Browsing by Author "Steinmeyer, Günter"
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- ItemAccelerated rogue solitons triggered by background radiation(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2015) Demircan, Ayhan; Amiranashvili, Shalva; Brée, Carsten; Morgner, Uwe; Steinmeyer, Günter[no abstract available]
- ItemAdjustable pulse compression scheme for generation of few-cycle pulses in the mid-infrared(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2014) Demircan, Ayhan; Amiranashvili, Shalva; Brée, Carsten; Morgner, Uwe; Steinmeyer, GünterAn novel adjustable adiabatic soliton compression scheme is presented, enabling a coherent pulse source with pedestal-free few-cycle pulses in the infrared or mid-infrared regime. This scheme relies on interaction of a dispersive wave and a soliton copropagating at nearly identical group velocities in a fiber with enhanced infrared transmission. The compression is achieved directly in one stage, without necessity of an external compensation scheme. Numerical simulations are employed to demonstrate this scheme for silica and fluoride fibers, indicating ultimate limitations as well as the possibility of compression down to the single-cycle regime. Such output pulses appear ideally suited as seed sources for parametric amplification schemes in the mid-infrared.
- ItemAll-optical supercontinuum switching(London : Springer Nature, 2020) Melchert, Oliver; Brée, Carsten; Tajalli, Ayhan; Pape, Alexander; Arkhipov, Rostislav; Willms, Stephanie; Babushkin, Ihar; Skryabin, Dmitry; Steinmeyer, Günter; Morgner, Uwe; Demircan, AyhanEfficient all-optical switching is a challenging task as photons are bosons and cannot immediately interact with each other. Consequently, one has to resort to nonlinear optical interactions, with the Kerr gate being the classical example. However, the latter requires strong pulses to switch weaker ones. Numerous approaches have been investigated to overcome the resulting lack of fan-out capability of all-optical switches, most of which relied on types of resonant enhancement of light-matter interaction. Here we experimentally demonstrate a novel approach that utilizes switching between different portions of soliton fission induced supercontinua, exploiting an optical event horizon. This concept enables a high switching efficiency and contrast in a dissipation free setting. Our approach enables fan-out, does not require critical biasing, and is at least partially cascadable. Controlling complex soliton dynamics paves the way towards building all-optical logic gates with advanced functionalities. © 2020, The Author(s).
- ItemAsymptotic pulse shapes in filamentary propagation of intense femtosecond pulses(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2008) Krüger, Carsten; Demircan, Ayhan; Steinmeyer, GünterSelf-compression of intense ultrashort laser pulses inside a self-guided filament is discussed. The filament self-guiding mechanism requires a balance between diffraction, plasma self-defocusing and Kerr-type self-focusing, which gives rise to asymptotic intensity profiles on axis of the filament. The asymptotic solutions appear as the dominant pulse shaping mechanism in the leading part of the pulse, causing a pinch of the photon density close to zero delay, which substantiates as pulse compression. The simple analytical model is backed up by numerical simulations, confirming the prevalence of spatial coupling mechanisms and explaining the emerging inhomogeneous spatial structure. Numerical simulations confirm that only spatial effects alone may already give rise to filament formation. Consequently, self-compression is explained by a dynamic balance between two optical nonlinearities, giving rise to soliton-like pulse formation inside the filament.
- ItemCascaded self-compression of femtosecond pulses in filaments(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2010) Brée, Carsten; Bethge, Jens; Skupin, Stefan; Demircan, Ayhan; Steinmeyer, GünterHighly nonlinear wave propagation scenarios hold the potential to serve for energy concentration or pulse duration reduction of the input wave form, provided that a small range of input parameters be maintained. In particular when phenomena like rogue-wave formation or few-cycle optical pulses generation come into play, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain control of the waveforms. Here we suggest an alternative approach towards the control of waveforms in a highly nonlinear system. Cascading pulse self-compression cycles at reduced nonlinearity limits the increase of input parameter sensitivity while still enabling an enhanced compression effect. This cascaded method is illustrated by experiments and in numerical simulations of the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation, simulating the propagation of short optical pulses in a self-generated plasma.
- ItemFilamentary pulse self-compression : the impact of the cell windows(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2011) Brée, Carsten; Demircan, Ayhan; Bethge, Jens; Nibbering, Erik T.J.; Skupin, Stefan; Bergé, Luc; Steinmeyer, GünterSelf-compression of multi-millijoule laser pulses during filamentary propagation is usually explained by the interplay of self-focusing and defocusing effects, causing a substantial concentration of energy on the axis of the propagating optical pulse. Recently, it has been argued that cell windows may play a decisive role in the self-compression mechanism. As such windows have to be used for media other than air their presence is often unavoidable, yet they present a sudden non-adiabatic change in dispersion and nonlinearity that should lead to a destruction of the temporal and spatial integrity of the light bullets generated in the self-compression mechanism. We now experimentally prove that there is in fact a self-healing mechanism that helps to overcome the potentially destructive consequences of the cell windows. We show in two carefully conducted experiments that the cell window position decisively influences activation or inhibition of the self-healing mechanism. A comparison with a windowless cell shows that presence of this mechanism is an important prerequisite for the exploitation of self-compression effects in windowed cells filled with inert gases.
- ItemKramers-Kronig relations and high order nonlinear susceptibilities(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2011) Brée, Carsten; Demircan, Ayhan; Steinmeyer, GünterAs previous theoretical results recently revealed, a Kramers-Kronig transform of multiphoton absorption rates allows for a precise prediction on the dispersion of the nonlinear refractive index $n_2$ in the near IR. It was shown that this method allows to reproduce recent experimental results on the importance of the higher-order Kerr effect. Extending these results, the current manuscript provides the dispersion of $n_2$ for all noble gases in excellent agreement with reference data. It is furthermore established that the saturation and inversion of the nonlinear refractive index is highly dispersive with wavelength, which indicates the existence of different filamentation regimes. While shorter laser wavelengths favor the well-established plasma clamping regime, the influence of the higher-order Kerr effect dominates in the long wavelength regime.
- ItemLong-term hybrid stabilization of the carrier-envelope phase(Washington, DC : Soc., 2020) Hirschman, Jack; Lemons, Randy; Chansky, Evan; Steinmeyer, Günter; Carbajo, SergioControlling the carrier envelope phase (CEP) in mode-locked lasers over practically long timescales is crucial for real-world applications in ultrafast optics and precision metrology. We present a hybrid solution that combines a feed-forward technique to stabilize the phase offset in fast timescales and a feedback technique that addresses slowly varying sources of interference and locking bandwidth limitations associated with gain media with long upper-state lifetimes. We experimentally realize the hybrid stabilization system in an Er:Yb:glass mode-locked laser and demonstrate 75 hours of stabilization with integrated phase noise of 14 mrad (1 Hz to 3 MHz), corresponding to around 11 as of carrier to envelope jitter. Additionally, we examine the impact of environmental factors, such as humidity and pressure, on the long-term stability and performance of the system. © 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement
- ItemMethod for computing the nonlinear refractive index via Keldysh theory(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2008) Brée, Carsten; Demircan, Ayhan; Steinmeyer, GünterBy making use of the multiphoton limit of Keldysh theory, we show that for the case of two-photon absorption a Kramers-Kronig expansion can be used to calculate the nonlinear refractive index for different wavelenghts. We apply this method to various inert gases and compare the obtained numerical values to different experimental and theoretical results for the dispersion of the Kerr nonlinearity.
- ItemMilliradian precision ultrafast pulse control for spectral phase metrology(Washington, DC : Soc., 2021) Stamm, Jacob; Benel, Jorge; Escoto, Esmerando; Steinmeyer, Günter; Dantus, MarcosA pulse-shaper-based method for spectral phase measurement and compression with milliradian precision is proposed and tested experimentally. Measurements of chirp and third-order dispersion are performed and compared to theoretical predictions. The single-digit milliradian accuracy is benchmarked by a group velocity dispersion measurement of fused silica.
- ItemModulation instability in filamentary self-compression(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2010) Brée, Carsten; Demircan, Ayhan; Steinmeyer, GünterWe numerically analyze filamentary propagation for various medium- and input pulse parameters and show that temporal self-compression can greatly benefit from refocusing events. Analyzing the dynamical behavior in the second focal spot, it turns out that a dispersive temporal break-up may appear due to the emission of a hyperbolic shock-wave from the self-steepened trailing edge of the pulse. This break-up event enhances the self-compression capabilities of laser filaments, enabling up to 12-fold temporal compression. Only slightly perturbing the input pulse parameters, we further identify a regime in which refocusing events give rise to extended subdiffractive propagation in a weakly ionized channel.
- ItemNon-instantaneous polarization dynamics in dielectric media(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2014) Hofmann, Michael; Hyyti, Janne; Birkholz, Simon; Bock, Martin; Das, Susanta K.; Grunwald, Rüdiger; Hoffmann, Mathias; Nagy, Tamas; Demircan, Ayhan; Jupé, Marco; Ristau, Detlev; Morgner, Uwe; Brée, Carsten; Woerner, Michael; Elsaesser, Thomas; Steinmeyer, GünterThird-order optical nonlinearities play a vital role for generation1,2 and characterization 3-5 of some of the shortest optical pulses to date, for optical switching applications6,7, and for spectroscopy8,9. In many cases, nonlinear optical effects are used far off resonance, and then an instantaneous temporal response is expected. Here, we show for the first time resonant frequency-resolved optical gating measurements1012 that indicate substantial nonlinear polarization relaxation times up to 6.5 fs in dielectric media, i.e., significantly beyond the shortest pulses directly available from commercial lasers. These effects are among the fastest effects observed in ultrafast spectroscopy. Numerical solutions of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation13,14 are in excellent agreement with experimental observations. The simulations indicate that pulse generation and characterization in the ultraviolet may be severely affected by this previously unreported effect. Moreover, our approach opens an avenue for application of frequency-resolved optical gating as a highly selective spectroscopic probe in high-field physics.
- ItemOcean rogue waves and their phase space dynamics in the limit of a linear interference model(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2016) Birkholz, Simon; Brée, Carsten; Veselic, Ivan; Demircan, Ayhan; Steinmeyer, GünterWe reanalyse the probability for formation of extreme waves using the simple model of linear interference of a finite number of elementary waves with fixed amplitude and random phase fluctuations. Under these formation becomes increasingly likely, with appearance frequencies that may even exceed long-term observations by an order of magnitude. For estimation of the effective number of interfering waves, we suggest the Grassberger-Procaccia dimensional analysis of individual time series. For the ocean system, it is further shown that the resulting phase space dimension may vary, such that the threshold for rogue wave formation is not always reached. Time series analysis as well as the appearance of particular focusing wind conditions may enable an effective forecast of such rogue-wave prone situations. In particular, extracting the dimension from ocean time series allows much more specific estimation of the rogue wave probability.
- ItemOcean rogue waves and their phase space dynamics in the limit of a linear interference model([London] : Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature, 2016) Birkholz, Simon; Brée, Carsten; Veselić, Ivan; Demircan, Ayhan; Steinmeyer, GünterWe reanalyse the probability for formation of extreme waves using the simple model of linear interference of a finite number of elementary waves with fixed amplitude and random phase fluctuations. Under these model assumptions no rogue waves appear when less than 10 elementary waves interfere with each other. Above this threshold rogue wave formation becomes increasingly likely, with appearance frequencies that may even exceed long-term observations by an order of magnitude. For estimation of the effective number of interfering waves, we suggest the Grassberger-Procaccia dimensional analysis of individual time series. For the ocean system, it is further shown that the resulting phase space dimension may vary, such that the threshold for rogue wave formation is not always reached. Time series analysis as well as the appearance of particular focusing wind conditions may enable an effective forecast of such rogue-wave prone situations. In particular, extracting the dimension from ocean time series allows much more specific estimation of the rogue wave probability.
- ItemPlasma induced pulse breaking in filamentary self-compression(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2009) Brée, Carsten; Demircan, Ayhan; Skupin, Stefan; Berg´e, Luc; Steinmeyer, GünterA plasma induced temporal break-up in filamentary propagation has recently been identified as one of the key events in the temporal self-compression of femtosecond laser pulses. An analysis of the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation coupled to a noninstantaneous plasma response yields a set of stationary states. This analysis clearly indicates that the emergence of double-hump, characteristically asymmetric temporal on-axis intensity profiles in regimes where plasma defocusing saturates the optical collapse caused by Kerr self-focusing is an inherent property of the underlying dynamical model.
- ItemRogue wave formation by accelerated solitons at an optical event horizon(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2013) Demircan, Ayhan; Amiranashvili, Shalva; Brée, Carsten; Mahnke, Christoph; Mitschke, Fedor; Steinmeyer, GünterRogue waves, by definition, are rare events of extreme amplitude, but at the same time they are frequent in the sense that they can exist in a wide range of physical contexts. While many mechanisms have been demonstrated to explain the appearance of rogue waves in various specific systems, there is no known generic mechanism or general set of criteria shown to rule their appearance. Presupposing only the existence of a nonlinear Schrödinger-type equation together with a concave dispersion profile around a zero dispersion wavelength we demonstrate that solitons may experience acceleration and strong reshaping due to the interaction with continuum radiation, giving rise to extreme-value phenomena. The mechanism is independent of the optical Raman effect. A strong increase of the peak power is accompanied by a mild increase of the pulse energy and carrier frequency, whereas the photon number of the soliton remains practically constant. This reshaping mechanism is particularly robust and is naturally given in optics in the supercontinuum generation process.
- ItemSaturation of the all-optical Kerr effect(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2010) Brée, Carsten; Demircan, Ayhan; Steinmeyer, GünterSaturation of the intensity dependence of the refractive index is directly computed from ionization rates via a Kramers-Kronig transform. The linear intensity dependence and its dispersion are found in excellent agreement with complete quantum mechanical orbital computations. Higher-order terms concur with solutions of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Expanding the formalism to all orders up to the ionization potential of the atom, we derive a model for saturation of the Kerr effect. This model widely confirms recently published and controversially discussed experimental data and corroborates the importance of higher-order Kerr terms for filamentation.
- ItemSelf-compression of 120 fs pulses in a white-light filament(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2010) Bethge, Jens; Steinmeyer, Günter; Stibenz, Gero; Staudt, Peter; Brée, Carsten; Demircan, Ayhan; Redlin, Harald; Düsterer, StefanSelf-compression of pulses with >100 fs input pulse duration from a 10 Hz laser system is experimentally demonstrated, with a compression factor of 3.3 resulting in output pulse durations of 35 fs. This measurement substantially widens the range of applicability of this compression method, enabling self-compression of pulsed laser sources that neither exhibit extremely low pulse-to-pulse energy fluctuations nor a particularly clean beam profile. The experimental demonstration is numerically modeled, revealing the exact same mechanisms at work as at shorter input pulse duration. Additionally, the role of controlled beam clipping with an adjustable aperture is numerically substantiated
- ItemSelf-pinching of pulsed laser beams in a plasma filament(Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2008) Brée, Carsten; Demircan, Ayhanj; Skupin, Stefan; Bergé, Luc; Steinmeyer, GünterCompeting nonlinear optical effects that act on femtosecond laser pulses propagating in a self-generated plasma filament may give rise to a pronounced radial deformation of the beam, similar to the z-pinch contraction of pulsed high-current discharges. This self-pinching locally increases the photon density. The process is further identified as the first stage in the recently observed self-compression of femtosecond laser pulses propagating in filaments. Self-pinching also explains the complicated spatio-temporal shapes generally observed in filament compression experiments
- ItemSpace-time focusing and coherence properties of supercontinua in multipass cells(College Park, MD : APS, 2021) Mei, Chao; Steinmeyer, GünterThe situation of self-compression and concomitant supercontinuum generation in a multipass cell is analyzed in numerical simulations. This study focuses on multipass cells that contain a dielectric slab as nonlinear medium and overcompensate the dispersion of the slab with intracavity dispersive coatings. A 2D+1 unidirectional pulse propagation equation is utilized to simulate the pulse evolution through successive passes. We observe a previously unreported effect of space-time focusing, leading to a pronounced blue shift, similar to what had been observed in filament compression experiments before. This effect competes with detrimental pulse breakup, which can nevertheless be mitigated under suitable choice of cavity parameters. We further analyze resulting coherence properties, in both the time and frequency domains. Our analysis shows highly favorable properties of multipass cell compression schemes when nonlinearity and dispersion are distributed over as many cavity passes as possible. This quasicontinuous approach is particularly promising for spectral broadening schemes that allow for stabilization of the carrier-envelope phase.