RP Photonics logo
VL logo part of the
Virtual
Library

Encyclopedia of Laser Physics and Technology

Pulse Compression

previous  |  next  |  feedback
Ask RP Photonics for advice concerning any method of pulse compression, or the selection of the most suitable method in a particular situation. RP Photonics has the powerful RP ProPulse modeling software for simulating various kinds of pulse compression.

Definition: linear or nonlinear techniques for reducing the durations of optical pulses

There is variety of methods for temporally compressing (shortening) optical pulses, i.e., to reduce the pulse duration, typically starting in the picosecond or femtosecond region, i.e., already in the regime of ultrashort pulses. These methods can be grouped into two categories:

Methods for Nonlinear Pulse Compression

Nonlinear pulse compression can be done with quite different configurations of optical elements, and with methods which are based on different physical principles. Some examples are:

Which one of these methods is most suitable depends on a number of circumstances, including the initial and required pulse duration, the pulse energy, the demands on pulse quality, etc.

Pulse compression setups can be analyzed and optimized using pulse propagation modeling.

Bibliography

[1]C. V. Shank et al., "Compression of femtosecond optical pulses", Appl. Phys. Lett. 40, 761 (1982)
[2]W. J. Tomlinson, R. H. Stolen, and C. V. Shank, "Compression of optical pulses chirped by self-phase modulation in fibers", J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 1 (2), 139 (1984)
[3]R. L. Fork et al., "Compression of optical pulses to six femtoseconds by using cubic phase compensation", Opt. Lett. 12 (7), 483 (1987)
[4]A. Stabinis et al., "Effective sum frequency pulse compression in nonlinear crsytals", Opt. Commun. 86, 301 (1991)
[5]S. V. Chernikov et al., "Soliton pulse compression in dispersion-decreasing fiber", Opt. Lett. 18 (7), 476 (1993)
[6]S. V. Chernikov et al., "Comblike dispersion-profiled fiber for soliton pulse train generation", Opt. Lett. 19 (8), 539 (1994)
[7]A. Baltuška et al., "Optical pulse compression to 5 fs at a 1-MHz repetition rate", Opt. Lett. 22 (2), 102 (1997)
[8]M. D. Pelusi et al., "Higher order soliton pulse compression in dispersion-decreasing optical fibers", IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 33 (8), 1430 (1997)
[9]M. Nisoli et al., "Compression of high-energy laser pulses below 5 fs", Opt. Lett. 22 (8), 522 (1997)
[10]Y. Matsui et al., "Generation of 20-fs optical pulses from a gain-switched laser diode by a four-stage soliton compression technique", IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 11 (10), 1217 (1999)
[11]J. Biegert and J.-C. Diels, "Compression of pulses of a few optical cycles through harmonic generation", J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 18 (8), 1218 (2001)
[12]C.-M. Chen and P. L. Kelley, "Nonlinear pulse compression in optical fibers: scaling laws and numerical analysis", J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 19 (9), 1961 (2002)
[13]B. Schenkel et al., "Generation of 3.8-fs pulses from adaptive compression of a cascaded hollow fiber supercontinuum", Opt. Lett. 28 (20), 1987 (2003)
[14]A. Couairon et al., "Pulse self-compression to single-cycle limit by filamentation in a gas with a pressure gradient", Opt. Lett. 30 (19), 2657 (2005)
[15]B. Schenkel, R. Paschotta, and U. Keller, "Pulse compression with supercontinuum generation in microstructure fibers", J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 22 (3), 687 (2005)
[16]G. Steinmeyer and G. Stibenz, "Generation of sub-4-fs pulses via compression of a white-light continuum using only chirped mirrors", Appl. Phys. B 82, 175 (2006)
[17]J. Moses and F. K. Wise, "Soliton compression in quadratic media: high-energy few-cycle pulses with a frequency-doubling crystal", Opt. Lett. 31 (12), 1881 (2006)
[18]C. P. Hauri et al., "Intense self-compressed, self-phase-stabilized few-cycle pulses at 2 μm from an optical filament", Opt. Lett. 32 (7), 868 (2007)
[19]R. E. Kennedy et al., "High-peak-power femtosecond pulse compression with polarization-maintaining ytterbium-doped fiber amplification", Opt. Lett. 32 (10), 1199 (2007)

See also: pulses, spectral phase, pulse propagation modeling, pulse duration, dispersion compensation, nonlinearities, self-phase modulation, adiabatic soliton compression

Categories: methods, pulses


Dr. R. Paschotta

This encyclopedia is authored by Dr. Rüdiger Paschotta, the founder and executive of RP Photonics Consulting GmbH. Contact this distinguished expert in laser technology, nonlinear optics and fiber optics, and find out how his technical consulting services (e.g. product designs, problem solving, independent evaluations, or staff training) could become very valuable for your business!

arrow
Home New articles Spotlight Feedback Advertising
Categories Search Quiz Links Pagehits
P

This encyclopedia is provided by
RP Photonics Consulting GmbH.

Utilize the expertise of the author, Dr. Rüdiger Paschotta, also in the form of technical consulting services!

TRUMPF logo

TRUMPF-Laser

a leading supplier of industrial diode pumped solid state lasers,
CO2 lasers, and laser systems for material processing.

A.L.S. logo

A.L.S. GmbH

Picosecond laser diodes
<30 ps, 375 - 1600 nm, >1 Wp, single shot - 120 MHz

RP Q-switch

A powerful software tool for designing
Q-switched lasers. See the details.

Onefive logo

Onefive

Low-noise
femtosecond,
picosecond,
and tunable single-frequency lasers for OEM and R&D applications.

RP Fiber Power

This software helps to design and analyze fiber amplifiers and lasers.

Field Guide to Lasers

This new book by Dr. Paschotta explains principles and types of lasers.

Your Advertisement at This Place

will be seen by many thousands of visitors per month. These banners receive far over 100'000 page hits per month. Check the details.