Ultrafast Lasers: Fundamentals, Technology, and Applications
A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732). This special issue belongs to the section "Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 338
Special Issue Editors
Interests: ultrafast (femtosecond) laser development; laser diagnostics (FROG/XFROG); dispersion management; laser amplifier (CPA) design; nonlinear optics; simulation/virtual laser systems; machine-learning-assisted laser optimization; photonic quantum technologies
Interests: ultrafast laser micromachining; femtosecond laser processing; laser–matter interaction; micro/nanopatterning; sub-micron structuring; 3D fabrication
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Ultrafast lasers generate extremely short light pulses, typically in the femtosecond to picosecond range, and have become a key tool in modern photonics. Because these pulses concentrate energy into very short time windows, they enable us to study rapid physical, chemical, and biological processes and support high-precision technologies in manufacturing and medicine. Over the last two decades, ultrafast laser systems have progressed from laboratory demonstrations to increasingly reliable platforms, driven by advances in mode-locking, dispersion management, pulse shaping, high-energy amplification (CPA/OPCPA), and improved diagnostic methods. At the same time, ultrafast lasers continue to advance nonlinear optics, enabling frequency conversion, supercontinuum generation, high-harmonic generation, attosecond pulse generation, micromachining, and many other effects that open new experimental and industrial possibilities.
This Special Issue, “Ultrafast Lasers: Fundamentals, Technology, and Applications,” aims to publish selected contributions that connect core ultrafast-laser physics with practical system development and real-world use. We welcome original research and high-quality review papers that address design, performance, and application-oriented outcomes.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Ultrafast pulse generation, mode-locking, and oscillator design;
- Dispersion management, stretcher–compressor design, and pulse shaping;
- Amplification architectures (CPA/OPCPA, regenerative and multi-pass amplifiers, and fiber-based ultrafast systems);
- Pulse diagnostics and characterization (FROG/XFROG, autocorrelation, and spectral phase retrieval);
- Nonlinear optics driven by ultrafast lasers (supercontinuum, frequency conversion, and high-harmonic generation);
- Ultrafast spectroscopy, coherent control, and time-resolved measurements;
- Industrial applications: micromachining, surface processing, and precision manufacturing;
- Biomedical applications: imaging, multiphoton techniques, and laser–tissue interaction;
- Stability, thermal effects, damage thresholds, and long-term system reliability;
- Simulation, digital-twin approaches, and machine-learning-assisted optimization of ultrafast systems.
Dr. Tayyab Imran
Dr. Florin Jipa
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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Keywords
- ultrafast lasers
- femtosecond pulses
- mode-locking
- dispersion management
- CPA/OPCPA amplification
- pulse diagnostics (FROG/XFROG)
- nonlinear optics
- ultrafast spectroscopy
- precision micromachining
- simulation & digital-twin/ML optimization
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