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Davies CS, Kirilyuk A. Epsilon-near-zero regime for ultrafast opto-spintronics. NPJ SPINTRONICS 2024; 2:20. [PMID: 38883427 PMCID: PMC11177794 DOI: 10.1038/s44306-024-00025-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Over the last two decades, breakthrough works in the field of non-linear phononics have revealed that high-frequency lattice vibrations, when driven to high amplitude by mid- to far-infrared optical pulses, can bolster the light-matter interaction and thereby lend control over a variety of spontaneous orderings. This approach fundamentally relies on the resonant excitation of infrared-active transverse optical phonon modes, which are characterized by a maximum in the imaginary part of the medium's permittivity. Here, in this Perspective article, we discuss an alternative strategy where the light pulses are instead tailored to match the frequency at which the real part of the medium's permittivity goes to zero. This so-called epsilon-near-zero regime, popularly studied in the context of metamaterials, naturally emerges to some extent in all dielectric crystals in the infrared spectral range. We find that the light-matter interaction in the phononic epsilon-near-zero regime becomes strongly enhanced, yielding even the possibility of permanently switching both spin and polarization order parameters. We provide our perspective on how this hitherto-neglected yet fertile research area can be explored in future, with the aim to outline and highlight the exciting challenges and opportunities ahead.
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Affiliation(s)
- C S Davies
- FELIX Laboratory, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Radboud University, Institute for Molecules and Materials, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - A Kirilyuk
- FELIX Laboratory, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Radboud University, Institute for Molecules and Materials, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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2
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Seo M, Mun JH, Heo J, Kim DE. High-efficiency near-infrared optical parametric amplifier for intense, narrowband THz pulses tunable in the 4 to 19 THz region. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16273. [PMID: 36175458 PMCID: PMC9523057 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20622-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Dynamic control of material properties using strong-field, narrowband THz sources has drawn attention because it allows selective manipulation of quantum states on demand by coherent excitation of specific low-energy modes in solids. Yet, the lack of powerful narrowband lasers with frequencies in the range of a few to a few tens of THz has restricted the exploration of hidden states in condensed matter. Here, we report the optimization of an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) and the efficient generation of a strong, narrowband THz field. The OPA has a total conversion efficiency of > 55%, which is the highest value reported to date, with an excellent energy-stability of 0.7% RMS over 3 h. We found that the injection of a high-energy signal beam to a power amplification stage in an OPA leads to high-efficiency and a super-Gaussian profile. By difference-frequency generation of two chirped OPA signal pulses in an organic nonlinear crystal, we obtained a THz pulse with an energy of 3.2 μJ, a bandwidth of 0.5 THz, and a pulse duration of 860 fs tunable between the 4 and 19 THz regions. This corresponds to an internal THz conversion efficiency of 0.4% and a THz field strength of 6.7 MV/cm. This approach demonstrates an effective way to generate narrow-bandwidth, intense THz fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meenkyo Seo
- Department of Physics and Center for Attosecond Science and Technology, POSTECH, Pohang, 37673, South Korea.,Max Planck POSTECH/KOREA Research Initiative, Pohang, 37673, South Korea
| | - Je-Hoi Mun
- Department of Physics and Center for Attosecond Science and Technology, POSTECH, Pohang, 37673, South Korea.,Max Planck POSTECH/KOREA Research Initiative, Pohang, 37673, South Korea
| | - Jaeuk Heo
- Department of Physics and Center for Attosecond Science and Technology, POSTECH, Pohang, 37673, South Korea.,Max Planck POSTECH/KOREA Research Initiative, Pohang, 37673, South Korea
| | - Dong Eon Kim
- Department of Physics and Center for Attosecond Science and Technology, POSTECH, Pohang, 37673, South Korea. .,Max Planck POSTECH/KOREA Research Initiative, Pohang, 37673, South Korea.
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3
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Knorr M, Manceau JM, Mornhinweg J, Nespolo J, Biasiol G, Tran NL, Malerba M, Goulain P, Lafosse X, Jeannin M, Stefinger M, Carusotto I, Lange C, Colombelli R, Huber R. Intersubband Polariton-Polariton Scattering in a Dispersive Microcavity. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 128:247401. [PMID: 35776456 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.128.247401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The ultrafast scattering dynamics of intersubband polaritons in dispersive cavities embedding GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells are studied directly within their band structure using a noncollinear pump-probe geometry with phase-stable midinfrared pulses. Selective excitation of the lower polariton at a frequency of ∼25 THz and at a finite in-plane momentum k_{‖} leads to the emergence of a narrowband maximum in the probe reflectivity at k_{‖}=0. A quantum mechanical model identifies the underlying microscopic process as stimulated coherent polariton-polariton scattering. These results mark an important milestone toward quantum control and bosonic lasing in custom-tailored polaritonic systems in the mid and far infrared.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Knorr
- Department of Physics, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - J M Manceau
- Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies (C2N), CNRS UMR 9001, Université Paris Saclay, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - J Mornhinweg
- Department of Physics, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - J Nespolo
- INO-CNR BEC Center and Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Trento, I-38123 Povo, Italy
| | - G Biasiol
- Laboratorio TASC, CNR-IOM, Area Science Park, 34149 Basovizza, Trieste, Italy
| | - N L Tran
- Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies (C2N), CNRS UMR 9001, Université Paris Saclay, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - M Malerba
- Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies (C2N), CNRS UMR 9001, Université Paris Saclay, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - P Goulain
- Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies (C2N), CNRS UMR 9001, Université Paris Saclay, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - X Lafosse
- Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies (C2N), CNRS UMR 9001, Université Paris Saclay, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - M Jeannin
- Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies (C2N), CNRS UMR 9001, Université Paris Saclay, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - M Stefinger
- Department of Physics, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - I Carusotto
- INO-CNR BEC Center and Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Trento, I-38123 Povo, Italy
| | - C Lange
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - R Colombelli
- Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies (C2N), CNRS UMR 9001, Université Paris Saclay, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - R Huber
- Department of Physics, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
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4
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Huang WH, Zhao Y, Kusama S, Kumaki F, Luo CW, Fuji T. Generation of sub-half-cycle 10 µm pulses through filamentation at kilohertz repetition rates. OPTICS EXPRESS 2020; 28:36527-36543. [PMID: 33379745 DOI: 10.1364/oe.408342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We have experimentally demonstrated the generation of sub-half-cycle phase-stable pulses with the carrier wavelength of 10.2 µm through two-color filamentation in nitrogen. The carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of the MIR pulse is passively stabilized and controlled by the attosecond time delay between the two-color input pulses. The duration of the MIR pulse is 13.7 fs, which corresponds to 0.402 cycles. The absolute value of the CEP of the generated sub-half-cycle pulse is consistent with a simple four-wave difference frequency generation model. We have also found that the 10 kHz repetition rate of the light source causes the fluctuation of the pulse energy on a few hundred millisecond time scale.
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5
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Jolly SW, Ahr F, Ravi K, Matlis NH, Kärtner FX, Maier AR. On the effect of third-order dispersion on phase-matched terahertz generation via interfering chirped pulses. OPTICS EXPRESS 2019; 27:34769-34787. [PMID: 31878660 DOI: 10.1364/oe.27.034769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
High-energy narrowband terahertz (THz) pulses, relevant for a plethora of applications, can be created from the interference of two chirped-pulse drive lasers. The presence of third order dispersion, an intrinsic feature of many high-energy drive lasers, however, can significantly reduce the optical-to-THz conversion efficiency and have other undesired effects. Here, we present a detailed description of the effect of third-order dispersion (TOD) in the pump pulse on the generation of THz radiation via phase-matching of broadband highly chirped pulse trains. Although the analysis is general, we focus specifically on parameters typical to a Ti:Sapphire chirped-pulse amplification laser system for quasi-phase-matching in periodically-poled lithium niobate (PPLN) in the range of THz frequencies around 0.5 THz. Our analysis provides the tools to optimize the THz generation process for applications requiring high energy and to control it to produce desired THz waveforms in a variety of scenarios.
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Ingold G, Abela R, Arrell C, Beaud P, Böhler P, Cammarata M, Deng Y, Erny C, Esposito V, Flechsig U, Follath R, Hauri C, Johnson S, Juranic P, Mancini GF, Mankowsky R, Mozzanica A, Oggenfuss RA, Patterson BD, Patthey L, Pedrini B, Rittmann J, Sala L, Savoini M, Svetina C, Zamofing T, Zerdane S, Lemke HT. Experimental station Bernina at SwissFEL: condensed matter physics on femtosecond time scales investigated by X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic methods. JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION 2019; 26:874-886. [PMID: 31074452 PMCID: PMC6510206 DOI: 10.1107/s160057751900331x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The Bernina instrument at the SwissFEL Aramis hard X-ray free-electron laser is designed for studying ultrafast phenomena in condensed matter and material science. Ultrashort pulses from an optical laser system covering a large wavelength range can be used to generate specific non-equilibrium states, whose subsequent temporal evolution can be probed by selective X-ray scattering techniques in the range 2-12 keV. For that purpose, the X-ray beamline is equipped with optical elements which tailor the X-ray beam size and energy, as well as with pulse-to-pulse diagnostics that monitor the X-ray pulse intensity, position, as well as its spectral and temporal properties. The experiments can be performed using multiple interchangeable endstations differing in specialization, diffractometer and X-ray analyser configuration and load capacity for specialized sample environment. After testing the instrument in a series of pilot experiments in 2018, regular user operation begins in 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard Ingold
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Rafael Abela
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | | | - Paul Beaud
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Pirmin Böhler
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Marco Cammarata
- Institut de Physique de Rennes, Université de Rennes, 35042 Rennes CEDEX, France
| | - Yunpei Deng
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Christian Erny
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Esposito
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Uwe Flechsig
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Rolf Follath
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Hauri
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Steven Johnson
- Institute for Quantum Electronics, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Pavle Juranic
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | | | - Roman Mankowsky
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Aldo Mozzanica
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Luc Patthey
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Bill Pedrini
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Jochen Rittmann
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Leonardo Sala
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Matteo Savoini
- Institute for Quantum Electronics, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Cristian Svetina
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Thierry Zamofing
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Serhane Zerdane
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
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7
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Courtney TL, Mecker NT, Patterson BD, Linne M, Kliewer CJ. Generation of narrowband pulses from chirped broadband pulse frequency mixing. OPTICS LETTERS 2019; 44:835-838. [PMID: 30767999 DOI: 10.1364/ol.44.000835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We extend an approach based upon sum-frequency generation of oppositely chirped pulses to narrow the bandwidths of broadband femtosecond pulses. We efficiently generate near-transform-limited pulses with durations of several picoseconds, while reducing the pulse bandwidth by a factor of 120, which is more than twice the reduction reported in previous literature. Such extreme bandwidth narrowing of a broadband pulse enhances the effects of dispersion nonlinearities. Precise chirp control enables us to characterize the efficacy of frequency mixing broadband pulses with nonlinear temporal chirps. We demonstrate the use of these narrowband pulses as probes in coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy.
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8
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Brückner L, Müller N, Motzkus M. Flexible and broadly tunable infrared light source based on shaped sub-10-fs pulses for a multimodal microscopy setup. OPTICS LETTERS 2018; 43:2054-2057. [PMID: 29714744 DOI: 10.1364/ol.43.002054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We present a versatile approach for mid-infrared spectroscopy through the flexible control of a difference-frequency-generation (DFG) process by femtosecond (fs) pulse shaping and spectral focusing. Based on a broadband sub-10-fs oscillator, the spectral position and spectral resolution can be independently selected within the molecular fingerprint region of more than 2000 cm-1. A spectral resolution better than 20 cm-1 can be achieved, which depends solely on the pulse shaper configuration. An absorption experiment on a polystyrene reference sample finally validates the concept and opens the door for an additional modality in nonlinear multimodal microscopy setups.
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9
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Bai Y, Zhang D, Li C, Liu C, Cheng JX. Bond-Selective Imaging of Cells by Mid-Infrared Photothermal Microscopy in High Wavenumber Region. J Phys Chem B 2017; 121:10249-10255. [PMID: 29035533 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b09570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Using a visible beam to probe the thermal effect induced by infrared absorption, mid-infrared photothermal (MIP) microscopy allows bond-selective chemical imaging at submicron spatial resolution. Current MIP microscopes cannot reach the high wavenumber region due to the limited tunability of the existing quantum cascade laser source. We extend the spectral range of MIP microscopy by difference frequency generation (DFG) from two chirped femtosecond pulses. Flexible wavelength tuning in both C-D and C-H regions was achieved with mid-infrared power up to 22.1 mW and spectral width of 29.3 cm-1. Distribution of fatty acid in live human lung cancer cells was revealed by MIP imaging of the C-D bond at 2192 cm-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeran Bai
- National Laboratory on High Power Laser and Physics , Shanghai 201800, China.,Key Laboratory of High Power Laser and Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 201800, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049, China.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Photonics Center, Boston University , Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Delong Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Photonics Center, Boston University , Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Chen Li
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University , West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Cheng Liu
- National Laboratory on High Power Laser and Physics , Shanghai 201800, China.,Key Laboratory of High Power Laser and Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 201800, China
| | - Ji-Xin Cheng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Photonics Center, Boston University , Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
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