Menlo Systems Gmbh

Menlo Biocombs, Inc.

University of California

Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne

Ronald Holzwarth

Michael Mei

Marc Fischer

Theodor W Haensch

Wolfgang Haensel

Rafal Wilk

Frederick R Blume

Ralf Doubek

Tobias Kippenberg

Russell B Wilcox

Martin Engelbrecht

Olaf Mandel

Peter Adel

Matthias Lezius

Tilo Steinmetz

Fredrick R Blume

Michele Giunta

Wolfgang Hänsel

Operating an optical frequency comb assembly includes operating an optical frequency comb source to generate laser light constituting an optical frequency comb and introducing the laser light into a common light path and seeding at least one branch light path by the laser light from the common light path, the branch light path comprising at least one optical element. For the branch light path, a phase difference of a first frequency mode &#x3bd;of the optical frequency comb is determined between laser light coupled out at a reference point within the frequency comb assembly upstream of the at least one optical element and laser light coupled out at a measurement point provided in the branch light path downstream of the at least one optical element. Phase correction for the laser light from the branch light path is based on a deviation of the determined phase difference from a target value.

Optical frequency comb assembly and method

A method for operating a laser device, including providing a laser pulse in a resonator so that the laser pulse circulates in the resonator, the laser pulse having a carrier wave; determining an offset frequency (f) of the frequency comb corresponding to the laser pulse, the frequency comb having a plurality of laser modes (f) at a distance (f) from one another, the frequencies of which can be described by the formula: f=m*f+f, m being a natural number, and varying the offset frequency (f) by varying a geometric phase (&#x394;&#x3c6;) that is imparted to the carrier wave of the laser pulse per resonator circulation.

Method for operating a laser device, resonator arrangement and use of a phase shifter

A method for operating a laser device (), wherein an optical frequency comb can be stabilized and the frequencies of the modes thereof are describable by the formula f=m&#xd7;f+f, where fis a mode spacing, fis an offset frequency and m is a natural number. At least one signal (S, S, S, S) is determined, which correlates with an actual value of a degree of freedom (F), wherein the degree of freedom (F) is a linear combination of the offset frequency fand the mode spacing fof the frequency comb. The actual value of the degree of freedom (F) is set in a predetermined capture range (F) of a second control unit () using a first control unit () on the basis of the signal. As soon as the capture range (&#x394;F) of the second control unit () is reached, the second control unit () is activated and the actual value is regulated to an intended value (&#x394;F) with the aid of the second control unit ().

Stabilizing optical frequency combs

In a resonator arrangement () including a resonator (), an interferometer () is arranged inside the resonator () and includes at least a first and a second interferometer leg (). The two interferometer legs () have optical path lengths (L, L) that differ from each other. According to the invention a splitting ratio is variably adjustable, with which the interferometer () splits radiation () circulating in the resonator () into the first and second interferometer legs ().

Optical resonator arrangement and a method for adjusting a round-trip time in a resonator

A spectroscopy assembly having a first and a second optical ring resonator, each provided with a material having an intensity-dependent refraction index. The spectroscopy assembly further includes at least one waveguide, which is guided along the optical ring resonator at a distance such that the light of a continuous wave laser guided in the waveguide can be coupled into the optical ring resonator, and a frequency comb generated from the light of the continuous wave laser in the optical ring resonator can be coupled out of the waveguide. The optical ring resonators and the at least one waveguide are provided on a common substrate.

Spectroscopy assembly including optical ring resonators and at least one waveguide on a common substrate

In a laser () with a laser resonator (), the laser resonator () has a non-linear optical loop mirror ('), NOLM, which is adapted to guide counter-propagating portions of laser pulses, and to bring the counter-propagating portions of laser pulses into interference with each other at an exit point () of the NOLM (&#x2032;). The non-linear optical loop mirror (&#x2032;) contains a non-reciprocal optical element (&#x2032;) on a linear section of the NOLM. In addition to the NOLM, the laser resonator () has a linear cavity section. The linear section of the NOLM and the linear cavity section () are reassembled on a microoptical bench () or within a cylindrical carrier ().

Laser with non-linear optical loop mirror

The invention relates to a system () for generating a (high-frequency) beat signal. The system has a first light source () with a multimode spectrum, a second light source () and a coupler and filter arrangement () with a first port () for coupling in light from the first light source (), and a second port () for coupling in light from the second light source (). Furthermore, a detector () is provided to which light of both light sources () can be supplied. The coupler and filter arrangement () has a spectral filter () for filtering out one or several modes from the spectrum of the first light source (), and a first fiber-optical coupler () for coupling the light of the second light source () and the not yet filtered or the already filtered light of the first light source (). The coupler and filter arrangement () is configured to be merely fiber-optical.

System for generating a beat signal

A laser () with a laser resonator (), the laser resonator () having a non-linear optical loop mirror ('), NOLM, which is adapted to guide counter-propagating portions of laser pulses, and to bring the counter-propagating portions of laser pulses into interference with each other at an exit point () of the NOLM (&#x2032;). The non-linear optical loop mirror (&#x2032;) has a non-reciprocal optical element (&#x2032;).

The invention relates to an optical arrangement () and to a method of examining or processing an object (). Here, a first laser pulse with a first central wavelength and a second laser pulse with a second central wavelength different from the first central wavelength are generated. Both pulses are superimposed in or on the object () such that multi-photon absorption takes place there with the involvement of at least one photon of the first laser pulse and at least one photon of the second laser pulse.

Optical arrangement and method for examining or processing an object

The invention relates to an optical assembly () comprising a pulsed light source () for generating primary light pulses (), a pulse splitter () for splitting said primary light pulses () into first and second secondary light pulses (), and a delay element () for delaying said second secondary light pulses () relative to said first secondary light pulses (), where the pulse repetition rate of said pulsed light source () is variable in order to change a temporal delay between different secondary light pulses () The invention is characterized in that said optical assembly () comprises a thermal insulation (), a temperature stabilizer () or a temperature compensator () for said delay element () and/or a control circuit () for determining and controlling a drift of said pulse repetition rate.

Optical assembly and method for generating light pulses of variable delay

A device for generating or receiving electromagnetic radiation in a frequency range from 10 GHz to 100 THz is provided. The device includes a housing and a wave guide fiber leading into the housing. The wave guide fiber is adapted for guiding pulsed laser light with a first central wavelength. Within the housing, a terahertz converter is provided for generating or receiving the electromagnetic radiation in the terahertz range. The device also includes a frequency converter for converting the light exiting from the wave guide fiber to a second central wavelength being arranged between the end of the wave guide fiber and the terahertz converter in such a way that the terahertz converter is impinged by the frequency converted light.

Device for generating or receiving terahertz radiation

Femtosecond pump/probe experiments using short X-Ray and optical pulses require precise synchronization between 100 meter-10 km separated lasers in a various experiments. For stabilization in the hundred femtosecond range a CW laser is amplitude modulated at 1-10 GHz, the signal retroreflected from the far end, and the relative phase used to correct the transit time with various implementations. For the sub-10 fsec range the laser frequency itself is upshifted 55 MHz with an acousto-optical modulator, retroreflected, upshifted again and phase compared at the sending end to a 110 MHz reference. Initial experiments indicate less than 1 fsec timing jitter. To lock lasers in the sub-10 fs range two single-frequency lasers separated by several teraHertz will be lock to a master modelocked fiber laser, transmit the two frequencies over fiber, and lock two comb lines of a slave laser to these frequencies, thus synchronizing the two modelocked laser envelopes.

Optical synchronization system for femtosecond X-ray sources

The invention concerns a laser system with a frequency comb generator for generating a comb of optical frequencies having an offset frequency and a plurality of equidistant modes. The laser system further preferably includes at least one stabilizer for stabilizing the frequency comb onto a certain offset frequency and/or onto a certain mode spacing. The laser system further includes an optical amplifier for amplifying the frequency comb coupled out of the frequency comb generator, the amplification factor of this amplifier being variable; and the amplifier is followed by a Raman medium for generating a Raman shift of the frequency comb.

Laser system

A description is given of an optical structure (), in particular for determining and stabilizing the relative phase of short pulses, which contains a broadening device () for broadening the frequency spectrum of pulses of electromagnetic radiation, and a frequency multiplier device () for multiplying at least one frequency component of the pulses, wherein a focusing lens optic () is arranged between the broadening device and the frequency multiplier device, which focusing lens optic can be used to focus the pulses into the frequency multiplier device (). Uses of this optical structure are also described.

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Munich, Germany

Ronald Holzwarth