Open AccessSynthesizing broadband propagation-invariant space-time wave packets using transmissive phase plates
Author(s) -
H. Esat Kondakci,
Murat Yessenov,
Monjurul Meem,
Danielle Reyes,
Daniel Thul,
Shermineh Rostami Fairchild,
Martin Richardson,
Rajesh Me,
Ayman F. Abouraddy
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.26.013628
Subject(s) - optics , spatial light modulator , femtosecond , wave packet , laser , phase modulation , diffraction , spatial frequency , physics , materials science , phase noise , quantum mechanics
Space-time wave packets are a class of pulsed optical beams that are diffraction-free and dispersion-free in free space by virtue of introducing a tight correlation between the spatial and temporal degrees of freedom of the field. Such wave packets have been recently synthesized in a novel configuration that makes use of a spatial light modulator to realize the required spatio-temporal correlations. This arrangement combines pulse-modulation and beam-shaping to assign one spatial frequency to each wavelength according to a prescribed correlation function. Relying on a spatial light modulator results in several limitations by virtue of their pixelation, small area, and low energy-handling capability. Here we demonstrate the synthesis of space-time wave packets with one spatial dimension kept uniform - that is, light sheets - using transparent transmissive phase plates produced by a gray-scale lithography process. We confirm the diffraction-free behavior of wave packets having a bandwidth of 0.25 nm (filtered from a typical femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser) and 30 nm (a multi-terawatt femtosecond laser). This work paves the way for developing versatile high-energy light bullets for applications in nonlinear optics and laser machining.