Near-ultraviolet photon-counting dual-comb spectroscopy

Ultraviolet spectroscopy provides unique insights into the structure of matter with applications ranging from fundamental tests to photochemistry in the Earth's atmosphere and astronomical observations from space telescopes1-8. At longer wavelengths, dual-comb spectroscopy, using two interfering laser frequency combs, has become a powerful technique capable of simultaneously providing a broad spectral range and very high resolution9. Here we demonstrate a photon-counting approach that can extend the unique advantages of this method into ultraviolet regions where nonlinear frequency conversion tends to be very inefficient. Our spectrometer, based on two frequency combs with slightly different repetition frequencies, provides a wide-span, high-resolution frequency calibration within the accuracy of an atomic clock, and overall consistency of the spectra. We demonstrate a signal-to-noise ratio at the quantum limit and an optimal use of the measurement time, provided by the multiplexed recording of all spectral data on a single photon-counter10. Our initial experiments are performed in the near-ultraviolet and in the visible spectral ranges with alkali-atom vapour, with a power per comb line as low as a femtowatt. This crucial step towards precision broadband spectroscopy at short wavelengths paves the way for extreme-ultraviolet dual-comb spectroscopy, and, more generally, opens up a new realm of applications for photon-level diagnostics, as encountered, for example, when driving single atoms or molecules.

Dual-comb thin-disk oscillator

Dual-comb spectroscopy (DCS) normally operates with two independent, relatively low power and actively synchronized laser sources. This hinders the wide adoption for practical implementations and frequency conversion into deep UV and VUV spectral ranges. Here, we report a fully passive, high power dual-comb laser based on thin-disk technology and its application to direct frequency comb spectroscopy. The peak power (1.2 MW) and the average power (15 W) of our Yb:YAG thin-disk dual-comb system are more than one-order-of-magnitude higher than in any previous systems. The scheme allows easy adjustment of the repetition frequency difference during operation. Both combs share all cavity components which leads to an excellent mutual stability. A time-domain signal recorded over 10 ms without any active stabilization was sufficient to resolve individual comb lines after Fourier transformation.

Achieving high output powers in dual-comb sources is important for possible applications like deep UV high resolution spectroscopy. Here the authors demonstrate a fully passive scheme of generating a set of high-power dual-combs from a thin-disc gain medium.

Time-resolved dual-comb spectroscopy with a single electro-optic modulator

Time-resolved near-infrared absorption spectroscopy of single non-repeatable transient events is performed at high spectral resolution with a dual-comb interferometer using a continuous-wave laser followed by a single electro-optic amplitude modulator. By sharing high-speed electrical/optical components, our spectrometer greatly simplifies the implementation of dual-comb spectroscopy and offers a high mutual coherence time, measured up to 50 s, without any active stabilization system and/or data processing. The time resolution is as short as 100 µs in our experimental demonstration. For a span of 36 GHz, the mean signal-to-noise ratio of 80, at 100-MHz spectral resolution and 100-µs measurement time, enables precise determination of the parameters of rovibrational lines, including intensity or concentration.

Supercontinuum generation in angle-etched diamond waveguides

We experimentally demonstrate on-chip supercontinuum generation in the visible region in angle-etched diamond waveguides. We measure an output spectrum spanning 670-920 nm in a 5-mm-long waveguide using 100-fs pulses with 187 pJ of incident pulse energy. Our fabrication technique, combined with diamond's broad transparency window, offers a potential route toward broadband supercontinuum generation in the UV domain.

Mid-infrared feed-forward dual-comb spectroscopy

Mid-infrared high-resolution spectroscopy has proven an invaluable tool for the study of the structure and dynamics of molecules in the gas phase. The advent of frequency combs advances the frontiers of precise molecular spectroscopy. Here we demonstrate, in the important 3-µm spectral region of the fundamental CH stretch in molecules, dual-comb spectroscopy with experimental coherence times between the combs that exceed half an hour. Mid-infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy using two frequency combs with self-calibration of the frequency scale, negligible contribution of the instrumental line shape to the spectral profiles, high signal-to-noise ratio, and broad spectral bandwidth opens up opportunities for precision spectroscopy of small molecules. Highly multiplexed metrology of line shapes may be envisioned.

An unstabilized femtosecond semiconductor laser for dual-comb spectroscopy of acetylene

Dual-comb systems based on two optical frequency combs of slightly different line spacing emerge as powerful tools in spectroscopy and interferometry. Semiconductor lasers have a high impact in continuous-wave tunable laser spectroscopy. Here we demonstrate the first dual-comb interferometer based on a single femtosecond semiconductor laser: a dual-comb modelocked optically pumped external-cavity surface-emitting laser (MIXSEL) ideally suited for a 1 to 10 GHz comb spacing. At a center wavelength of 1.03 µm (9709 cm^-1) we measured acetylene gas transmittance with a resolution of 2.7 GHz in 100 ms with residual errors of less than 3% using thousand comb lines without aliasing effects.

Doppler-free Fourier transform spectroscopy

Sub-Doppler broadband multi-heterodyne spectroscopy is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Using two laser frequency combs of slightly different repetition frequencies, we have recorded Doppler-free two-photon dual-comb spectra of atomic rubidium resonances of a width of 6 MHz, while simultaneously interrogating a spectral span of 10 THz. The atomic transitions are uniquely identified via the intensity modulation of the observed fluorescence radiation. To the best of our knowledge, these results represent the first demonstration of Doppler-free Fourier transform spectroscopy and extend the range of applications of broadband spectroscopy towards precision nonlinear spectroscopy.

Mid-infrared dual-comb spectroscopy with electro-optic modulators

Absorption spectroscopy of fundamental ro-vibrational transitions in the mid-infrared region provides a powerful tool for studying the structure and dynamics of molecules in the gas phase and for sensitive and quantitative gas sensing. Laser frequency combs permit novel approaches to perform broadband molecular spectroscopy. Multiplex dual-comb spectroscopy without moving parts can achieve particularly high speed, sensitivity and resolution. However, achieving Doppler-limited resolution in the mid-infrared still requires overcoming instrumental challenges. Here we demonstrate a new approach based on difference-frequency generation of frequency-agile near-infrared frequency combs that are produced using electro-optic modulators. The combs have a remarkably flat intensity distribution, and their positions and line spacings can be freely selected by simply dialing a knob. Using the proposed technique, we record, in the 3-μm region, Doppler-limited absorption spectra with resolved comb lines within milliseconds, and precise molecular line parameters are retrieved. Our technique holds promise for fast and sensitive time-resolved studies of, for example, trace gases.

Spectral broadening of picosecond pulses forming dispersive shock waves in optical fibers

We investigate analytically, numerically, and experimentally the spectral broadening of pulses that undergo the formation of dispersive shocks, addressing in particular pulses in the range of tens of ps generated via electro-optic modulation of a continuous-wave laser. We give an analytical estimate of the maximal spectral extension and show that super-Gaussian waveforms favor the generation of flat-topped spectra. We also show that the weak residual background of the modulator produces undesired spectral ripples. Spectral measurements confirm our estimates and agree well with numerical integration of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation.

Roadmap on optical sensors

Sensors are devices or systems able to detect, measure and convert magnitudes from any domain to an electrical one. Using light as a probe for optical sensing is one of the most efficient approaches for this purpose. The history of optical sensing using some methods based on absorbance, emissive and florescence properties date back to the 16th century. The field of optical sensors evolved during the following centuries, but it did not achieve maturity until the demonstration of the first laser in 1960. The unique properties of laser light become particularly important in the case of laser-based sensors, whose operation is entirely based upon the direct detection of laser light itself, without relying on any additional mediating device. However, compared with freely propagating light beams, artificially engineered optical fields are in increasing demand for probing samples with very small sizes and/or weak light-matter interaction. Optical fiber sensors constitute a subarea of optical sensors in which fiber technologies are employed. Different types of specialty and photonic crystal fibers provide improved performance and novel sensing concepts. Actually, structurization with wavelength or subwavelength feature size appears as the most efficient way to enhance sensor sensitivity and its detection limit. This leads to the area of micro- and nano-engineered optical sensors. It is expected that the combination of better fabrication techniques and new physical effects may open new and fascinating opportunities in this area. This roadmap on optical sensors addresses different technologies and application areas of the field. Fourteen contributions authored by experts from both industry and academia provide insights into the current state-of-the-art and the challenges faced by researchers currently. Two sections of this paper provide an overview of laser-based and frequency comb-based sensors. Three sections address the area of optical fiber sensors, encompassing both conventional, specialty and photonic crystal fibers. Several other sections are dedicated to micro- and nano-engineered sensors, including whispering-gallery mode and plasmonic sensors. The uses of optical sensors in chemical, biological and biomedical areas are described in other sections. Different approaches required to satisfy applications at visible, infrared and THz spectral regions are also discussed. Advances in science and technology required to meet challenges faced in each of these areas are addressed, together with suggestions on how the field could evolve in the near future.

Dual-comb coherent Raman spectroscopy with lasers of 1-GHz pulse repetition frequency

We extend the technique of multiplex coherent Raman spectroscopy with two femtosecond mode-locked lasers to oscillators of a pulse repetition frequency of 1 GHz. We demonstrate a spectra of liquids, which span 1100  cm^-1 of Raman shifts. At a resolution of 6  cm^-1, their measurement time may be as short as 5 μs for a refresh rate of 2 kHz. The waiting period between acquisitions is improved 10-fold compared to previous experiments with two lasers of 100-MHz repetition frequencies.

An octave-spanning mid-infrared frequency comb generated in a silicon nanophotonic wire waveguide

Laser frequency combs, sources with a spectrum consisting of hundred thousands evenly spaced narrow lines, have an exhilarating potential for new approaches to molecular spectroscopy and sensing in the mid-infrared region. The generation of such broadband coherent sources is presently under active exploration. Technical challenges have slowed down such developments. Identifying a versatile highly nonlinear medium for significantly broadening a mid-infrared comb spectrum remains challenging. Here we take a different approach to spectral broadening of mid-infrared frequency combs and investigate CMOS-compatible highly nonlinear dispersion-engineered silicon nanophotonic waveguides on a silicon-on-insulator chip. We record octave-spanning (1,500-3,300 nm) spectra with a coupled input pulse energy as low as 16 pJ. We demonstrate phase-coherent comb spectra broadened on a room-temperature-operating CMOS-compatible chip.

Few-cycle, broadband, mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator pumped by a 20-fs Ti:sapphire laser

A few-cycle, broadband, singly-resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) for the mid-infrared based on MgO-doped periodically-poled LiNbO₃ (MgO:PPLN), synchronously pumped by a 20-fs Ti:sapphire laser is reported. By using crystal interaction lengths as short as 250 µm, and careful dispersion management of input pump pulses and the OPO resonator, near-transform-limited, few-cycle idler pulses tunable across the mid-infrared have been generated, with as few as 3.7 optical cycles at 2682 nm. The OPO can be continuously tuned over 2179-3732 nm (4589-2680 cm^-1) by cavity delay tuning, providing up to 33 mW of output power at 3723 nm. The idler spectra exhibit stable broadband profiles with bandwidths spanning over 422 nm (FWHM) recorded at 3732 nm. The effect of crystal length on spectral bandwidth and pulse duration is investigated at a fixed wavelength, confirming near-transform-limited idler pulses for all grating interaction lengths. By locking the repetition frequency of the pump laser to a radio-frequency reference, and without active stabilization of the OPO cavity length, an idler power stability better than 1.6% rms over >2.75 hours is obtained when operating at maximum output power, in excellent spatial beam quality with TEM₀₀ mode profile. Photograph shows a multigrating MgO:PPLN crystal used as a nonlinear gain medium in the few-cycle femtosecond mid-IR OPO. The visible light is the result of non-phase-matched sum-frequency mixing between the interacting beams.

Adaptive real-time dual-comb spectroscopy

The spectrum of a laser frequency comb consists of several hundred thousand equally spaced lines over a broad spectral bandwidth. Such frequency combs have revolutionized optical frequency metrology and they now hold much promise for significant advances in a growing number of applications including molecular spectroscopy. Despite an intriguing potential for the measurement of molecular spectra spanning tens of nanometres within tens of microseconds at Doppler-limited resolution, the development of dual-comb spectroscopy is hindered by the demanding stability requirements of the laser combs. Here we overcome this difficulty and experimentally demonstrate a concept of real-time dual-comb spectroscopy, which compensates for laser instabilities by electronic signal processing. It only uses free-running mode-locked lasers without any phase-lock electronics. We record spectra spanning the full bandwidth of near-infrared fibre lasers with Doppler-limited line profiles highly suitable for measurements of concentrations or line intensities. Our new technique of adaptive dual-comb spectroscopy offers a powerful transdisciplinary instrument for analytical sciences.

The precision of frequency combs makes them the ideal tool for applications in areas such as optical metrology. Here, Ideguchi et al. demonstrate real-time spectroscopy with frequency combs where laser instabilities are electronically compensated, and which is based on commercially available components.

Raman-induced Kerr-effect dual-comb spectroscopy

We report on the first (to our knowledge) demonstration of nonlinear dual-frequency-comb spectroscopy. In multi-heterodyne femtosecond Raman-induced Kerr-effect spectroscopy, the Raman gain resulting from the coherent excitation of molecular vibrations by a spectrally narrow pump is imprinted onto the femtosecond laser frequency comb probe spectrum. The birefringence signal induced by the nonlinear interaction of these beams and the sample is heterodyned against a frequency comb local oscillator with a repetition frequency slightly different from that of the comb probe. Such time-domain interference provides multiplex access to the phase and amplitude Raman spectra over a broad spectral bandwidth within a short measurement time.

Cr : YAG chirped-pulse oscillator

We demonstrate chirped-pulse operation of a Cr : YAG passively mode-locked laser. Different operation regimes of the laser are extensively investigated in the vicinity of zero dispersion both experimentally and numerically. It is shown that for a given laser configuration, transition to the positive dispersion regime allows a 5-fold increase in the output pulse energy, which is otherwise limited by the onset of the multipulsing or 'chaotic' mode-locking. The output pulses have 1.4 ps duration and are compressible down to 120 fs in a 3 m piece of silica fiber, enabling supercontinuum generation in a nonlinear fiber. The spectrum shape and operation stability of the chirped-pulse regime depend strongly on the amount and shape of the intracavity dispersion. The numerical model predicts the existence of the minimum amount of the positive dispersion, above which the chirped-pulse regime can be realized. Once located, the chirped-pulse regime can be reliably reproduced and is sufficiently stable for applications.

Supercontinua for high-resolution absorption multiplex infrared spectroscopy

Supercontinua generated in highly nonlinear fibers by ultrashort-pulse lasers can be used for high-resolution Fourier transform absorption spectroscopy. The practical advantages of these bright ultrabroadband light sources for spectroscopy in the near-infrared region are reported. A Cr(4+):YAG femtosecond laser broadened by an extruded soft-glass photonic crystal fiber, emitting from 1200 to 2200 nm and from 675 to 950 nm, provides a spectral radiance 1 x 10(5) times higher than that of a 3000 K blackbody and 10(2) times higher than that of synchrotron radiation. The C(2)H(2) and NH(3) overtone spectra are recorded by using this source within a few seconds.

Sensitive multiplex spectroscopy in the molecular fingerprint 2.4 mum region with a Cr(2+):ZnSe femtosecond laser

An ultrashort-pulse Cr(2+):ZnSe laser is a novel broadband source for sensitive high resolution molecular spectroscopy. A 130-fs pulse allows covering of up to 380 cm(-1) spectral domain around 2.4 mum which is analyzed simultaneously with a 0.12 cm(-1) (3.6 GHz) resolution by a Fouriertransform spectrometer. Recorded in 13 s, from 70-cm length absorption around 4150 cm(-1), acetylene and ammonia spectra exhibit a 3800 signal-tonoise ratio and a 2.4.10(-7) cm(-1).Hz(-1/2) noise equivalent absorption coefficient at one second averaging per spectral element, suggesting a 0.2 ppbv detection level for HF molecule. With the widely practiced classical tungsten lamp source instead of the laser, identical spectra would have taken more than one hour.

Infrared frequency combs and supercontinua for multiplex high sensitivity spectroscopy

An infrared high-brightness light source based on supercontinuum generation through a SF6 photonic crystal fiber seeded by a Cr(4+):YAG femtosecond oscillator is developed for high resolution multiplex spectroscopy in the 1.5 μm region. Moreover, a multiplex high resolution approach based on a Cr(4+):YAG frequency comb enables to probe large spectral domains, with simultaneous sensitive measurement of the absorption and the dispersion associated with all individual spectral features.

Frequency-modulation Fourier transform spectroscopy: a broadband method for measuring weak absorptions and dispersions

A new method, FM-FTS, combining frequency modulation heterodyne laser spectroscopy and Fourier transform spectroscopy is presented. It provides simultaneous sensitive measurement of absorption and dispersion profiles with broadband spectral coverage capabilities. Experimental demonstration of the overtone spectrum of C(2)H(2) in the 1.5 microm region is presented.

Femtosecond laser Fourier transform absorption spectroscopy

A femtosecond mode-locked laser is used for what is believed to be the first time as a broadband infrared source for high-resolution Fourier transform absorption spectroscopy. A demonstration is made with a Cr(4+):YAG laser. The entire nu(1)+nu(3) vibration-rotation band region of acetylene, observed after passing through a single-pass 80-cm-long cell, is simultaneously recorded between 1480 and 1600 nm, in 7.9 s with a signal-to-noise ratio equal to 1000. Two hot bands of the most abundant acetylene isotopologue and the nu(1)+nu(3) band of the (13)C(12)CH(2) are also present. Replacement of the usual conventional tungsten lamp by the bright laser source reduces by about a factor of 150 the recording time needed to get similar results. The noise equivalent absorption coefficient at 1 s averaging is equal to 7x10(-7) cm(-1)Hz(-1/2) per spectral element.

Continuous-wave 1.55 microm diode-pumped surface emitting semiconductor laser for broadband multiplex spectroscopy

A room-temperature-operating vertical external cavity surface emitting laser is applied around 1550 nm to intracavity laser absorption spectroscopy analyzed by time-resolved Fourier-transform interferometry. At an equivalent path length of 15 km, the high-resolution spectrum of the semiconductor disk laser emission covers 17 nm simultaneously. A noise-equivalent absorption coefficient at 1 s averaging equal to 1.5 x 10(-10) cm(-1)Hz(-1/2) per spectral element is reported for 65 km, the longest path length employed.

N(2)O weak lines observed between 3900 and 4050 cm from long path absorption spectra

Previously unobserved nitrous oxide transitions around 2.5 μm are measured by intracavity laser absorption spectroscopy (ICLAS) analyzed by time-resolved Fourier transform (TRFT) spectrometer. With an accuracy of the order of 10(-3) cm(-1), measured positions of 1637 assigned weak transitions are provided. They belong to 42 vibrational transitions, among which 33 are observed for the first time. These data are believed to be useful in particular to monitoring atmosphere purposes.

Acetylene weak bands at 2.5 μm from intracavity Cr:ZnSe laser absorption observed with time-resolved Fourier transform spectroscopy

The spectral dynamics of a mid-infrared multimode Cr(2+):ZnSe laser located in a vacuum sealed chamber containing acetylene at low pressure is analyzed by a stepping-mode high-resolution time-resolved Fourier transform interferometer. Doppler-limited absorption spectra of C(2)H(2) in natural isotopic abundance are recorded around 4000 cm(-1) with kilometric absorption path lengths and sensitivities better than 3 10(-8) cm(-1). Two cold bands are newly identified and assigned to the ν(1)+ν(4) (1) and ν(3)+ν(5) (1) transitions of (12)C(13)CH(2). The ν(1)+ν(5) (1) band of (12)C(2)HD and fourteen (12)C(2)H(2) bands are observed, among which for the first time ν(2)+2ν(4) (2)+ν(5) (-1).

Time-resolved Fourier transform intracavity spectroscopy with a Cr2+:ZnSe laser

Intracavity laser absorption spectroscopy (ICLAS) with an evacuated Cr2+:ZnSe laser is performed with a high-resolution time-resolved Fourier transform interferometer with a minimum detectable absorption coefficient equal to 4 x 10(-9) cm(-1) Hz(-1/2) in the 2.5 microm region. This represents the extreme limit currently reached in the infrared by ICLAS with Doppler-limited resolution. The broad gain band of the crystal allows a spectral coverage at most equal to 125 nm, wide enough to see entire vibration bands. Weak CO2 bands observed up to now only in the Venusian atmosphere are recorded for the first time, to our knowledge, in a laboratory. An H2O detection limit down to 0.9 parts per billion by volume is also demonstrated.

High-sensitivity time-resolved intracavity laser Fourier transform spectroscopy with vertical-cavity surface-emitting multiple-quantum-well lasers

Spectra composed of hundreds of time components for absorption path lengths of up to 130 km have been recorded near 1050 nm by combination of two recent techniques, intracavity laser spectroscopy with vertical external cavity surface-emitting multiple-quantum-well lasers and time-resolved Fourier transform spectroscopy. A sensitivity of 1 x 10(-10) cm(-1) Hz(-1/2) is achieved for 10(4) simultaneously acquired spectral elements, 3 orders of magnitude better than the sensitivity obtained in previous similar experiments. Specific advantages of the method, especially for frequency and intensity metrology of weak absorption transitions, are discussed.

High-information time-resolved Fourier transform spectroscopy at work

The first instrumental setup, to our knowledge, that is capable of recording in a few hours the time-resolved Fourier transform (TRFT) interferograms of gas-phase spectra that cover several thousands of inverse centimeters with spectral- and time-resolution limits that are equal, at best, to 2.5 x 10(-3) cm(-1) and 2 ns, respectively, is reported. It was developed on the stepping-mode Connes-type interferometer of the Laboratoire de Photophysique Moléculaire Université de Paris Sud. Also, for the first time, to our knowledge, these high-resolution TRFT spectra, illustrated with the Doppler-limited emission spectra of the N(2) transitions (B-A) and (B'-B) between 5500 and 11 000 cm(-1) and of the atomic Ar lines between 1800 and 4000 cm(-1), are recorded in the infrared spectral range. To obtain identical results that have the same signal-to-noise ratio, we should have increased the recording time of our unique previous high-information TRFT spectra by approximately 50,000. In other words, one hour is now long enough to obtain what would previously have required six years to record.

Emission spectra of HCN/HNC in the 2-5 microm range of astrophysical interest

Emission from H12C14N observed with a Fourier transform spectrometer from a radio-frequency excited plasma is reported in the 2400-3400 cm(-1) spectral range of astrophysical interest. The molecular constants, for 21 vibration-rotation bands are given, as well as estimates of the first-order Herman-Wallis coefficients for 11 bands. These constants are derived from about 900 observed transitions in HCN, and are used to generate a sequential linelist of about 1400 calculated line positions, within a standard deviation equal to 3 x 10(-4) cm(-1). The relative intensities of the observed lines are also reported, as well as those for the nu1 band of H14N12C, at 3650 cm(-1), simultaneously observed from the same plasma.

High-resolution multimodulation Fourier-transform spectroscopy

High-resolution double-modulation Fourier-transform (FT) spectroscopy (FTS) is demonstrated for what is, to our knowledge, the first time. Two high-resolution FT interferograms are simultaneously recorded. The first one is nonselective and contains all the spectral information from the observed source, and the other one is made of the samples that are sensitive to only a specific source modulation. General formulations and practical recording procedures are given for phase- and intensity-modulated spectra. The advantage of selectivity is illustrated by velocity-modulated emission spectra of the Dv = 1 sequence of the Doppler-shifted ArH(+) ion. It is also shown that for a source perturbation of small amplitude, only the product of intensity x shift can be retrieved from the selective line shapes obtained in a phase-modulated laser or FT spectra. Thanks to the multimodulation FTS approach, the intensity and the shift of the transitions are measured in a single experiment.