Crystal Shapes Optical Pulses

Reporting in the Oct. 7 issue of Optics Express, a research team at Montana State University in Bozeman describes how it has shaped laser pulses using optical coherent transient processes in a Tm:YAG crystal. The technique has potential to enable pulse shaping at megahertz to terahertz rates using low-bandwidth electronics and modulators.

The 785-nm output of a diode laser was split, passed through acousto-optic modulators to create the desired linear frequency chirps, and recombined to construct a frequency-dependent grating in the 4.5-K crystal. The use of electro-optically tuned, chirped laser sources would extend it into the multigigahertz regime.