Ultrafast Laser Physics

Definition: the area of laser physics dealing with ultrashort processes

Ultrafast laser physics is the area of laser physics which is dealing with “ultrafast” processes in lasers, i.e. processes occurring on a time scale of picoseconds, femtoseconds, or faster. Of particular importance are processes concerning the generation of ultrashort pulses of light. Examples of such phenomena are:

• ultrafast nonlinearities in the context of light propagation, such as the Kerr effect, Raman scattering and four-wave mixing
• ultrafast excitation, saturation and relaxation phenomena in semiconductors, such as semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors or laser diodes
• fast processes in laser gain media, e.g. thermalization of the Stark levels within a Stark level manifold of a rare-earth-doped laser crystal
• effects of such phenomena on the pulse formation in lasers (→ mode locking)

It can also be of interest how other phenomena, e.g. chromatic dispersion, influence ultrafast processes.

There is a wider area called ultrafast optics which also covers phenomena outside lasers.

See also: ultrafast optics, mode locking, laser physics, pulse propagation modeling, ultrafast lasers, ultrafast amplifiers

Categories: lasers, pulses