This experimental value is in agreement with recent theoretical calculations up to order mα 6 and m 2 /Mα 5 , but with a six-times-higher precision, therewith providing a stringent test of quantum electrodynamics in bound two-electron systems.

Widely tunable extreme UV frequency comb generation

Extreme UV (XUV) frequency comb generation in the wavelength range of 51 to 85 nm is reported based on high-order harmonic generation of two consecutive IR frequency comb pulses that were amplified in an optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier. The versatility of the system is demonstrated by recording direct XUV frequency comb excitation signals in He, Ne, and Ar with visibilities of up to 61%.

Direct frequency metrology Up To PHz frequencies

The capability of frequency-comb (FC) lasers to precisely measure optical frequencies has been extended to the to the extreme ultraviolet (XUV, wavelengths shorter than 100 nm), corresponding to frequencies of multiple PHz. We demonstrate “broad frequency comb generation” for a wavelength range of 51–85 nm. Our method is based on amplification and coherent up-conversion of a pair of pulses originating from a near-infrared femtosecond FC laser. Excitation of argon, neon, and helium with these upconverted laser pulses in the XUV lead to Ramsey-like signals with up to 61% contrast. From these signals an accuracy of 6 MHz has been achieved in the determination of the ground state ionization energy of helium at 51 nm. Further improvement to a kHz-level accuracy is expected based on a new pump laser for the employed parametric amplification system.

Frequency comb metrology at PHz frequencies: Precision in the extreme ultraviolet

The capability of frequency-comb (FC) lasers to precisely measure optical frequencies is extended to the multiple-PHz domain. This frequency region, which covers the extreme ultraviolet (XUV, wavelengths shorter than 100 nm), was previously not accessible to these devices. Frequency comb generation is shown for 51–85 nm by amplification and coherent up-conversion of a pair of pulses originating from a near-infrared femtosecond FC laser. Moreover, Ramsey-like signals with up to 61% contrast are observed when the XUV comb is scanned over transitions in argon, neon and helium, resulting in an 8-fold improved determination of the ground state ionization energy of helium.

Widely tunable extreme ultraviolet frequency comb generation

Frequency comb lasers [1] have led to great advances in fields such as precision spectroscopy, optical atomic clocks, and attosecond science. We transfer the remarkable precision of frequency combs to extreme ultraviolet (XUV) wavelengths by parametric amplification and high-harmonic generation (HHG) of two subsequent Ti:Sapphire comb laser pulses (see Fig. 1b). As a result a pair of phase-locked extreme ultraviolet pulses is generated, which can be used directly for precision spectroscopy without the need for an additional spectroscopy laser. Viewed in the frequency domain, the spectrum of the upconverted pulse sequence in the XUV still resembles a frequency comb, but now in the form of a cosine-modulated spectrum (see Fig. 1a). From a timedomain perspective, excitation with phase-locked pulses is a form of Ramsey excitation (see e.g. [2,3]).

XUV frequency comb spectroscopy

We demonstrate high resolution frequency comb spectroscopy in the extreme ultraviolet for the first time by exciting helium from the ground state using 51.56 nm pulses. Precision spectroscopy in the extreme ultraviolet on helium atoms and helium+ ions is very interesting as it could provide more stringent tests of quantum electrodynamics than currently possible with hydrogen. One problem is that spectroscopy in the extreme ultraviolet typically requires amplification and harmonic upconversion of visible light sources, which can introduce difficult to control systematic errors as a result of so called frequency-chirping effects [1,2].