Wavefront control of subcycle vortex pulses via carrier-envelope-phase tailoring

The carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of an ultrashort laser pulse is becoming more crucial to specify the temporal characteristic of the pulse's electric field when the pulse duration becomes shorter and attains the subcycle regime; here, the pulse duration of the intensity envelope is shorter than one cycle period of the carrier field oscillation. When this subcycle pulse involves a structured wavefront as is contained in an optical vortex (OV) pulse, the CEP has an impact on not only the temporal but also the spatial characteristics owing to the spatiotemporal coupling in the structured optical pulse. However, the direct observation of the spatial effect of the CEP control has not yet been demonstrated. In this study, we report on the measurement and control of the spatial wavefront of a subcycle OV pulse by adjusting the CEP. To generate subcycle OV pulses, an optical parametric amplifier delivering subcycle Gaussian pulses and a Sagnac interferometer as a mode converter were integrated and provided an adequate spectral adaptability. The pulse duration of the generated OV pulse was 4.7 fs at a carrier wavelength of 1.54 µm. To confirm the wavefront control with the alteration of the CEP, we developed a novel [Formula: see text]-2[Formula: see text] interferometer that exhibited spiral fringes originating from the spatial interference between the subcycle OV pulse and the second harmonic of the subcycle Gaussian pulse producing a parabolic wavefront as a reference; this resulted in the successful observation of the rotation of spiral interference fringes during CEP manipulation.

Carrier-envelope phase control of synthesized waveforms with two acousto-optic programmable dispersive filters

We demonstrate the scanning and control of the carrier-envelope phases (CEPs) of two adjacent spectral components totally spanning more than one-octave in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) wavelength region by operating two individual acousto-optic programmable dispersive filters (AOPDFs) applied to each of the two spectral components. The total CEP shift of the synthesized sub-cycle pulse composed of the two spectral components is controlled with simultaneous scans of the two CEPs. The resultant error of the controlled CEP was 642 mrad, so that this technique is useful for searching zero CEP of the synthesized pulse with the maximum field amplitude. In addition, we conduct a closed feedback loop to compensate for the CEP fluctuation by using the two AOPDFs together. As a result, we succeed to reduce the rms error of the CEP from 399 mrad to 237 mrad.

Opening a new route to multiport coherent XUV sources via intracavity high-order harmonic generation

High-order harmonic generation (HHG) is currently utilized for developing compact table-top radiation sources to provide highly coherent extreme ultraviolet (XUV) and soft X-ray pulses; however, the low repetition rate of fundamental lasers, which is typically in the multi-kHz range, restricts the area of application for such HHG-based radiation sources. Here, we demonstrate a novel method for realizing a MHz-repetition-rate coherent XUV light source by utilizing intracavity HHG in a mode-locked oscillator with an Yb:YAG thin disk laser medium and a 100-m-long ring cavity. We have successfully implemented HHG by introducing two different rare gases into two separate foci and picking up each HH beam. Owing to the two different HH beams generated from one cavity, this XUV light source will open a new route to performing a time-resolved measurement with an XUV-pump and XUV-probe scheme at a MHz-repetition rate with a femtosecond resolution.

Sub-10-fs control of dissociation pathways in the hydrogen molecular ion with a few-pulse attosecond pulse train

The control of the electronic states of a hydrogen molecular ion by photoexcitation is considerably difficult because it requires multiple sub-10 fs light pulses in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) wavelength region with a sufficiently high intensity. Here, we demonstrate the control of the dissociation pathway originating from the 2pσu electronic state against that originating from the 2pπu electronic state in a hydrogen molecular ion by using a pair of attosecond pulse trains in the XUV wavelength region with a train-envelope duration of ∼4 fs. The switching time from the peak to the valley in the oscillation caused by the vibrational wavepacket motion in the 1sσg ground electronic state is only 8 fs. This result can be classified as the fastest control, to the best of our knowledge, of a molecular reaction in the simplest molecule on the basis of the XUV-pump and XUV-probe scheme.

Conical third-harmonic generation of optical vortex through ultrashort laser filamentation in air

We experimentally generate third-harmonic (TH) vortex beams in air by the filamentation of femtosecond pulses produced in a lab-built Ti:sapphire chirped pulse amplifier. The generated TH beam profile is shown to evolve with increasing pump energy. At a sufficiently high pump energy, we observe a conical TH emission of the fundamental vortex and confirm that the conical radiation follows the conservation law for orbital angular momentum. We further investigate the far-field angularly resolved spectra of the TH wave to analyze the conical emission angle. We theoretically verify that the formation of the conical TH vortex results from the phase-matching between the fundamental and TH waves during the filamentation process.

Settling time of a vibrational wavepacket in ionization

The vibrational wavepacket of a diatomic molecular ion at the time of ionization is usually considered to be generated on the basis of the Franck–Condon principle. According to this principle, the amplitude of each vibrational wavefunction in the wavepacket is given by the overlap integral between each vibrational wavefunction and the ground vibrational wavefunction in the neutral molecule, and hence, the amplitude should be a real number, or equivalently, a complex number the phase of which is equal to zero. Here we report the observation of a non-trivial phase modulation of the amplitudes of vibrational wavefunctions in a wavepacket generated in the ground electronic state of a molecular ion at the time of ionization. The phase modulation results in a group delay of the specific vibrational states of order 1 fs, which can be regarded as the settling time required to compose the initial vibrational wavepacket.

Instantaneous generation of a vibrational wavepacket in a molecular ion is usually assumed in an ionization process. Here, by means of frequency-resolved optical gating, the authors observe a non-trivial phase modulation in a H₂⁺ molecule, which is interpreted as a ∼1-fs settling time.

Direct observation of an attosecond electron wave packet in a nitrogen molecule

Capturing electron motion in a molecule is the basis of understanding or steering chemical reactions. Nonlinear Fourier transform spectroscopy using an attosecond-pump/attosecond-probe technique is used to observe an attosecond electron wave packet in a nitrogen molecule in real time. The 500-as electronic motion between two bound electronic states in a nitrogen molecule is captured by measuring the fragment ions with the same kinetic energy generated in sequential two-photon dissociative ionization processes. The temporal evolution of electronic coherence originating from various electronic states is visualized via the fragment ions appearing after irradiation of the probe pulse. This observation of an attosecond molecular electron wave packet is a critical step in understanding coupled nuclear and electron motion in polyatomic and biological molecules to explore attochemistry.

Attosecond nonlinear optics using gigawatt-scale isolated attosecond pulses

High-energy isolated attosecond pulses required for the most intriguing nonlinear attosecond experiments as well as for attosecond-pump/attosecond-probe spectroscopy are still lacking at present. Here we propose and demonstrate a robust generation method of intense isolated attosecond pulses, which enable us to perform a nonlinear attosecond optics experiment. By combining a two-colour field synthesis and an energy-scaling method of high-order harmonic generation, the maximum pulse energy of the isolated attosecond pulse reaches as high as 1.3 μJ. The generated pulse with a duration of 500 as, as characterized by a nonlinear autocorrelation measurement, is the shortest and highest-energy pulse ever with the ability to induce nonlinear phenomena. The peak power of our tabletop light source reaches 2.6 GW, which even surpasses that of an extreme-ultraviolet free-electron laser.

The short duration of attosecond pulses makes them interesting for ultrafast experiments, although it has so far been difficult to generate isolated attosecond pulses with sufficiently high power. Here the authors achieve high-intensity isolated attosecond pulses with a tabletop setup, based on a scaled-up high-order harmonic generation process.

Resolving vibrational wave-packet dynamics of D2(+) using multicolor probe pulses

We demonstrate the generation and real-time observation of the vibrational wave packet of D(2)(+) by using a sub-10-fs extreme UV high-harmonic pump pulse and a three-color probe laser pulse whose wavelength ranges from near-IR to vacuum UV. This multicolor pump-probe scheme can provide us with a powerful experimental tool for investigating a variety of wave packets evolving with a time scale of ~20 fs.

Frequency modulation of high-order harmonic fields with synthesis of two-color laser fields

We report periodical frequency modulation of high-order harmonic fields observed by changing the delay between the driving two-color laser fields consisting of the fundamental and its second harmonic (SH) field. The amplitude of modulation has been up to ∼0.4 eV, which is larger than the bandwidth of the fundamental field. Experimental results show that the intensity and chirp of the fundamental field can control this phenomenon. Numerical analysis by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation approves of these results and shows that anharmonic frequency components of the SH field have a crucial role in this phenomenon.

Infrared two-color multicycle laser field synthesis for generating an intense attosecond pulse

We propose and demonstrate the generation of a continuum high-order harmonic spectrum by mixing multicycle two-color (TC) laser fields with the aim of obtaining an intense isolated attosecond pulse. By optimizing the wavelength of a supplementary infrared pulse in a TC field, a continuum harmonic spectrum was created around the cutoff region without carrier-envelope phase stabilization. The obtained harmonic spectra clearly show the possibility of generating isolated attosecond pulses from a multicycle TC laser field, which is generated by an 800 nm, 30 fs pulse mixed with a 1300 nm, 40 fs pulse. Our proposed method enables us not only to relax the requirements for the pump pulse duration but also to reduce ionization of the harmonic medium. This concept opens the door to create an intense isolated attosecond pulse using a conventional femtosecond laser system.

Interferometry of attosecond pulse trains in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength region

The temporal coherence of an attosecond optical field in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength region can be defined in terms of the extent of interference in time domain. We successfully measured this phenomenon both with and without spectral decomposition. We also report the results of using this approach to directly observe both symmetry and symmetry breaking of interference fringes in an attosecond pulse train.

Coherent water window x ray by phase-matched high-order harmonic generation in neutral media

We demonstrate the generation of a coherent water window x ray by extending the plateau region of high-order harmonics under a neutral-medium condition. The maximum harmonic photon energies attained are 300 and 450 eV in Ne and He, respectively. Our proposed generation scheme, combining a 1.6 microm laser driver and a neutral Ne gas medium, is efficient and scalable in output yields of the water window x ray. Thus, the precept of the design parameter for a single-shot live-cell imaging by contact microscopy is presented.

Direct amplification of terawatt sub-10-fs pulses in a CPA system of Ti:sapphire laser

We have developed a chirped pulse amplification system of Ti:sapphire laser generating a 9.9 fs pulse with a pulse energy of 11 mJ at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. Spectral narrowing during amplification is successfully compensated by using specially designed partial mirrors and broadband high-damage-threshold mirrors. This is the first demonstration, to the best of our knowledge, of the direct amplification of terawatt sub-10-fs pulses in a chirped pulse amplification system of Ti:sapphire laser.

Dramatic enhancement of high-order harmonic generation

We present a dramatic enhancement [Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 043002 (2003)] of high-order harmonic generation by simultaneous irradiation of booster harmonics. A key feature of our experiment is the use of mixed gases (Xe and He) with different ionization energies. The harmonics from Xe atoms act as a booster to increase the harmonic yield from He by a factor of 4 x 10(3). The dominance of the dramatic enhancement effect is supported by simulation with the time-dependent Schrödinger equation as well as the observed spatial characteristic of the generated harmonics and dependence on medium conditions.

Destructive interference during high harmonic generation in mixed gases

We report on the first experimental evidence of the destructive and constructive interference of high harmonics generated in a mixed gas of He and Ne, which facilitates the coherent control of high harmonic generation. Theoretically, we develop an analytical model of high harmonic generation in mixed gases and succeed in reproducing the experimental results and deriving the optimization conditions for the process. The observed interference modulation is attributed to the difference between the phases of the intrinsically chirped harmonic pulses from He and Ne, which leads to a novel method for broadband measurement of the harmonic phases and for observing the underlying attosecond electron dynamics.

Single-shot spatial-coherence measurement of 13 nm high-order harmonic beam by a Young's double-slit measurement

The interference pattern produced by a single 13 nm high-order harmonic pulse is captured by an extreme-ultraviolet CCD camera. A beam divergence of 0.35 mrad and a high fringe visibility of 0.96 are obtained with an optimal phase-matching condition for the 13 nm harmonics. The spatial coherence length of the 13 nm harmonics selected by Mo/Si multilayer mirrors is larger than the beam diameter. This result shows that the 13 nm harmonic beam is useful for applications in interferometry, time-resolved studies of ultrafast dynamics.

Interferometric autocorrelation of an attosecond pulse train in the single-cycle regime

We report on the direct observation of the phase locking of the attosecond pulse train (APT) via interferometric autocorrelation in the extreme ultraviolet region. APT is formed with Fourier synthesis of high-order harmonic fields of a femtosecond laser pulse. Time-of-flight mass spectra of N+, resulting from the Coulomb explosion of N2 absorbing two photons of APT, efficiently yield correlated signals of APT. The measured autocorrelation trace exhibits that the duration of the pulse should be only 1.3 periods of the extreme ultraviolet carrier frequency. A few interference fringes within the short pulse duration clearly show two types of symmetry, which ensure the phase locking between pulses in APT.

Development of high-throughput, high-damage-threshold beam separator for 13 nm high-order harmonics

We demonstrate a high-throughput, high-damage-threshold beam separator for wavelengths shorter than 30 nm, which uses a 10 nm thick niobium nitrogen film prepared on a Si substrate, set at the Brewster angle relative to the pump wavelength. The film was deposited by rf reactive magnetron sputtering on a Si substrate. The beam separator has an attenuation ratio of 0.01 and a damage-threshold intensity of at least 0.8 TW/cm2 for a 26 fs pump pulse. The measured reflectivity of the beam separator exceeded 70% in a wavelength range of 13-18 nm. This broadband beam separator may be used to eliminate energetic laser pulses from longitudinally pumped x ray lasers as well as from high-order harmonics.

Conclusive evidence of an attosecond pulse train observed with the mode-resolved autocorrelation technique

We report on the direct observation of an attosecond pulse train with a mode-resolved autocorrelation technique. The chirp among the three harmonic fields is specified by analyzing two-photon above-threshold ionization spectra of electrons, resulting in a pulse duration that should be shorter than 450 as, which is, to our knowledge, the first determination of the chirp in the attosecond pulse train with an autocorrelation technique. These results will open the way to full characterization of an attosecond pulse train with its envelope.

Spectral phase transfer for indirect phase control of sub-20-fs deep UV pulses

We demonstrate the transfer of a shaped spectral phase in a pulse with a sub-20-fs pulse Fourier limit of a Ti:sapphire laser to that in a deep UV pulse at 256 nm in a sum- frequency-mixing process. The generated UV pulse maintains a sufficiently broad spectrum to form a sub-20-fs pulse due to broadband sum-frequency mixing with the group-delay-dispersion-matched scheme. The spectral phases of the deep UV pulse are measured with spectral phase interferometry for direct electric field reconstruction and compared with the phase applied to the Ti:sapphire laser pulse.

Production of doubly charged helium ions by two-photon absorption of an intense sub-10-fs soft x-ray pulse at 42 eV photon energy

We report on the observation of doubly charged helium ions produced by a nonlinear interaction between a helium atom and photons with a photon energy of 42 eV which are generated with the 27th harmonic of a femtosecond pulse from a Ti:sapphire laser. The number of ions is proportional to the square of the intensity of the 27th harmonic pulse, and thus two-photon double ionization should be dominantly induced as compared with other nonlinear processes accompanying sequential ionization via a singly charged ion. This phenomenon is utilized to measure the pulse duration of the 27th harmonic pulse by using an autocorrelation technique, for the first time to our knowledge, and as a result a duration of 8 fs is found.

Selective excitation between two-photon and three-photon fluorescence with engineered cost functions

Coherent control based on a feedback-controlled self-learning loop was applied to enhance the ratio of two-photon (2P) fluorescence from a fluorescent label enhanced green fluorescence protein and three-photon (3P) fluorescence from the essential amino acid L-Tryptophan. The two biosamples were mixed in a buffer solution contained in a quartz cuvette and exposed to near-infrared laser pulses from a femtosecond (fs) oscillator. However, the enhancement of the 2P/3P fluorescence ratio was always accompanied by a significant loss of the valuable 2P fluorescence. To achieve a trade-off between the 2P/3P fluorescence ratio and the 2P fluorescence intensity, we then engineered the cost function in the self-learning algorithm. The optimal pulse shape obtained by use of the engineered cost function could be useful for 2P fluorescence imaging of living cells with reduced phototoxicity, because DNA and protein can be directly damaged by 3P absorption of fs laser according to an excitation band ~270nm.

High-throughput, high-damage-threshold broadband beam splitter for high-order harmonics in the extreme-ultraviolet region

We demonstrate a high-throughput and high-damage-threshold beam splitter for high-order harmonics in the soft-x-ray region that uses Si and (or) SiC plates set at Brewster's angle with respect to the pump wavelength. The beam splitters are guaranteed to have a damage threshold of at least 0.8 TW/cm2 (average power density, 0.25 W/cm2) and an attenuation rate of 10(-4)-10(-5) for a 30-fs pump pulse. The measured reflection efficiency at the 27th harmonic (29.6 nm) was 0.56 for Si and 0.45 for SiC. These beam splitters are useful not only for high harmonics but also for longitudinally pumped x-ray lasers.

High-order pulse front tilt caused by high-order angular dispersion

We have found general expressions relating the high-order pulse front tilt and the high-order angular dispersion in an ultrashort pulse, for the first time to our knowledge. The general formulae based on Fermat's principle are applicable for any ultrashort pulse with angular dispersion in the limit of geometrical optics. By virtue of these formulae, we can calculate the high-order pulse front tilt in the sub-20-fs UV pulse generated in a novel scheme of sum-frequency mixing in a nonlinear crystal accompanied by angular dispersion. It is also demonstrated how the high-order angular dispersion can be eliminated in the calculation.

Attenuation of photobleaching in two-photon excitation fluorescence from green fluorescent protein with shaped excitation pulses

The two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF) process of an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) for fluorescence signals was adaptively controlled by the phase-modulation of femtosecond pulses. After the iteration of pulse shaping, a twofold increase in the ratio of the fluorescence signal to the laser peak power was achieved. Compared with conventional pulses optimized for peak power, phase-optimized laser pulses reduced the bleaching rate of EGFP by a factor of 4 while maintaining the same intensity of the fluorescence signal. Our method will provide a powerful solution to various problems confronting researchers, such as the photobleaching of dyes in two-photon excitation microscopy.

Broadband sum frequency mixing using noncollinear angularly dispersed geometry for indirect phase control of sub-20-femtosecond UV pulses

We report on a novel scheme for generating a broad spectrum in the UV region. This scheme enables us to control the phase of the UV pulse through a frequency-mixing process in a nonlinear crystal. For group velocity matching, it is essential that a monochromatic beam should be sum-frequency mixed with an angularly dispersed beam having a broad spectrum in noncollinear geometry. We found analytically unique solutions for a noncollinear angle, for an angular dispersion of the broadband input beam, and for an angle of the beam from the optical axis in a nonlinear crystal, with the condition that there is no angular dispersion in the output beam. Based on the analysis of this scheme, we obtained UV pulses with a sufficiently broad spectrum for obtaining a sub-20-fs pulsewidths in the experiment. The improvement of conversion efficiency and compensation of chirp are also discussed.

Generation of 10- microJ coherent extreme-ultraviolet light by use of high-order harmonics

We demonstrate the generation of 10-microJ coherent extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) light at wavelengths from 73.6 to 42.6 nm, using high-order harmonics. The peak power of this coherent XUV light is estimated to be 0.13 GW at 62.3 nm, and the peak brightness achieved was 3x10(28) photons/(mm(2)mrad(2)s) . To our knowledge, this XUV energy is the highest value achieved with high-order harmonics.

Sub-20-fs terawatt-class laser system with a mirrorless regenerative amplifier and an adaptive phase controller

We have developed an ultrabroadband regenerative amplifier with a mirrorless cavity to eliminate the limitation of bandwidth of dielectric coats on cavity mirrors. The large amount of material dispersion in the Pellin-Broca prisms that are used instead of cavity mirrors is compensated for with a hybrid technique that uses Brewster prism pairs in the regenerative amplifier and an adaptive phase controller of a liquid-crystal spatial light modulator. We obtained a 16-fs pulse width with an energy of 13 mJ, which is to our knowledge the highest energy obtained in the sub-20-fs regime by use of an adaptive phase controller.

157-nm coherent light source as an inspection tool for F(2) laser lithography

We have developed a 157-nm coherent light source by two-photon resonant four-wave mixing in Xe, with two tunable single-mode 1-kHz Ti:sapphire laser systems at 768 and 681 nm. This light source has been developed to determine the instrumental function of a vacuum ultraviolet spectrometer and to evaluate optical designs for ultra-line-narrowed F(2) laser lithography. The spectral linewidth of the source was less than 0.008 pm (FWHM), with an average power of 0.6 mW.

50-W average-power, 480-fs KrF excimer laser with gated gain amplification

We have developed a 50-W average-power KrF excimer laser with a pulse width of 480 fs by using the method of gated gain amplification at a 200-Hz repetition rate.

All-solid-state 5-kHz 0.2-TW Ti:sapphire laser system

We have developed an all-solid-state 5-kHz Ti:sapphire laser system, which produces 22-fs, 0.2-TW pulses. An average power of 22.2 W is the highest ever obtained in ultrashort laser sources. The serious thermal lensing due to high power pumping in a small area of the Ti:sapphire crystal is controlled successfully by a stable quasi-cavity with two concave mirrors.

Generation of 0.66-TW pulses at 1 kHz by a Ti:sapphire laser

A 1-kHz, 0.66-TW Ti:sapphire laser has been developed. We obtained 21-fs, 14-mJ pulses with an extraction efficiency of 32% in the final amplifier. The dispersion through the system was successfully compensated for by insertion of a pair of prisms in a regenerative amplifier. The pulses were characterized by frequency-resolved optical gating and were in good agreement with dispersion calculated by three-dimensional ray tracing.

27-fs extreme ultraviolet pulse generation by high-order harmonics

Autocorrelation measurement was demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge in the XUV region to measure the width of a high-order harmonic pulse. Two-photon ionization of rare gases was used as a nonlinear process for the autocorrelation measurement. The 27-fs pulse width that was obtained is, to our knowledge, the shortest in the XUV region.

High-power sub-100-fs UV pulse generation from a spectrally controlled KrF laser

High-power sub-100-fs UV pulses were generated from a KrF excimer laser by spectral control and chirped-pulse amplification. The spectral width was broadened to 1.6 nm, resulting in 72-fs, nearly transform-limited pulses. The average output powers at 1 kHz were 0.6 and 1.2 W for pulse widths of 72 and 110 fs, respectively.

High-repetition-rate high-average-power 300-fs KrF/Ti:sapphire hybrid laser

We have developed a 1-kHz KrF/Ti:sapphire hybrid laser system. Average power was 7 W at 248 nm with a pulse width of 300 fs. A kilohertz Ti:sapphire regenerative amplifier at a wavelength of 745 nm is also described.

High-power dye laser using steady-state amplification with chirped pulses

Steady-state chirped-pulse amplification was applied to a five-stage dye amplifier system to extract available energy over the full gain duration and at the same time suppress the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). An output energy of 41 mJ was generated with 1.4-ns chirped pulses having an ASE of 3% and a pumping efficiency of 8.8% for the final amplifier. After five-stage amplification these pulses were compressed to 320 fs FWHM.

Femtosecond measurement of high-order harmonic pulse width and electron recombination time by field ionization

We measured the ultrashort XUV pulse width by the pump-probe method, using femtosecond dynamics of field ionization. We measured the pulse width of the ninth harmonic (88.3 nm) of a Ti:sapphire laser, using the difference of the absorption cross section between Kr and Kr(+). The change of transmission of the ninth harmonic for the delay between the pump and the probe pulses gives both the pulse width of the ninth harmonic and the recombination time of Kr(+). The measured pulse width of the ninth harmonic was 260 fs. The recombination time of Kr(+) was ~2 ps, which does not contradict the estimated time of the threebody recombination.

Terawatt KrF/Ti:sapphire hybrid laser system

A terawatt KrF/Ti:sapphire hybrid laser system with a high contrast between amplified spontaneous emission and the main pulses has been developed with an output energy of 130 mJ in 130-fs pulses. An efficient frequencytripling scheme with Ti:sapphire is demonstrated with an efficiency of 11% in the 100-fs regime with LiB(3)O(5) and beta-BaB(2)O(4).