Intensity control of few-cycle laser pulses
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Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Controlling the intensity of few-cycle laser pulses—often with fine and continuous tunability—is essential for
applications ranging from strong-field physics and attosecond science to ultrafast spectroscopy, nonlinear optics, and precision material processing. Yet this remains challenging due to their octave-spanning bandwidth and high sensitivity to dispersion. Conventional polarization-based methods typically rely on ultrabroadband optics, which are complex and costly. We demonstrate a robust and broadly applicable approach that enables precise intensity control while avoiding these demanding optical requirements. Applied to an ∼800 nm laser, the method allows pulse energy tuning over a factor of ∼25 while maintaining a sub-6 fs pulse duration after post compression in an argon-filled hollow fiber and chirped mirror system. Validation through high-harmonic generation in krypton reveals clear intensity-dependent harmonic yields across 30−190 TW/cm². This work provides a practical and effective route to stable, tunable few-cycle pulses for both experimental and applied settings.
applications ranging from strong-field physics and attosecond science to ultrafast spectroscopy, nonlinear optics, and precision material processing. Yet this remains challenging due to their octave-spanning bandwidth and high sensitivity to dispersion. Conventional polarization-based methods typically rely on ultrabroadband optics, which are complex and costly. We demonstrate a robust and broadly applicable approach that enables precise intensity control while avoiding these demanding optical requirements. Applied to an ∼800 nm laser, the method allows pulse energy tuning over a factor of ∼25 while maintaining a sub-6 fs pulse duration after post compression in an argon-filled hollow fiber and chirped mirror system. Validation through high-harmonic generation in krypton reveals clear intensity-dependent harmonic yields across 30−190 TW/cm². This work provides a practical and effective route to stable, tunable few-cycle pulses for both experimental and applied settings.
Date Issued
2025-08-20
Date Acceptance
2025-07-23
Citation
Applied Optics, 2025, 64 (24), pp.7060-7064
ISSN
1559-128X
Publisher
Optical Society of America
Start Page
7060
End Page
7064
Journal / Book Title
Applied Optics
Volume
64
Issue
24
Copyright Statement
© 2025 Optica Publishing Group Published by Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/40981880
PII: 575636
Subjects
ATTOSECOND
GENERATION
Optics
Physical Sciences
Science & Technology
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Date Publish Online
2025-08-14