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中国物理学会期刊

基于微扰的全反射式超短脉冲全光时域采样技术

All-optical, all-reflection temporal sampling of ultrashort laser pulses based on perturbation

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  • 超短激光脉冲作为产生阿秒脉冲与探索微观世界的研究工具,其时域特性的完全表征尤为重要.本文提出了一种基于微扰的全反射式共线超短脉冲全光时域采样技术,其基本过程是使用共线内外镜将待测光束分为两束,其中内镜尺寸较大,反射的脉冲能量较高,作为驱动脉冲,而外镜反射的脉冲能量较低,作为微扰脉冲.将驱动脉冲和微扰脉冲一起聚焦到空气中产生三次谐波.内镜固定在电控位移台上,通过调节内镜与外镜的相对延时,测量不同延时下的三次谐波强度,结合傅里叶变换算法即可获得脉冲的频域信息和时域包络宽度.利用该方案测量了钛宝石激光器的脉冲宽度,并与常用的瞬态光栅频率分辨光学选通技术(Transient-grating frequency-resolved optical gating,TG-FROG)测量结果进行了比较,所得结果基本一致.提出的全反射式共线超短脉冲全光时域采样技术结构简单,稳定性好,适用于可见到中红外波段的超短脉冲脉宽测量.

    Ultrashort laser pulses serve as essential tools for generating attosecond pulses and probing the microscopic world, making precise characterization of their temporal properties imperative. Existing characterization techniques are generally operated in the frequency and temporal domains. In the frequency domain methods, the temporal profiles and phases of ultrashort pulses are indirectly reconstructed from the spectra generated through nonlinear interactions; however, they require broad phase-matching bandwidths for the characterization of few-cycle pulses and often rely on complex iterative retrieval algorithms. Time-domain methods, which employ ultrafast temporal gates to directly sample the ultrashort pulse, offer more intuitive measurements but typically involve complicated optical setups and demand relatively high pulse intensities. Here, we propose an improved all-optical all-reflection sampling method based on third-order nonlinear effects with perturbation in the air. The method utilizes coaxial internal and external mirrors to split the input pulse into two components: a high-energy driving pulse from the larger internal mirror and a low-energy perturbation pulse from the external mirror. Both pulses are focused into the air to generate third-harmonic generation (THG) signals. The driving pulse produces a dominant THG signal. By adjusting the diameter of the incident beam, the intensity of the perturbation pulse is controlled to prevent from generating THG signals independently. Nevertheless, it can modulate the total THG signal by affecting the total electric field amplitude, thereby enabling perturbation-induced THG modulation. The internal mirror is fixed on an electronically controlled positioning stage, allowing for adjustable relative delay between the driving and perturbation pulses. By measuring the THG modulated signal as a function of delay, we reconstruct both the spectral and temporal characteristics of the perturbation pulse through a Fourier transform algorithm. The key advantages of this method include employing air as the nonlinear medium and avoiding transmissive optical elements, which is a significant benefit for ultrashort pulse measurements. The coaxial geometry ensures collinear propagation of the two beams, reducing the time jitter between the two beams and enhancing measurement stability. Using the THG signal as the ultrafast temporal gate relaxes the intensity requirements, and the modulation signal can be detected with a conventional spectrometer. Using this method, we characterized the pulse duration of a Ti:sapphire laser and compared the results with those obtained using the conventional transient-grating frequency-resolved optical gating (TG-FROG) device, finding good agreement. The proposed all-optical all-reflection ultrashort pulse temporal sampling method demonstrates a compact, stable configuration, making it suitable for the characterization of ultrashort pulses in the visible to mid-infrared spectral range.

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