Method and Arrangement for Generating a Supercontinuum by a Ghost Pulse

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This patent describes a method and arrangement for generating a supercontinuum (an extremely broad spectrum of light) by introducing a specially-shaped 'ghost pulse' into a longer carrier laser pulse within a non-linear material. The ghost pulse, formed by the interaction of a short and a long laser pulse, creates a fast, coherent intensity dip within the carrier pulse, which in turn enables the efficient creation of a broad, negatively chirped supercontinuum around the carrier pulse’s frequency. This results in new ways to generate ultra-broadband light sources across a wider range of wavelengths with improved temporal properties.

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• Ultra-fast spectroscopy and pump-probe experiments requiring wide spectral coverage.
• Generation of ultrashort pulses for Optical Parametric Amplifiers (OPAs) and Noncollinear Optical Parametric Amplifiers (NOPAs), especially for wavelengths where femtosecond lasers are not available.
• Advanced medical imaging systems requiring broadband supercontinuum sources.
• Precision metrology and frequency comb generation spanning UV, visible, and IR regions.
• Development of tunable white-light lasers for industrial and research applications.
• Improved optical communications and encoding techniques using multi-wavelength coherent sources.
• Generation of mid-infrared and ultraviolet supercontinuum sources for chemical sensing or environmental monitoring.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Allows supercontinuum generation at arbitrary wavelengths selected by the carrier pulse, overcoming limitations of conventional femtosecond laser sources.
• Enables generation of negatively chirped supercontinua, which can be compressed to very short pulses using common optical materials – often without complex pulse compressors.
• Supports the creation of ultra-broadband light sources with greater spectral width and more flexible spectral positioning.
• Reduces detrimental effects like self-focusing, multi-photon absorption, and plasma generation compared to conventional techniques.
• The method can be implemented in various non-linear materials, including solids, liquids, and gases, increasing versatility.
• Improves efficiency and output pulse duration in OPA/NOPA setups, enabling shorter, high-energy pulses.
• Ghost pulses can be tailored (multiple, different spectral/temporal features) for advanced encoding, multiplexing, or coherent information transfer.

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method for generating a supercontinuum, the method comprising the following steps: a) radiating a carrier laser pulse (1) having a first temporal width (ΔT1) onto a first non-linear material (2); b) at the same time, radiating a second shorter laser pulse (3) having a second temporal width (ΔT2) onto the first non-linear material (2), thereby changing the non-linear properties of the first non-linear material and imprinting a ghost pulse (5) having a third temporal width (ΔT3) into the carrier pulse (1); the second temporal width (ΔT2) being at least two times shorter than the first temporal width (ΔT1), and c) radiating the carrier pulse (1') with imprinted ghost pulse (5) onto the first non-linear material (2) or a second non-linear material (8) and generating a supercontinuum (9) around the center frequency of the carrier pulse (1).