SC163 Practical OPOs

Tuesday, May 18, 2010
8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Majid Ebrahim-Zadeh; ICFO, The Inst. of Photonic Sciences, Spain
Level: Beginner (no background or minimal training is necessary to understand course material)


Course Description

This course aims to provide a comprehensive overview of OPO devices from basic operation principles to advanced systems. The course will begin with a discussion of the fundamental concepts and the critical design issues, leading to a review of the current status of OPO technology. The discussion will encompass devices operating in all time-scales from the CW to the ultrafast femtosecond regime. Topics to be included are the generation of THz radiation through parametric processes, fiber OPOs and fiber-laser-pumped OPOs. Specifically, the course participants will learn about the basic principles of parametric generation and amplification; OPO design issues, including material and pump laser selection criteria; birefringent and quasi-phase-matched materials and devices; OPO threshold conditions, resonator design, focusing and tuning behavior; CW OPOs, including singly- and multi-resonant oscillators; externally and internally pumped devices; stability requirements; amplitude and frequency control; pulsed OPOs, including compact all-solid-state oscillators, high- and low-energy devices, linewidth control, and material damage issues; picosecond OPOs, including high-repetition-rate CW and pulsed mode-locked OPOs; all-solid-state, Nd-based and Ti:sapphire-pumped systems; visible to mid-infrared pulse generation; quasi-phase-matched devices; femtosecond OPOs, including Ti:sapphire-pumped oscillators, noncritical, noncollinear and compact semi-monolithic devices, quasi-phase-matched and mid-infrared OPOs, spectral and temporal control; commercial developments in OPO devices from the CW to femtosecond operating regime; and the generation of THz radiation through parametric processes.


Benefits and Learning Objectives

This course should enable you to:

  • Understand the basic principles of optical parametric generation and amplification of light.
  • Learn the operating principles of optical parametric devices, in particular optical parametric oscillators (OPOs).
  • Gain a detailed understanding of nonlinear gain, phase-matching, threshold conditions, resonator design, tuning, spectral and temporal behavior.
  • Identify the critical issues, particularly material and laser pump source selection, in the design of optical parametric devices.
  • Acquire the practical skills and apply the necessary procedures in the construction of OPO devices.
  • Learn the necessary techniques for spatial, spectral, and temporal control of OPO devices.
  • Gain a perspective of current technology of OPO devices and the important recent developments in the field.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for researchers with little or no background in OPOs as well as for those familiar with the subject area who wish to enhance their understanding and update their knowledge of the emerging developments in the field. The course will benefit researchers in both industry and academia.


Biography

Majid Ebrahim-Zadeh is a professor at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) in Barcelona, Spain. He has published over 300 technical papers, including 55 invited papers and tutorials, has co-edited 2 books, and has authored 11 major invited book chapters and reviews. He has been an instructor of the short course on OPOs at CLEO/USA since 1997 and has presented short courses at various international conferences in Europe and Asia. He has served on the program committees of several international conferences, as guest editor of Journal of the Optical Society of America B, and advisory editor and topical editor of Optics Letters.