Search Results (151)

We reported on a generation of 27 nm spectral bandwidth, two-port output ultrashort pulses directly from an all-normal-dispersion passively mode-locked Yb-fiber laser. Based on the nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) mode-locking technique, high pump power and optical devices with high damage thresholds were introduced to achieve broad spectral bandwidth and strong output power. The dual wavelengths were emitted from the clockwise and counterclockwise ports, respectively, and self-started mode-locking was achieved. The bidirectional output laser generates stable pulses with up to 223.5 mW average power at a 46.04 MHz repetition rate, corresponding to a pulse energy of 5 nJ. The bidirectional ultrashort outputs of the laser provide potential applications in supercontinuum generation and medical and biological applications. Full article

Monitoring of laser-based processes is essential for ensuring the quality of produced surface structures and for maintaining the process stability and reproducibility. Optical methods based on scatterometry are attractive for industrial monitoring as they are fast, non-contact, non-destructive, and can resolve features down to the sub-microscale. Here, Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) are produced on stainless steel using ultrashort laser pulses in combination with a polygon scanning system. After the process, the fabricated LIPSS features are characterized by microscopy methods and with an optical setup based on scatterometry. Images of the diffraction patterns are collected and the intensity distribution analyzed and compared to the microscopy results in order to estimate the LIPSS height, spatial period, and regularity. The resulting analysis allows us to study LIPSS formation development, even when its characteristic diffraction pattern gradually changes from a double-sickle shape to a diffuse cloud. The scatterometry setup could be used to infer LIPSS height up to 420 nm, with an estimated average error of 7.7% for the highest structures and 11.4% in the whole working range. Periods estimation presents an average error of ~5% in the range where LIPSS are well-defined. In addition, the opening angle of the LIPSS was monitored and compared with regularity measurements, indicating that angles exceeding a certain threshold correspond to surfaces where sub-structures dominate over LIPSS. Full article

Optically pumped semiconductor disk lasers—known as vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs)—are promising devices for ultrashort pulse formation. For it, a “SESAM-free” approach labeled “self-mode-locking” received considerable attention in the past decade, relying solely on a chip-related nonlinear optical property which can establish adequate pulsing conditions—thereby suggesting a reduced reliance on a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror (the SESAM) in the cavity. Self-mode-locked (SML) VECSELs with sub-ps pulse durations were reported repeatedly. This motivated investigations on a Kerr-lensing type effect acting as an artificial saturable absorber. So-called Z-scan and ultrafast beam-deflection experiments were conducted to emphasize the role of nonlinear lensing in the chip for pulse formation. Recently, in addition to allowing stable ultrashort pulsed operation, self-starting mode-locked operation gave rise to another emission regime related to frequency comb formation. While amplitude-modulated combs relate to signal peaks in time, providing a so-called pulse train, a frequency-modulated comb is understood to cause quasi continuous-wave output with its sweep of instantaneous frequency over the range of phase-locked modes. With gain-bandwidth-enhanced chips, as well as with an improved understanding of the impacts of dispersion and nonlinear lensing properties and cavity configurations on the device output, an enhanced employment of SML VECSELs is to be expected. Full article

This manuscript aims to explore localized waves for the nonlinear partial differential equation referred to as the $(1+1)$-dimensional generalized Kundu–Eckhaus equation with an additional dispersion term that describes the propagation of the ultra-short femtosecond pulses in an optical fiber. This research delves deep into the characteristics, behaviors, and localized waves of the $(1+1)$-dimensional generalized Kundu–Eckhaus equation. We utilize the multivariate generalized exponential rational integral function method (MGERIFM) to derive localized waves, examining their properties, including propagation behaviors and interactions. Motivated by the generalized exponential rational integral function method, it proves to be a powerful tool for finding solutions involving the exponential, trigonometric, and hyperbolic functions. The solutions we found using the MGERIF method have important applications in different scientific domains, including nonlinear optics, plasma physics, fluid dynamics, mathematical physics, and condensed matter physics. We apply the three-dimensional (3D) and contour plots to illuminate the physical significance of the derived solution, exploring the various parameter choices. The proposed approaches are significant and applicable to various nonlinear evolutionary equations used to model nonlinear physical systems in the field of nonlinear sciences. Full article

Glass-based microfluidic devices are essential for applications such as diagnostics and drug discovery, which utilize their optical clarity and chemical stability. This review systematically analyzes pulsed laser micromachining as a transformative technique for fabricating glass-based microfluidic devices, addressing the limitations of conventional methods. By examining three pulse regimes—long (≥nanosecond), short (picosecond), and ultrashort (femtosecond)—this study evaluates how laser parameters (fluence, scanning speed, pulse duration, repetition rate, wavelength) and glass properties influence ablation efficiency and quality. A higher fluence improves the material ablation efficiency across all the regimes but poses risks of thermal damage or plasma shielding in ultrashort pulses. Optimizing the scanning speed balances the depth and the surface quality, with slower speeds enhancing the channel depth but requiring heat accumulation mitigation. Shorter pulses (femtosecond regime) achieve greater precision (feature resolution) and minimal heat-affected zones through nonlinear absorption, while long pulses enable rapid deep-channel fabrication but with increased thermal stress. Elevating the repetition rate improves the material ablation rates but reduces the surface quality. The influence of wavelength on efficiency and quality varies across the three pulse regimes. Material selection is critical to outcomes and potential applications: fused silica demonstrates a superior surface quality due to low thermal expansion, while soda–lime glass provides cost-effective prototyping. The review emphasizes the advantages of laser micromachining and the benefits of a wide range of applications. Future directions should focus on optimizing the process parameters to improve the efficiency and quality of the produced devices at a lower cost to expand their uses in biomedical, environmental, and quantum applications. Full article

High-repetition-rate targets present an opportunity for developing diagnostic tools for on-demand calibration at high-power laser facilities for consistent performance and reproducibility during experimental campaigns. The non-linear change in transmission associated with a laser-driven plasma mirror, based on high-repetition rate targets, has been used in a Frequency Resolved Optical Gating (FROG) configuration to analyze the spectral phase for near-infrared pulses far from the Fourier limit. Three types of targets were compared for characterizing pulses in the 1–8 ps range: a glass slide, a polymer tape, and a thin liquid sheet created by two impinging micrometer-scale jets. The thin liquid film had the best mechanical stability and introduced the least spectral distortion, allowing the most robust reconstruction of the temporal intensity profile. The spectral phase was reconstructed using a non-iterative algorithm, which reproduced the second-order phase distortions induced with an acousto-optic programmable dispersive filter with an RMS error of 6.2%, leading to measured pulse durations with an RMS deviation ranging from 1% for pulses of 6.8–7.8 ps up to 7.5% for pulses around 1 ps. Full article

Devices that measure the presence of instability in the pulse shapes in trains of ultrashort laser pulses do not exist, so this task necessarily falls to pulse-measurement devices, like Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating (FROG) and its variations, which have proven to be a highly reliable class of techniques for measuring stable trains of ultrashort laser pulses. Fortunately, multi-shot versions of FROG have also been shown to sensitively distinguish trains of stable from those of unstable pulse shapes by displaying readily visible systematic discrepancies between the measured and retrieved traces in the presence of unstable pulse trains. However, the effects of pulse-shape instability and algorithm stagnation can be indistinguishable, so a never-stagnating algorithm—even when instability is present—is required and is generally important. In previous work, we demonstrated that our recently introduced Retrieved-Amplitude N-grid Algorithmic (RANA) approach produces highly reliable (100%) pulse-retrieval in the second-harmonic-generation (SHG) version of FROG for thousands of sample trains of pulses with stable pulse shapes. Further, it does so even for trains of unstable pulse shapes and thus both reliably distinguishes between the two cases and provides a rough measure of the degree of instability as well as a reasonable estimate of most typical pulse parameters. Here, we perform the analogous study for the polarization-gating (PG) and transient-grating (TG) versions of FROG, which are often used for higher-energy pulse trains. We conclude that PG and TG FROG, coupled with the RANA approach, also provide reliable indicators of pulse-shape instability. In addition, for PG and TG FROG, the RANA approach provides an even better estimate of a typical pulse in an unstable pulse train than SHG FROG does, even in cases of significant pulse-shape instability. Full article

High-order harmonic generation (HHG) in semiconductor thin films from ultrashort mid-infrared laser drivers holds the potential for the realization of integrated sources of extreme ultraviolet light. Here, we demonstrate solid-state HHG in zinc oxide thin films synthesized by the radiofrequency reactive magnetron sputtering process directly on the cleaved facets of optical fibers. Harmonics 3 to 13 of the radiation from a fiber-based laser system delivering 500 kW, 96 fs pulses at 3130 nm are produced in the thin film and guided along the fiber. A proper choice of the laser wavelength and fiber material allows for filtering out the mid-IR pump laser and achieving the HHG mode selection. The possibility to nanostructure the fiber exit by, e.g., focused ion beam milling paves the way to an increased control over the HHG spatial mode. Full article

Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have emerged as robust materials in the development of SAs for erbium-doped fiber lasers (EDFLs). Their exceptional optical properties, such as broadband absorption and fast recovery times, make them ideal candidates for achieving ultrashort pulse operation in EDFLs. With its higher oxygen content, GO offers greater nonlinearity and a tunable absorption spectrum, while rGO, yielded through chemical reduction, exhibits enhanced electrical conductivity and higher saturable absorption. These properties facilitate the generation of ultrashort pulses in EDFLs, which are highly desired for various medical imaging, telecommunications, and material processing applications. This review paper comprehensively analyzes the advancements in GO and rGO SAs in the context of EDFLs for mode-locking and Q-switching applications. The performance of EDFLs utilizing GO and rGO SAs is critically evaluated, focusing on key parameters, such as modulation depth, pulse duration, repetition rate, average power, pulse energy, peak power, and signal-to-noise ratio. Additionally, this review delves into the various synthesis methods of GO and rGO thin film, highlighting their impact on the optical properties and performance of SAs. The discussion on techniques to integrate the SAs into laser cavities includes direct deposition of nanoparticles/thin-film-based SAs, tapered-fiber-based SAs, and D-shaped SAs. Furthermore, the paper explores the challenges encountered during the fabrication of ideal GO and rGO SAs, with issues related to uniformity, stability, and tunability, along with proposed solutions to address these challenges. The insights provided offer valuable guidance for future research aimed at enhancing the performance of EDFLs using GO/rGO SAs. Full article

Ultrafast or ultrashort pulsed lasers have become integral in numerous industrial applications due to their high precision, non-thermal interaction with materials, and ability to induce nonlinear absorption. These characteristics have expanded their use in microfabrication, semiconductor processing, automotive engineering, and biomedical fields. Temporal pulse shaping reduces laser pulse durations, often to shorter timescales than many physical and chemical processes, enabling greater control. Meanwhile, spatial shaping improves efficiency and precision in micro- and nanofabrication and biomedical applications. Advances in optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) and chirped-pulse amplifiers (CPAs) have allowed for more refined temporal and spatial shaping, ensuring the preservation of high peak power while achieving ultrashort pulse durations. Additionally, spatial light modulators (SLMs) have facilitated sophisticated beam shaping, which, when combined with ultrafast lasers, supports applications like computer-generated holography and nanoscale fabrication. These developments underscore the growing utility and versatility of ultrafast lasers in both research and industrial contexts. Full article

The interaction of ultra-short laser pulses (USLP) with Nickel/Titanium (Ni/Ti) thin film has been presented. The nano layer thin film (NLTF), composed of ten alternating Ni and Ti layers, was deposited on silicon (Si) substrate by ion-sputtering. A single and multi-pulse irradiation was performed in air with focused and linearly polarized laser pulses. For achieving selective ablation of one or more surface layers, without reaching the Si substrate, single pulse energy was gradually increased from near the ablation threshold value to an energy value that caused the complete removal of the NLTF. In addition to single-pulse selective ablation, the multi-pulse USLP irradiation and production of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSSs) were also studied. In the presented experiment, we found the optimal combination of accumulated pulse number and pulse energy to achieve the LIPSS formation on the thin film. The laser-induced morphology was examined with optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and optical profilometry. To interpret the experimental observations, a theoretical simulation has been performed to explore the thermal response of the NLTFs after irradiation with single laser pulses. Full article

(1) Background: Ultrashort high-energy laser pulses may cause interaction mechanisms, including photodisruption and plasma-induced ablation in the medium. It is not always easy to distinguish between these two processes, as both interaction mechanisms rely on plasma generation and overlap. The purpose of this paper is to discuss prominent cavitation bubble models describing photodisruption and plasma-induced ablation and to explore their nature for different threshold energies. This exploration will help to better distinguish the two interaction mechanisms. As a second aim, we present an alternative model for the low-energy regime close to the laser-induced optical breakdown (LIOB) threshold, representing the phenomenological effect of the plasma-induced ablation regime. (2) Methods: The cavitation bubble models for photodisruption and plasma-induced ablation were used to calculate the bubble radius for a series of threshold energies (E_Th = 30, 50, 70, and 300 nJ) that loosely represent commercial systems currently used in ultrashort-pulse tissue ablation. Taking a photodisruption model coefficient commonly used in the literature, the root mean square error between the two interaction models was minimized using the generalized reduced gradient fitting method to calculate the optimum scaling factors for the plasma model. The refined models with optimized coefficients were compared for a range of pulse and threshold energies. (3) Results: For low E_Th (30, 50, and 70 nJ), the plasma-induced ablation model dominates for low energies that are close to the threshold energy. The photodisruption model dominates for high energies that are well above the threshold energy. At very high pulse energies, for all the simulated cases, the photodisruption model transitions and crosses over to the plasma-induced ablation model. The cross-over points from which the photodisruption model dominates tend to be reduced for larger E_Th. A new universally applicable model for plasma-induced ablation has been hypothesized that considers the cavitation bubble volume and potentially better explains the bubble dynamics during intrastromal processes. (4) Conclusions: This theoretical exploration and the comparison of the outcomes to empirical data substantiate that inadvertently using the photodisruption model to explain the cavitation bubble dynamics for the entire spectrum of pulse energies and laser systems might provide erroneous estimates of cavitation bubble sizes. A reliable estimate of the true size (the maximum radius) of the cavitation bubble can be reasonably retrieved as the maximum predicted size from the fit of the photodisruption model and the newly proposed plasma-induced ablation model at any given pulse energy. Full article

The thermal stability of oxyfluorotellurite glass systems, (65-x)TeO₂-20ZnF₂-12PbO-3Nb₂O₅-xPr₂O₃, doped with praseodymium was examined. The different concentrations of praseodymium oxide (x = 0.5 and 2 mol%) were applied to verify the thermal, optical and luminescence properties of the materials under study. The relatively high values of the Dietzel (ΔT) and Saad–Poulain (S or H′) thermal stability factors determined using a differential thermal analysis (DTA) indicate the good thermal stability of the glass matrix, which gradually improves with the content of the active dopant. The temperature dependence of optical spectra in the temperature range 300–675 K for the VIS–NIR region was investigated. The involved Pr³⁺ optical transition intensities and relaxation dynamic of the praseodymium luminescent level were determined. The ultrashort femtosecond pulses were utilized to examine a dynamic relaxation of the praseodymium luminescent levels. Although the measured emission of the Pr³⁺ active ions in the studied glass encompasses the quite broad spectral region, the observed luminescence may only be attributed to ³P_J excited states. As a result, the observed decrease in the experimental lifetime for the ³P₀ level along with the increasing activator content was identified as an intensification of the Pr–Pr interplay and the associated self-quenching process. The maximum relative sensitivities (S_r) estimated over a relatively wide temperature range are ~0.46% K⁻¹ (at 300 K) for FIR (I₅₃₀/I₄₉₇) and 0.20% K⁻¹ (at 600 K) for FIR (I₆₃₀/I₄₉₇), which seems to confirm the possibility of using investigated glasses in optical temperature sensors. Full article

Chirped pulse amplification (CPA) has been a commonly used methodology to obtain powerful ultrashort laser pulses ever since its first demonstration. However, wavelength-tunable CPA systems are much less common. Wavelength-tunable ultrashort and intense laser pulses are desirable in various fields such as nonlinear spectroscopy and optical parametric amplification. In this work, we report a 1720 nm–1800 nm tunable CPA system based on Tm-doped fiber. The tunable CPA system contains a seed laser, a pulse stretcher, two cascaded amplifiers and a pulse compressor. The dispersion-managed seed laser cavity emits wavelength-tunable laser pulses with pulse durations of several ps and spectral widths from 25 nm to 34 nm. After being stretched temporally to tens of ps, the laser pulses are then amplified in two-stage amplifiers and compressed in a Treacy-type compressor. At 1720 nm, the maximum average power of 126 mW is obtained with a pulse duration of 507 fs; at 1800 nm, the maximum average power of 264 mW is obtained with a pulse duration of 294 fs. The pulse repetition rates are around 22.7 MHz. We perform an analysis of the system design based on numerical simulations and go on to suggest further steps for improvement. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a tunable CPA system beyond 1.1 μm. Considering the specific wavelength range, this wavelength-tunable CPA system is highly desirable for biomedical imaging, sensing, and parametric amplifiers. Full article

This investigation focuses on the construction of novel dark and singular soliton solutions for the Hirota equation, which models the propagation of ultrashort light pulses in optical fibers. Initially, we employ a wave variable transformation to convert the physical model into ordinary differential equations. Utilizing extended rational sinh–cosh and sine–cosine techniques, we derive an abundant soliton solution for the transformed system. By plugging these explicit solutions back into the wave transformation, we obtain dark and singular soliton solutions for the Hirota equation. The dynamic evolution of dark soliton profiles is then demonstrated, with a focus on varying physically significant parameters such as wave frequency, strength of third-order dispersion, and wave number. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis is examined to elucidate how the dark and singular soliton profiles undergo deformation in the background influenced by these arbitrary parameters. The findings presented in this study offer valuable insights that could potentially guide experimental manipulation of dark solitons in optical fibers. Full article