System for the generation of tunable ultrafast optical pulses (Market Study)

用于产生可调谐超快光脉冲的系统（市场研究）

• 批准号: 560494-2021
• 负责人: Razzari, Luca
• 金额: $ 0.88万
• 依托单位: Institut national de la recherche scientifique
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Idea to Innovation
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=706761
• 关键词: System; generation; tunable; ultrafast; optical

Ultrafast laser pulses featuring wavelength tunability from the ultraviolet to the infrared range, which is beyond the direct reach of typical laser gain media, can bring a decisive advantage in many applications. However, nowadays the most commonly implemented technologies to generate such pulses, for instance optical parametric amplification, necessitate a complicated combination of multiple optical nonlinear processes for frequency conversion and amplification, essentially requiring bulky and expensive apparatus and still not automatically guaranteeing a gap-free tunability. Also, the time duration of the output pulses remains at a level comparable to the initial pumping laser system, so that further complexity needs to be added to achieve shorter durations, e.g., via pulse compression. To overcome these limitations, we have developed a simple and cost-effective system to generate wavelength-tunable and energy-scalable optical pulses, with the additional benefit of a pulse duration shorter than the one of the amplified laser employed as a pump. Our strategy is based on nonlinear spectral broadening (arising from self-phase modulation or stimulated Raman scattering) in a gas-filled hollow-core fiber (HCF), followed by a subsequent optical filtering stage. The tuning range, which can be controlled by the proper combination of gas type and pressure, can span continuously from the ultraviolet to the infrared. Once the outermost spectral lobe is selected from the broadened output spectrum by standard optical filtering, quasi-transform-limited pulses are directly obtained with energy conversion efficiencies of at least 10-15% (comparable with commercial optical parametric amplifiers) and pulse durations 3-4 times shorter than the one of the pump laser, without the need of any pulse post-compression. Considering the ease of fabrication of HCFs with different dimensions, the proposed technology could be utilized with various amplified lasers, potentially being capable of performing at extremely high (or low) average power or peak intensity conditions. This NSERC I2I Market Study will assist us in identifying the most promising applications, analyzing the potential market, and facilitating technology transfer.

超快激光脉冲具有从紫外线到红外范围的波长可调性，这超出了典型的激光增益介质的直接范围，可以在许多应用中带来决定性的优势。但是，如今，最常用的技术来生成此类脉冲，例如光学参数放大，需要将多个光学非线性过程复杂地组合来进行频率转换和放大，从本质上讲，基本上需要笨重且昂贵的设备，并且仍然不能自动保证无差距可调性。同样，输出脉冲的时间持续时间保持与初始泵送激光系统相当的水平，因此需要添加进一步的复杂性以实现较短的持续时间，例如通过脉冲压缩。为了克服这些局限性，我们开发了一个简单且具有成本效益的系统，以生成波长 - 触发和能量量表的光脉冲，其脉冲持续时间比用作泵的放大激光之一的额外好处要短。我们的策略是基于在充满气体的空心核纤维（HCF）中的非线性光谱扩展（由自相调制或刺激的拉曼散射引起的），然后是随后的光学滤波阶段。可以通过气体类型和压力的正确组合控制的调谐范围可以从紫外线连续跨越红外线。一旦通过标准的光学滤波从扩大的输出光谱中选择了最外面的光叶，准化学转换限制的脉冲将直接获得至少10-15％的能量转换效率（与商业光学参数放大器相当），而脉冲持续时间比脉搏持续3-4倍，而脉冲持续时间比无需脉搏的脉冲次数较短。考虑到具有不同尺寸的HCF的易于制造，可以使用各种放大激光器使用该提出的技术，可能能够在极高（或低）平均功率或峰值强度条件下进行。 NSERC I2I市场研究将有助于我们确定最有希望的应用程序，分析潜在市场并促进技术转移。