Fiber transmission of short laser pulses

Abstract

System for the transmission of laser pulses, consisting of: - a laser source (11) which generates laser pulses; - an optical amplifier (12) which amplifies the laser pulses; - an optical stretcher (13) connected to the output of the optical amplifier (12), which comprises a section of a dispersion-compensating optical waveguide and which stretches the amplified laser pulses in time, and - an optical waveguide (14, 15) adjoining the optical stretcher (13), the length of which is at least 2 meters, preferably 5 meters, and particularly preferably at least 10 meters, through which the stretched laser pulses generated at the output of the optical stretcher (13) are transmitted to an end point (16) of the optical waveguide (14, 15), wherein the laser pulses are compressed in time in the optical waveguide (14, 15) and wherein the laser pulses in the optical waveguide (14, 15) undergo a non-linear spectral broadening.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for the transmission of laser pulses.

[0002] Fiber lasers, which feature short laser pulses (pulse duration shorter than 1 ps, also known as ultrashort pulses or femtosecond pulses) and high pulse energy (typically more than 1 nJ), good beam quality, and excellent optical properties, are used in many areas of scientific research and industry. Significant progress has been made in the development of short-pulse fiber lasers. However, difficulties remain in propagating short laser pulses in optical fibers over long distances. Nonlinearities that cause spectrum distortions, as well as dispersion, make it difficult to transmit short laser pulses over several meters (as is often required in practical applications).

[0003] US 5,862,287 A describes a device and method for transmitting dispersion-compensated ultrashort optical pulses with high peak power. The known device comprises a pulsed laser source that generates ultrashort optical pulses with high peak power. Before the optical pulses are transmitted through an optical transmission fiber, the temporal pulse width of the optical pulses is stretched, forming chirped optical pulses with a lower peak power. The pulse stretching can occur within the laser or through a separate dispersive element (stretcher). The stretched optical pulses are transmitted via an optical fiber, which transmits the pulses over a distance of several meters to an optical device where the laser pulses are used in a corresponding application.Because the peak power of the optical pulses is reduced by temporal stretching, the nonlinear effects are largely reduced. The optical transmission fiber introduces dispersion that compensates for the dispersion introduced by the pulsed laser source and the stretcher, so that a recompressed optical pulse is transmitted to the application. Ideally, the optical transmission fiber also compensates for the dispersion introduced by optical components in the optical device in the respective application, so that the laser pulses are fully recompressed at a point of interest, such as a sample or detector.

[0004] But even with the well-known approach of stretching and recompressing laser pulses, fiber transmission of laser pulses in the 1 nJ energy range with a pulse duration of less than 100 fs often results in poor pulse quality. Typically, less than 50 percent of the total pulse energy is contained in the main peak of the laser pulse. Satellite pulses occur at the end of the optical fiber transmission, and the energy contained in these satellite pulses is generally unusable. These satellite pulses can even saturate a nonlinear medium used in the corresponding application, as might be the case with the generation of THz radiation.

[0005] US 2012 / 0062984 A1 describes a device and method for generating and amplifying ultrashort laser pulses using chirped pulse amplification (CPA). The starting point is a laser that generates ultrashort pulses with high peak power. Before further amplification, the pulses are stretched, e.g., using chirped fiber Bragg grating, to produce stretched pulses with reduced peak power. The stretched pulses are then amplified in an optical amplifier, with the gain being stabilized by the linear frequency chirp and the resulting approximately parabolic pulse shape. Finally, the amplified, stretched pulses are recompressed in a pulse compressor to generate ultrashort pulses with high peak power.If the recompressed pulses are additionally transmitted via an optical fiber, this can compensate for the dispersion effects occurring in the device, so that the pulses are fully recompressed at a point of interest, e.g., a sample or a detector. In a typical system (see F. Eichhorn et al., Opt. Express, vol. 18, no. 7, p. 6978, 2010), the pulses generated by the seed laser (excitation laser) are amplified and solitonically compressed in an anomalous dispersive fiber. Before being time-stretched in a dispersion-compensating fiber (DCF), the laser pulses have their minimum pulse duration. Finally, the laser pulses are compressed in a standard optical fiber (SMF-28 or PM1550), which is used as the delivery fiber. This method has major disadvantages. Due to the very short pulse duration, third-order dispersion becomes important.This can be compensated to some extent by selecting a carefully balanced third-order dispersion of the DCF. Furthermore, the laser pulses achieve a highly modulated spectral shape through solitonic compression. When the laser pulse is stretched in the DCF, they assume a temporal shape similar to the spectral shape (analogous to Fraunhofer diffraction in the time domain). During the subsequent compression, self-phase modulation (SPM) proportional to the temporal shape of the laser pulses causes a complex phase profile that prevents efficient recompression. This results in a highly structured pulse shape at the end of the transmission fiber, with a significant portion of the pulse energy contained in the satellites.

[0006] Another known system (see JW Nicholson et al., Opt. Express, Vol. 12, No. 13, p. 3025, 2004) involves a fully fiber-integrated high-power source for generating femtosecond pulses at 1550 nm. The laser radiation is generated by a passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser and amplified in a single-mode fiber amplifier (SMF) using a chirped-pulse amplifier (CPA) to minimize unwanted nonlinear effects during amplification. The highly stretched pulses are then compressed in a standard SMF to pulse durations of approximately 34 fs. By directly fusion splicing the compression fiber to a highly nonlinear dispersion-shifted fiber (HNLF), a supercontinuum is created that extends over more than an octave (from approximately 850 nm to over 2.6 µm).This solution offers the advantage of a fully fiber-integrated system architecture, which provides a robust and low-maintenance alternative to systems with bulk optics, but also presents challenges regarding precise control of the pulse shape.

[0007] From the foregoing, it is clear that there is a need for an improved system for transmitting short laser pulses. The object of the present invention is to achieve the transmission of high-quality laser pulses at the point of application.

[0008] The invention proposes a system for transmitting laser pulses, comprising: - a laser source that generates laser pulses; - an optical amplifier that amplifies the laser pulses; - an optical stretcher connected to the output of the optical amplifier, comprising a section of dispersion-compensating optical fiber and stretching the amplified laser pulses, and - an optical waveguide connected to the optical stretcher, the length of which is at least 2 meters, preferably 5 meters, and particularly preferably at least 10 meters, through which the stretched laser pulses generated at the output of the optical stretcher are transmitted to an end point of the optical waveguide, wherein the laser pulses are compressed in time in the optical waveguide, and wherein the laser pulses in the optical waveguide experience a non-linear spectral broadening.

[0009] The approach of the invention is based on the following steps: - Generation of laser pulses, - Amplification of laser pulses, - temporal stretching of the amplified laser pulses, as well as - Transmission of the amplified laser pulses through an optical fiber (transmission fiber) of desired length, wherein the laser pulses are temporally compressed in the optical fiber, and wherein the laser pulses in the optical fiber undergo a non-linear spectral broadening.

[0010] The core of the invention is to achieve the required spectral width of the laser pulses during transmission through the transmission fiber. In other words, the required spectral bandwidth of the laser pulses is generated to a considerable extent between the stretcher and the delivery point at the end of the optical fiber. In contrast to the previously mentioned prior art techniques, the laser pulses do not have their maximum spectral bandwidth before temporal stretching. According to the invention, the spectral bandwidth (root-mean-square width) of the laser pulses at the end of the transmission fiber is larger (preferably by at least a factor of 1.2) than their spectral bandwidth before temporal stretching.

[0011] The technique according to the invention achieves an improved pulse shape of the laser pulses at the end of the transmission fiber. A significantly larger portion of the total pulse energy is contained in the main peak of the laser pulses.

[0012] A further advantage of the invention is that the propagation of narrower-bandwidth pulses through the optical transmission fiber results in reduced sensitivity to third-order dispersion. This is particularly important for longer transmission distances of, for example, 10 meters or more.

[0013] The method according to the invention is well suited for a pulse duration of less than 100 fs for high-power laser pulses at the end of the optical transmission fiber. Even a laser pulse duration of 70 fs or less can be achieved with good pulse quality.

[0014] The invention is particularly well suited for the transmission of short (femtosecond) laser pulses with a pulse energy of up to 20 nJ.

[0015] According to the invention, the pulse duration of the time-stretched laser pulses should be at least 1 ps, preferably 2-10 ps for a fiber delivery length of 2-10 m. In this way, the peak power of the laser pulses before transmission through the transmission fiber is sufficiently reduced to avoid undesirable nonlinear effects. For longer transmission lengths, the required stretch ratio must be increased accordingly.

[0016] In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the spectral bandwidth of the amplified and temporally stretched laser pulses is 10-50 nm, while the spectral bandwidth of the laser pulses after propagation through the optical fiber is up to 120 nm. The comparatively narrow bandwidth of the amplified laser pulses enables a uniform shape of the laser pulses before stretching. This prevents the laser pulses from assuming a strongly modulated temporal shape, as is the case with previously known methods. During subsequent propagation through the optical fiber, spectral broadening can thus be achieved according to the invention without inducing a highly structured pulse shape at the end of the transmission fiber.

[0017] Preferably, according to the invention, the laser pulses are amplified without (significant) non-linear broadening in order to achieve a largely unstructured uniform spectrum before stretching.

[0018] Parabolic amplification of the laser pulses can be applied. This generates parabolic laser pulses with a parabolic temporal intensity profile and a correspondingly uniform spectral shape. Such parabolic laser pulses can be generated in known ways, for example, by transmitting the laser pulses (which, for example, have a Gaussian spectrum) from a seed laser through a suitable fiber amplifier, where they undergo optical amplification, Kerr nonlinearity, and normal chromatic dispersion.

[0019] In a further preferred embodiment, the optical waveguide may include a section of large-mode-area fiber (LMA). Depending on the dispersion of the large-mode-area fiber, the light pulses are temporally compressed within the section of large-mode-area fiber, but essentially without any spectral broadening. Spectral broadening occurs primarily in the remaining parts of the optical waveguide (which has a smaller mode area compared to the large-mode-area fiber). The portion of the optical waveguide formed by the large-mode-area fiber can be adjusted to achieve the optimal degree of compression and spectral broadening for the specific application. According to a further aspect, the invention relates to a system for transmitting laser pulses, comprising: - a laser source that generates laser pulses; - an optical amplifier that amplifies the laser pulses; - a section of a highly non-linear optical fiber connected to the output of the optical amplifier, through which the amplified laser pulses are transmitted, wherein the laser pulses undergo spectral broadening in the section of the highly non-linear optical fiber; - an optical stretcher connected to the section of highly non-linear fiber, comprising a section of dispersion-compensating optical fiber, which stretches the amplified and spectrally broadened laser pulses in time; and - an optical waveguide connected to the optical stretcher, the length of which is at least 2 meters, preferably 5 meters, and particularly preferably at least 10 meters, through which the stretched laser pulses generated at the output of the optical stretcher are transmitted to an end point of the optical waveguide, the laser pulses being compressed in time in the optical waveguide.

[0020] According to this aspect of the invention, the spectral bandwidth of the transmitted laser pulses is increased in a controlled manner by adding a highly nonlinear optical fiber between the amplifier and stretcher stages. The bandwidth (root-mean-square width) of the optical spectrum of the laser pulses is preferably increased by a factor of more than 1.2 in the highly nonlinear fiber.

[0021] In the case of comparatively low pulse energy (up to 2 nJ), for example, in cases where the laser pulses are split into multiple propagation paths after temporal stretching and before the end of the optical fiber, it may not be suitable to generate the required spectral bandwidth in the optical fiber by nonlinear spectral broadening as described above. Instead, the amplified laser pulses (generated, for example, by a parabolic amplifier) ​​are temporally stretched (for example, in a dispersion-compensating fiber). To control the spectral bandwidth, the lengths of an optional pre-compression fiber section (with anomalous dispersion) and the highly nonlinear fiber (with normal dispersion) can be adjusted to achieve the desired spectral bandwidth.

[0022] The optical fiber preferably comprises a section of single-mode optical fiber exhibiting anomalous dispersion (such as a conventional SMF-28 or PM1550 telecommunications fiber).

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the optical amplification and also the temporal stretching of the laser pulses can be provided by a single optical fiber. The optical amplifier and the optical stretcher can thus physically be the same optical fiber.

[0024] To achieve the desired properties of the laser pulses at the transmission point, the optical fiber can be composed of sections of different types of optical fibers. For example, the optical fiber can consist of sections with increasing nonlinearity or decreasing dispersion in the propagation direction to achieve a short pulse duration of less than 50 fs at the output of the delivery fiber.

[0025] For polarization-sensitive applications, the optical extender and the optical fiber can be polarization-maintaining.

[0026] The inventive pulse transmission concept is well suited for applications requiring non-linear frequency conversion. Thus, in a preferred embodiment of the system of the invention, the optical fiber can be terminated by a non-linear frequency-converting element, such as a non-linear crystal for doubling the frequency of laser pulses. In another preferred embodiment, the optical fiber can be terminated by a terahertz radiation-generating antenna for generating electromagnetic radiation in the terahertz range from the laser pulses delivered via the optical fiber.

[0027] The accompanying drawings disclose preferred embodiments of the invention. It should be noted, however, that the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and do not define the limits of the invention. In the drawings: Fig. schematically shows a laser system according to the invention; Fig. schematically shows another embodiment of the laser system according to the invention; Fig. the temporal pulse shape and the spectrum of the light pulses after stretching according to the invention; Fig. the temporal pulse shapes of light pulses transmitted conventionally and in comparison thereto according to the invention.

[0028] Fig. shows, in schematic form, a laser system according to the invention. The system consists of a laser seed source 11 that generates short laser pulses at 1550 nm. The laser source 11 can, for example, be a mode-locked fiber laser of the well-known, commercially available type. The output laser pulses from the laser source 11 are fed into an optical amplifier 12, which is a parabolic amplifier in the illustrated embodiment. The optical amplifier 12 generates chirped laser pulses at its output that have a uniform and essentially parabolic optical spectrum. These laser pulses are temporally stretched in a dispersion-compensating fiber section 13, in which the laser pulses assume a temporal shape similar to their spectral shape.

[0029] The diagram on the left in Fig. shows the temporal shape 31 of the laser pulses after stretching according to the invention. The duration of the stretched laser pulses is approximately 5 ps. The diagram on the right shows the corresponding uniform optical spectrum 32.

[0030] The strongly modulated broad spectrum of the laser pulses, which conventionally undergo solitonic compression during amplification, is converted into a correspondingly modulated temporal pulse shape 33 after stretching. The corresponding optical spectrum is indicated by reference numeral 34 in the right diagram in Fig. designated.

[0031] The system of the invention further comprises an optical waveguide, which in the illustrated embodiment is formed by a section of a large-mode-area fiber 14 and a section of a standard PM 1550 telecommunications fiber 15. Both the large-mode-area fiber 14 and the PM 1550 fiber 15 exhibit anomalous dispersion. The mode field diameter of the large-mode-area fiber 14 is approximately 20 µm. The stretched laser pulses are compressed in the large-mode-area fiber 14 and further compressed in the PM 1550 fiber 15. Furthermore, according to the invention, the laser pulses undergo spectral broadening in the PM 1550 fiber 15. The lengths of the dispersion-compensating fiber 13, the fiber 14, and the PM 1550 fiber 15 are matched to obtain an optimal pulse shape at the endpoint 16 of the optical waveguide. The length of the optical fiber can be 10 meters or more.The pulse duration of the laser pulses at endpoint 16 can be 100 fs or less.

[0032] The compression and self-phase modulation in the optical fiber is proportional to the temporal shape of the laser pulses. For the conventionally strongly modulated laser pulses (see reference numerals 33 and 34 in Fig. ) causes a complex phase profile that prevents efficient recompression. This results in a highly structured pulse shape at the end of the fiber optic cable, with a significant portion of the pulse energy contained in the satellite pulses. This is shown in the diagram of the Fig. The temporal pulse shape of the conventionally amplified, stretched, and delivered laser pulses at the end point of the optical fiber is designated by reference numeral 41. The conventional configuration provides a pulse duration of approximately 70 fs, with only approximately 40% of the pulse energy contained in the main peak.

[0033] The temporal shape of the laser pulses at the end point 16 of the optical waveguide according to the invention is denoted by reference numerals 42 and 43 in Fig. The setup of the invention provides a pulse duration of approximately 65 fs, with almost 90% of the pulse energy contained in the main peak. Pulse shape 43 corresponds to the setup with a section of fiber 14 contained in the optical fiber and the PM1550 fiber 15. It is possible to achieve even shorter pulse durations by adding a second nonlinear compression stage with higher nonlinearity or anomalous dispersion after the PM1550 fiber. A pulse duration of 38 fs was achieved when a fiber with an ~8 µm core diameter was added after the PM1550 fiber before point 16.

[0034] The Fig. The illustrated embodiment of the system according to the invention is designed for the transmission of laser pulses in a low power range. The spectral bandwidth of the delivered laser pulses is increased in a controlled manner by introducing a highly non-linear fiber section 21 between the optical amplifier 12 and the dispersion-compensating fiber 13. The width (root-mean-square width) of the optical spectrum increases in the non-linear fiber section 21 by a factor of more than 1.2.

[0035] The laser pulses are split into two paths of the optical fibers 23, 24 after the dispersion-compensating fiber by means of a power splitter 22. The energy of the laser pulses is thus reduced, so that it is not suitable for increasing the spectral bandwidth of the laser pulses at the end of the optical fiber as in the embodiment of the Fig. to generate.

[0036] The laser pulses generated by the parabolic amplifier 21 are fed into the dispersion-compensating fiber 13 for stretching, wherein the spectral bandwidth is controlled by adjusting the lengths of an optional pre-compression fiber (anomalous dispersion, not shown) and the highly non-linear fiber 21 (normal dispersion) to achieve the desired spectral bandwidth of the laser pulses at the endpoints 25, 26 of the optical fibers 23, 24.

Claims

[1] System for the transmission of laser pulses, consisting of: - a laser source (11) which generates laser pulses; - an optical amplifier (12) which amplifies the laser pulses; - an optical stretcher (13) connected to the output of the optical amplifier (12), which comprises a section of a dispersion-compensating optical waveguide and which stretches the amplified laser pulses in time, and - an optical waveguide (14, 15) adjoining the optical stretcher (13), the length of which is at least 2 meters, preferably 5 meters, and particularly preferably at least 10 meters, through which the stretched laser pulses generated at the output of the optical stretcher (13) are transmitted to an end point (16) of the optical waveguide (14, 15), wherein the laser pulses are compressed in time in the optical waveguide (14, 15) and wherein the laser pulses in the optical waveguide (14, 15) undergo a non-linear spectral broadening. [2] The system of claim 1, wherein the optical amplifier (12) is a parabolic amplifier. [3] A system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the optical fiber (14, 15) comprises a section of single-mode anomalous dispersion optical fiber. [4] A system according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the optical waveguide (14, 15) comprises a region of a large mode area fiber. [5] System according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the wavelength of the laser pulses is between 1500 nm and 1600 nm. [6] System according to one of claims 1-5, wherein the optical waveguide (14, 15) comprises sections of different types of optical fibers. [7] System according to claim 6, wherein the optical waveguide (14, 15) comprises sections of increasing non-linearity or decreasing dispersion in the transmission direction. [8] System according to one of claims 1-7, wherein the optical extender (13) and the optical waveguide (14, 15) are polarization maintaining. [9] System for the transmission of laser pulses, consisting of: - a laser source (11) for generating laser pulses; - an optical amplifier (12) which amplifies the laser pulses; - a section of a highly non-linear optical fiber (21) connected to the output of the optical amplifier (12) through which the amplified laser pulses are transmitted, the laser pulses undergoing spectral broadening in the section of the highly non-linear optical fiber (21); - an optical stretcher (13) adjoining the section of the highly non-linear fiber (21), which comprises a section of a dispersion-compensating optical waveguide and which temporally stretches the amplified and spectrally broadened laser pulses; and - an optical waveguide (23, 24) adjoining the optical stretcher (13), the length of which is at least 2 meters, preferably 5 meters, and particularly preferably at least 10 meters, through which the stretched laser pulses generated at the output of the optical stretcher (13) are transmitted to an end point (25, 26) of the optical waveguide (23, 24), the laser pulses being compressed in time in the optical waveguide (23, 24). [10] System according to one of claims 1-9, wherein the optical waveguide (23, 24) is terminated by a non-linear frequency converting element. [11] The system of claim 10, wherein the non-linear frequency converting element is a terahertz radiation generating antenna.

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