Generation of a train of ultrashort pulses from a compact birefringent crystal array.

A linear array of n calcite crystals is shown to allow the generation of a high contrast (>10:1) train of 2(n) high energy (>100 microJ) pulses from a single ultrafast laser pulse. Advantage is taken of the pulse-splitting properties of a single birefringent crystal, where an incident...

Cur síos iomlán

Sonraí bibleagrafaíochta
Príomhchruthaitheoirí: Dromey, B, Zepf, M, Landreman, M, O'Keeffe, K, Robinson, T, Hooker, S
Formáid: Journal article
Teanga:English
Foilsithe / Cruthaithe: Optical Society of American (OSA) 2007
Cur síos
Achoimre:A linear array of n calcite crystals is shown to allow the generation of a high contrast (>10:1) train of 2(n) high energy (>100 microJ) pulses from a single ultrafast laser pulse. Advantage is taken of the pulse-splitting properties of a single birefringent crystal, where an incident laser pulse can be split into two pulses with orthogonal polarizations and equal intensity, separated temporally in proportion to the thickness of the crystal traversed and the difference in refractive indices of the two optic axes. In the work presented here an array of seven calcite crystals of sequentially doubled thickness is used to produce a train of 128 pulses, each of femtosecond duration. Readily versatile properties such as the number of pulses in the train and variable mark-space ratio are realized from such a setup.