Frankfurt 2006 – scientific programme

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Q: Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 27: Erzeugung ultrakurzer Lichtimpulse

Q 27.9: Talk

Tuesday, March 14, 2006, 15:45–16:00, HIV

In situ measurement and active phase control of broadband pulses for multiphoton microscopy — •B. von Vacano, T. Buckup, and M. Motzkus — Physikalische Chemie, Philipps-Universität, 35032 Marburg

Nonlinear microscopy is most efficiently performed with ultrashort laser pulses. However, broadband pulses are often far from their Fourier limit and have a complex spectral phase due to the propagation through the optical system of a microscope. To obtain the highest peak intensities possible at the sample position and to use microscopic schemes relying on the deliberately shaped phase of femtosecond pulses, the phase has to be measured precisely in situ. This knowledge then can be used to compensate any unwanted contributions.

Here we demonstrate a novel simple scheme to characterize and control the electric field of broadband pulses in situ. A fs-pulse shaper is employed for a collinear interferometric phase measurement and for active compression by applying an inverted correction phase. This approach has successfully been applied to pulses with durations of less than 17 fs in microscopic environments.