Ultrafast electro-optic light with subcycle control

Light sources that are ultrafast and ultrastable enable applications like timing with subfemtosecond precision and control of quantum and classical systems. Mode-locked lasers have often given access to this regime, by using their high pulse energies. We demonstrate an adaptable method for ultrastab...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2018-09, Vol.361 (6409), p.1358-1363
Main Authors: Carlson, David R, Hickstein, Daniel D, Zhang, Wei, Metcalf, Andrew J, Quinlan, Franklyn, Diddams, Scott A, Papp, Scott B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Broadband
Continuous wave lasers
Femtosecond pulses
Infrared spectra
Inspection
Laser mode locking
Lasers
Light
Light sources
Modulation
Near infrared radiation
Optical frequency
Optics
Wavelengths
White light
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Summary:Light sources that are ultrafast and ultrastable enable applications like timing with subfemtosecond precision and control of quantum and classical systems. Mode-locked lasers have often given access to this regime, by using their high pulse energies. We demonstrate an adaptable method for ultrastable control of low-energy femtosecond pulses based on common electro-optic modulation of a continuous-wave laser light source. We show that we can obtain 100-picojoule pulse trains at rates up to 30 gigahertz and demonstrate sub-optical cycle timing precision and useful output spectra spanning the near infrared. Our source enters the few-cycle ultrafast regime without mode locking, and its high speed provides access to nonlinear measurements and rapid transients.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aat6451