Open AccessCarving out configurable ultrafast pulses from a continuous wave source via the optical Kerr effect
Author(s) -
Kate L. Fenwick,
Duncan England,
Philip J. Bustard,
James M. Fraser,
Benjamin J. Sussman
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.399878
Subject(s) - ultrashort pulse , optics , bandwidth limited pulse , pulse duration , materials science , femtosecond pulse shaping , picosecond , pulse (music) , laser , mode locking , fiber laser , physics , detector
Wavelength-tunable, time-locked pairs of ultrafast pulses are crucial in modern-day time-resolved measurements. We demonstrate a simple means of generating configurable optical pulse sequences: sub-picosecond pulses are carved out from a continuous wave laser via pump-induced optical Kerr switching in 10 cm of a commercial single-mode fiber. By introducing dispersion to the pump, the near transform-limited switched pulse duration is tuned between 305-570 fs. Two- and four-pulse signal trains are also generated by adding birefringent α-BBO plates in the pump beam. These results highlight an ultrafast light source with intrinsic timing stability and pulse-to-pulse phase coherence, where pulse generation could be adapted to wavelengths ranging from ultraviolet to infrared.