No Arabic abstract
We report the generation of five phase-locked harmonics, f_1: 2403 nm, f_2: 1201 nm, f_3: 801 nm, f_4: 600 nm, and f_5: 480 nm with an exact frequency ratio of 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 by implementing a divide-by-three optical-frequency divider in the high harmonic generation process. All five harmonics are generated coaxially with high phase coherence in time and space, which are applicable for various practical uses.
We present an optical frequency divider based on a 200 MHz repetition rate Er:fiber mode-locked laser that, when locked to a stable optical frequency reference, generates microwave signals with absolute phase noise that is equal to or better than cryogenic microwave oscillators. At 1 Hz offset from a 10 GHz carrier, the phase noise is below -100 dBc/Hz, limited by the optical reference. For offset frequencies > 10 kHz, the phase noise is shot noise limited at -145 dBc/Hz. An analysis of the contribution of the residual noise from the Er:fiber optical frequency divider is also presented.
Laser-driven high-order harmonic generation (HHG) provides tabletop sources of broadband extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) light with excellent spatial and temporal coherence. These sources are typically operated at low repetition rates, $f_{rep}lesssim$100 kHz, where phase-matched frequency conversion into the XUV is readily achieved. However, there are many applications that demand the improved counting statistics or frequency-comb precision afforded by operation at high repetition rates, $f_{rep}$ > 10 MHz. Unfortunately, at such high $f_{rep}$, phase matching is prevented by the accumulated steady-state plasma in the generation volume, setting stringent limitations on the XUV average power. Here, we use gas mixtures at high temperatures as the generation medium to increase the translational velocity of the gas, thereby reducing the steady-state plasma in the laser focus. This allows phase-matched XUV emission inside a femtosecond enhancement cavity at a repetition rate of 77 MHz, enabling a record generated power of $sim$2 mW in a single harmonic order. This power scaling opens up many demanding applications, including XUV frequency-comb spectroscopy of few-electron atoms and ions for precision tests of fundamental physical laws and constants.
A general mechanism for the generation of frequency combs referenced to atomic resonances is put forward. The mechanism is based on the periodic phase control of a quantum systems dipole response. We develop an analytic description of the comb spectral structure, depending on both the atomic and the phase-control properties. We further suggest an experimental implementation of our scheme: Generating a frequency comb in the soft-x-ray spectral region, which can be realized with currently available techniques and radiation sources. The universality of this mechanism allows the generalization of frequency-comb technology to arbitrary frequencies, including the hard-x-ray regime by using reference transitions in highly charged ions.
The coherent interaction of light with matter imprints the phase information of the light field on the wavefunction of the photon-dressed electronic state. Driving electric field, together with a stable phase that is associated with the optical probe pulses, enables the role of the dressed state in the optical response to be investigated. We observed optical absorption strengths modulated on a sub-cycle timescale in a GaAs quantum well in the presence of a multi-cycle terahertz driving pulse using a near-infrared probe pulse. The measurements were in good agreement with the analytical formula that accounts for the optical susceptibilities caused by the dressed state of excitons, which indicates that the output probe intensity was coherently reshaped by the excitonic sideband emissions.
We report the relative frequency stabilization of a distributed feedback erbium-doped fiber laser on an optical cavity by serrodyne frequency shifting. A correction bandwidth of 2.3 MHz and a dynamic range of 220 MHz are achieved, which leads to a strong robustness against large disturbances up to high frequencies. We demonstrate that serrodyne frequency shifting reaches a higher correction bandwidth and lower relative frequency noise level compared to a standard acousto-optical modulator based scheme. Our results allow to consider promising applications in the absolute frequency stabilization of lasers on optical cavities.