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1: Introduction

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    44637

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    • 1.1: Course Mission
      This page covers ultrashort optical pulses spanning nanoseconds to attoseconds, detailing their generation, propagation, and the associated linear and nonlinear effects. It discusses their applications in high precision measurements, nonlinear optics, optical signal processing, communications, and x-ray generation, highlighting their critical role in technological advancement and scientific inquiry.
    • 1.2: Pulse Characteristics
      This page covers pulse trains in optics, detailing pulse repetition time, energy, average and peak power, and electric fields in short optical pulses. Key definitions include Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) for pulse duration and the connection between average power and pulse parameters. It highlights advancements in ultrashort pulse generation for high-speed applications, offers comparative time scales, and describes typical laboratory conditions for pulse energy, width, and peak power.
    • 1.3: Applications
      This page emphasizes the significance of high time and spatial resolution in scientific fields, detailing ultrafast spectroscopy and femto-chemistry for studying rapid processes. It explores high spatial resolution in optical coherence tomography, imaging through scattering media, and advancements in X-ray imaging.
    • 1.4: Review of laser Essentials
      This page explores linear and ring cavity lasers, detailing their configurations and operating principles. It explains how steady-state operation relies on complex refractive index effects for the electric field's periodicity and discusses resonance frequencies and mode spacing. The distinctions between single frequency and multimode operations are outlined, along with techniques for generating short pulses using multiple longitudinal modes.
    • 1.5: History
      This page covers the evolution of laser technology from 1960 to 2001, detailing important milestones such as the invention of the ruby laser and advancements in techniques like Q-switching and mode-locking. It highlights significant developments, including dye and solid-state lasers, and showcases improvements in pulse width and speed, culminating in milestones like sub-femtosecond pulse generation.
    • 1.6: Laser Materials
      This page covers different laser materials, detailing their absorption and emission characteristics, including wavelengths and pulse widths. It compares transition metals, which have broad emission from outer 3d electrons, to rare earth materials with narrow band emission from shielded 4f electrons. Specific examples like Nd:YAG and Nd:YLF illustrate their performance metrics, showcasing the variety within laser technologies.
    • 1.7: Bibliography
      This page covers advancements in laser technology, particularly ultrafast lasers in the subpicosecond and femtosecond ranges. It highlights critical research papers on laser pulse generation, mode locking techniques, and chirped pulse amplification, underscoring their significance in quantum electronics and various scientific applications.

    This page titled 1: Introduction is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Franz X. Kaertner (MIT OpenCourseWare) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.