1
|
Amuah EB, Siddiqui KM, Monti M, Johnson AS, Wall SE. Determination and correction of spectral phase from principal component analysis of coherent phonons. OPTICS EXPRESS 2024; 32:3817-3825. [PMID: 38297594 DOI: 10.1364/oe.514141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Measuring the spectral phase of a pulse is key for performing wavelength resolved ultrafast measurements in the few femtosecond regime. However, accurate measurements in real experimental conditions can be challenging. We show that the reflectivity change induced by coherent phonons in a quantum material can be used to infer the spectral phase of an optical probe pulse with few-femtosecond accuracy.
Collapse
|
2
|
Rupprecht P, Magunia A, Aufleger L, Ott C, Pfeifer T. Flexible experimental platform for dispersion-free temporal characterization of ultrashort pulses. OPTICS EXPRESS 2023; 31:39821-39831. [PMID: 38041296 DOI: 10.1364/oe.503731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
The precise temporal characterization of laser pulses is crucial for ultrashort applications in biology, chemistry, and physics. Especially in femto- and attosecond science, diverse laser pulse sources in different spectral regimes from the visible to the infrared as well as pulse durations ranging from picoseconds to few femtoseconds are employed. In this article, we present a versatile temporal-characterization apparatus that can access these different temporal and spectral regions in a dispersion-free manner and without phase-matching constraints. The design combines transient-grating and surface third-harmonic-generation frequency-resolved optical gating in one device with optimized alignment capabilities based on a noncollinear geometry.
Collapse
|
3
|
López-Ripa M, Sola ÍJ, Alonso B. Generalizing amplitude swing modulation for versatile ultrashort pulse measurement. OPTICS EXPRESS 2023; 31:34428-34442. [PMID: 37859199 DOI: 10.1364/oe.500271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
In this work we broaden the amplitude modulation concept applied to the temporal characterization of ultrashort laser pulses with the amplitude swing technique. We theoretically study the effect of diverse types of relative amplitude and phase modulations. This variation of the replicas can be implemented by means of rotating zero-order waveplates to manipulate the delayed pulse replicas produced in a following multi-order waveplate, which can be more practical under certain conditions. We numerically simulate and study different scenarios under different modulations and for different noise levels and pulses. The proposed schemes are validated and compared through the experimental application to compressed and chirped pulses, confirming the applicability of the work. The simplicity, robustness and versatility of this ultrashort pulse measurement benefits the applications of ultrafast optics.
Collapse
|
4
|
Syed R, Uiterwaal CJGJ. Ultrafast pulse duration measurement method of near-infrared pulses for a broad range of wavelengths using two-photon absorption in a liquid and fluorescent dye solution. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2023; 94:103006. [PMID: 37812046 DOI: 10.1063/5.0160178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
A novel characterization method to measure the pulse duration of ultrafast near-IR pulses is introduced, which uses simple tabletop optics, is relatively inexpensive, and is expected to work in a broad wavelength range. Our diagnostic tool quantitatively characterizes the laser pulse duration of any near-IR wavelength assuming a Gaussian pulse shape with a linear chirp. We negatively prechirp near-IR pulses with a home-built broadband pulse compressor (BPC) and send this prechirped beam through a cell filled with a low-molar solution of a fluorescent dye in a liquid. After two-photon absorption, this dye fluoresces in the visible, and we record this visible signal as a function of the propagation distance in the liquid cell. We calibrate the group velocity dispersion (GVD) of our home-built BPC device against the known GVD of the compressor of our 800 nm laser and confirm this value using geometric considerations. Now knowing the GVD of BPC and the recorded visible signal for various amounts of negative chirp, let us extract the smallest pulse duration of the near-IR pulse from this visible signal. As a useful corollary, our analysis also enables the direct measurement of the GVD for liquids and the indirect measurement of the absorption coefficient for liquids in the near-IR range, in contrast to indirect GVD measurements that rely on methods such as the double derivative of the refractive index.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rafeeq Syed
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nebraska Lincoln, 855 N 16th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA
| | - Cornelis J G J Uiterwaal
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nebraska Lincoln, 855 N 16th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hähnel D, Golla C, Albert M, Zentgraf T, Myroshnychenko V, Förstner J, Meier C. A multi-mode super-fano mechanism for enhanced third harmonic generation in silicon metasurfaces. LIGHT, SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS 2023; 12:97. [PMID: 37081002 PMCID: PMC10119293 DOI: 10.1038/s41377-023-01134-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
We present strong enhancement of third harmonic generation in an amorphous silicon metasurface consisting of elliptical nano resonators. We show that this enhancement originates from a new type of multi-mode Fano mechanism. These 'Super-Fano' resonances are investigated numerically in great detail using full-wave simulations. The theoretically predicted behavior of the metasurface is experimentally verified by linear and nonlinear transmission spectroscopy. Moreover, quantitative nonlinear measurements are performed, in which an absolute conversion efficiency as high as ηmax ≈ 2.8 × 10-7 a peak power intensity of 1.2 GW cm-2 is found. Compared to an unpatterned silicon film of the same thickness amplification factors of up to ~900 are demonstrated. Our results pave the way to exploiting a strong Fano-type multi-mode coupling in metasurfaces for high THG in potential applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Hähnel
- Theoretical Electrical Engineering & CeOPP, Paderborn University, 33098, Paderborn, Germany.
| | - Christian Golla
- Physics Department & CeOPP, Paderborn University, 33098, Paderborn, Germany.
| | - Maximilian Albert
- Physics Department & CeOPP, Paderborn University, 33098, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Thomas Zentgraf
- Physics Department & CeOPP, Paderborn University, 33098, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Viktor Myroshnychenko
- Theoretical Electrical Engineering & CeOPP, Paderborn University, 33098, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Jens Förstner
- Theoretical Electrical Engineering & CeOPP, Paderborn University, 33098, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Cedrik Meier
- Physics Department & CeOPP, Paderborn University, 33098, Paderborn, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Huang P, Yuan H, Cao H, Wang H, Wang X, Wang Y, Zhao W, Fu Y. Direct sampling of ultrashort laser pulses using third-harmonic generation with perturbation in ambient air. OPTICS LETTERS 2023; 48:2154-2157. [PMID: 37058665 DOI: 10.1364/ol.485665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
We propose a simple and robust all-optical pulse sampling method to characterize the temporal profiles of ultrashort laser pulses. The method is based on a third-harmonic generation (THG) process with perturbation in ambient air, which requires no retrieval algorithm and can be potentially applied to electric field measurement. The method has been successfully used to characterize multi-cycle and few-cycle pulses with a spectral range from 800 nm to 2200 nm. Considering the broad phase-matching bandwidth of THG and extremely low dispersion of air, this method is suitable for ultrashort pulse characterization even for single-cycle pulses in the near- to mid-infrared range. Thus, the method provides a reliable and highly accessible approach for pulse measurement in ultrafast optics research.
Collapse
|
7
|
Gomes T, Canhota M, Crespo H. Temporal characterization of broadband femtosecond laser pulses by surface third-harmonic dispersion scan with ptychographic retrieval. OPTICS LETTERS 2022; 47:3660-3663. [PMID: 35913283 DOI: 10.1364/ol.460069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We present a new, to the best of our knowledge, variant of dispersion scan (d-scan) based on surface third-harmonic generation (STHG) and a ptychographic algorithm tailored for full retrieval (amplitude and phase) of broadband laser pulses. We demonstrate the technique by temporally measuring and compressing few-cycle pulses with 7 fs and 2.5 nJ from a Ti:sapphire oscillator, using a sapphire window as the nonlinear medium. The results are in very good agreement with standard second-harmonic d-scan measurements based on a nonlinear crystal. The intrinsically broadband and phase-matching-independent nature of STHG make this technique very suitable for the characterization of ultrashort laser pulses over a broad wavelength range extending into the mid-infrared.
Collapse
|
8
|
Jaffray W, Belli F, Carnemolla EG, Dobas C, Mackenzie M, Travers J, Kar AK, Clerici M, DeVault C, Shalaev VM, Boltasseva A, Ferrera M. Near-zero-index ultra-fast pulse characterization. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3536. [PMID: 35725983 PMCID: PMC9209551 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31151-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Transparent conducting oxides exhibit giant optical nonlinearities in the near-infrared window where their linear index approaches zero. Despite the magnitude and speed of these nonlinearities, a "killer" optical application for these compounds has yet to be found. Because of the absorptive nature of the typically used intraband transitions, out-of-plane configurations with short optical paths should be considered. In this direction, we propose an alternative frequency-resolved optical gating scheme for the characterization of ultra-fast optical pulses that exploits near-zero-index aluminium zinc oxide thin films. Besides the technological advantages in terms of manufacturability and cost, our system outperforms commercial modules in key metrics, such as operational bandwidth, sensitivity, and robustness. The performance enhancement comes with the additional benefit of simultaneous self-phase-matched second and third harmonic generation. Because of the fundamental importance of novel methodologies to characterise ultra-fast events, our solution could be of fundamental use for numerous research labs and industries.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wallace Jaffray
- Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, SUPA, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK
| | - Federico Belli
- Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, SUPA, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK
| | - Enrico G Carnemolla
- Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, SUPA, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK
| | - Catalina Dobas
- Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, SUPA, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK
| | - Mark Mackenzie
- Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, SUPA, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK
| | - John Travers
- Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, SUPA, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK
| | - Ajoy K Kar
- Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, SUPA, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK
| | - Matteo Clerici
- James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Clayton DeVault
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Vladimir M Shalaev
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Alexandra Boltasseva
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Marcello Ferrera
- Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, SUPA, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Noordam M, Hernandez-Rueda J, Kuipers L. Simultaneous Characterization of Two Ultrashort Optical Pulses at Different Frequencies Using a WS 2 Monolayer. ACS PHOTONICS 2022; 9:1902-1907. [PMID: 35726244 PMCID: PMC9204806 DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.1c01270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The precise characterization of ultrashort laser pulses has been of interest to the scientific community for many years. Frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) has been extensively used to retrieve the temporal and spectral field distributions of ultrashort laser pulses. In this work, we exploit the high, broad-band nonlinear optical response of a WS2 monolayer to simultaneously characterize two ultrashort laser pulses with different frequencies. The relaxed phase-matching conditions in a WS2 monolayer enable the simultaneous acquisition of the spectra resulting from both four-wave mixing (FWM) and sum-frequency generation (SFG) nonlinear processes while varying the time delay between the two ultrashort pulses. Next, we introduce an adjusted double-blind FROG algorithm, based on iterative fast Fourier transforms between two FROG traces, to extract the intensity distribution and phase of two ultrashort pulses from the combination of their FWM and SFG FROG traces. Using this algorithm, we find an agreement between the computed and observed FROG traces for both the FWM and SFG processes. Exploiting the broad-band nonlinear response of a WS2 monolayer, we additionally characterize one of the pulses using a second-harmonic generation (SHG) FROG trace to validate the pulse shapes extracted from the combination of the FWM and SFG FROG traces. The retrieved pulse shape from the SHG FROG agrees well with the pulse shape retrieved from our nondegenerate cross-correlation FROG measurement. In addition to the nonlinear parametric processes, we also observe a nonlinearly generated photoluminescence (PL) signal emitted from the WS2 monolayer. Because of its nonlinear origin, the PL signal can also be used to obtain complementary autocorrelation and cross-correlation traces.
Collapse
|
10
|
Perez-Salinas D, Johnson AS, Prabhakaran D, Wall S. Multi-mode excitation drives disorder during the ultrafast melting of a C4-symmetry-broken phase. Nat Commun 2022; 13:238. [PMID: 35017507 PMCID: PMC8752725 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27819-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous C4-symmetry breaking phases are ubiquitous in layered quantum materials, and often compete with other phases such as superconductivity. Preferential suppression of the symmetry broken phases by light has been used to explain non-equilibrium light induced superconductivity, metallicity, and the creation of metastable states. Key to understanding how these phases emerge is understanding how C4 symmetry is restored. A leading approach is based on time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory, which explains the coherence response seen in many systems. However, we show that, for the case of the single layered manganite La0.5Sr1.5MnO4, the theory fails. Instead, we find an ultrafast inhomogeneous disordering transition in which the mean-field order parameter no longer reflects the atomic-scale state of the system. Our results suggest that disorder may be common to light-induced phase transitions, and methods beyond the mean-field are necessary for understanding and manipulating photoinduced phases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Perez-Salinas
- ICFO - The Institute of Photonics Sciences, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08860, Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Allan S Johnson
- ICFO - The Institute of Photonics Sciences, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08860, Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Simon Wall
- ICFO - The Institute of Photonics Sciences, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08860, Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain.
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 120, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Amuah EB, Johnson AS, Wall SE. An achromatic pump-probe setup for broadband, few-cycle ultrafast spectroscopy in quantum materials. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2021; 92:103003. [PMID: 34717375 DOI: 10.1063/5.0066760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we present an achromatic pump-probe setup covering the visible (VIS) to near-infrared (NIR) wavelength regions (500-3000 nm) for few-cycle pulses. Both the pump and probe arms can work either in the VIS or the NIR wavelength regions, making our setup suitable for multi-color, broadband pump-probe measurements. In particular, our setup minimizes time-smearing due to the phase front curvature, an aspect of ultrafast spectroscopy that has been missing from previous works and allowing us to achieve sub-20-fs temporal resolution. We demonstrate the capabilities of our setup by performing measurements on Pr0.5Ca1.5MnO4. We pump and probe in both wavelength regions with a range of pump fluences and demonstrate how the observed dynamics depend strongly on the probe wavelength. Furthermore, the observation of a 16.5 THz phonon demonstrates the high temporal resolution of the setup.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel B Amuah
- ICFO-The Institute of Photonics Sciences, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels, 08860 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Allan S Johnson
- ICFO-The Institute of Photonics Sciences, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels, 08860 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Simon E Wall
- ICFO-The Institute of Photonics Sciences, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels, 08860 Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|