SC352 NEW! Ultrafast Laser Pulse Shaping

Sunday, May 16, 2010
2:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Marcos Dantus; Michigan State Univ., USA
Level: Beginner (no background or minimal training is necessary to understand course material)


Course Description

Pulse shapers are being used for a number of applications among them (a) pulse compression, (b) pulse characterization, (c) creation of two or more pulse replicas, and (d) control of nonlinear optical processes such as selective two-photon excitation and selective vibrational mode excitation. This course will introduce the most common pulse shaper designs and discuss their operational differences. A brief theoretical description will be presented for those wanting to simulate different pulse shaping scenarios; however, most of the course will be based on experimental implementation and results. The course will make emphasis on applications of pulse shapers that greatly enhance the capabilities of femtosecond laser sources.


Benefits and Learning Objectives

This course should enable you to:

  • Design and build a pulse shaper based on a particular set of goals.
  • Compare among different pulse shaper designs and to determine which one is best suited for a particular application.
  • Simulate the output pulse from a pulse shaper given a particular phase and amplitude modulation.
  • Define key concepts in pulse shaper design such as optical resolution and focal length.
  • Describe the effect caused by introducing a simple phase such as a linear, quadratic or cubic function on a transform-limited pulse.
  • Explain two different approaches to creating pulse replica that can be independently controlled in the time domain using the pulse shaper.
  • Measure the spectral phase of laser pulses using the pulse shaper itself as the measurement tool, and eliminating phase distortions to compress the output pulses.
  • Summarize the advantages of having an adaptive pulse shaper for controlling the output of ultrafast lasers.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for any individual interested in learning how pulse shapers can greatly enhance the performance and utility of ultrafast (femtosecond) laser sources. No prior knowledge about pulse shaping is required.

Biography

Marcos Dantus is a University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Physics at Michigan State University, Dantus’ interests include ultrafast laser pulse theory, development and control, control of nonlinear laser-matter interactions, and biomedical imaging. Dantus has authored more than 150 publications, 43 invention disclosures and 13 patents. He is presently the President and CEO of BioPhotonic Solutions Inc., the President of the OSA Ann Arbor, Michigan, chapter and serves on the board of advisors for Chemical Physics Letters. Dantus was instrumental in the development of femtochemistry and the development of ultrafast electron diffraction, both as a PhD student and post doc under Professor Zewail (Caltech, 1999 Nobel Prize).