Browsing by Subject "Laser pulses, Ultrashort."
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Item Open Access 33 Femtosecond Yb-doped optical frequency comb for frequency metrology applications(Bilkent University, 2013) Şenel, ÇağrıOptical frequency combs have enabled many applications (high precision spectroscopy, table-top optical frequency metrology, optical atomic clocks, etc.), received considerable attention and a Nobel Prize. In this thesis, the development of a stabilized Yb-doped femtosecond optical frequency comb is presented. As a starting point in the development of the frequency comb, a new type of fiber laser has been designed using numerical simulations and realized experimentally. The developed laser is able to produce pulses that can be compressed to 33 fs without higher-order dispersion compensation. After realization of the laser, a new type of fiber amplifier has been developed to be used for supercontinuum generation. The amplifier produces 6.8 nJ pulses that can be compressed to 36 fs without higher-order dispersion compensation. The dynamics of supercontinuum generation have been studied by developing a separate simulation program which solves the generalized nonlinear Schr¨odinger equation. Using the simulation results, appropriate photonic crystal fiber was chosen and octave-spanning supercontinuum was generated. Carrier-envelope-offset frequency of the laser has been obtained by building an f-2f interferometer. Repetition rate and carrier-envelope offset frequency of the laser have been locked to Cs atomic clock using electronic feedback circuits, resulting in a fully stabilized optical frequency comb. The noise performance and stability of the system have been characterized. Absolute frequency measurement of an Nd:YAG laser, which was stabilized using iodine gas, has been performed using the developed optical frequency comb.Item Open Access Biophotonic applications of ultrafast fiber lasers: from biomaterial surface modification to sub-cellular nanosurgery(Bilkent University, 2014) Erdoğan, MutluJust a year after the invention of the LASER in 1960, it was demonstrated that lasers could be used for the treatment of certain skin abnormalities. At present, lasers are extensively used in a broad range of medical treatments. After the development of femtosecond pulse lasers in the 1980s, even more exciting possibilities in a diverse range of fields have been realized. Accordingly, ultrashort pulse lasers are widely used in biological applications in recent years. In parallel to these, fiber laser systems have increasingly been utilized in a wide range of scientific and biomedical applications, since they are highly compatible systems for being employed for industrial and biomedical applications. Consequently, the aim of this Ph.D. thesis proposal is to develop compact, simpler to operate, and cost-efficient ultrafast fiber lasers with different repetition rates and pulse energies. By using such systems, we demonstrate the biophotonic applications of these lasers on two different biological research fields. As a part of this thesis study, we develop ultrafast fiber lasers and apply them in biomaterial surface modification. We demonstrate that different surfaces with micro- and nano-scale topographies can be generated at high speed, precision and repeatability. The outcomes of biomaterial surface modification with different laser parameters are compared in terms of topographical uniformity and repeatability. Additionally, a variety of topographical modifications are assessed with respect to the efficiency on cell attachment and proliferation on metal implants.As the second part of this thesis, we develop a custom-built ultrafast fiber laser-integrated microscope system for nanosurgery and tissue ablation experiments. Subsequently, we employ this system in order to make high-precision cuts onto different biological specimens ranging from the tissue level to subcellular level, such as a part of an axon or a single organelle. Finally, we improve this integrated system in a way that it becomes capable of generating optical pulses in any desired sequence possible. This is achieved by using acousto-optic modulators (AOM) and custom-developed field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA).Item Open Access Engineering the nonlinear dynamics of photonic systems : demonstration of the soliton-similariton fiber laser and nonlinear laser lithography(Bilkent University, 2013) Öktem, BülentNonlinear effects easily and unavoidably arise in ultrafast optics, often acting as sources of limitation to performance. However, many fascinating phenomena, from generation to utilization of ultrashort laser pulses rely on the very same nonlinear effects. Deep understanding of the governing dynamics, coupled with mechanisms through which they can be controlled or manipulated holds potential for observing new phenomena, as well as achieving new functionalities, which can be difficult or even impossible to achieve otherwise. This thesis presents a series of work, starting from a novel mode-locked oscillator for generating ultrashort pulses, followed by amplification of ultrashort pulses to microjoule-level energies, finally a novel nanostructuring mechanism relying on the nonlinear interaction of such pulses with the surface of a metal. The novel mode-locked laser developed in this thesis is one in which pulses propagate self-similarly in the presence of amplification, as similaritons, in one part of the cavity and as soliton-like pulses in the rest of the cavity. The coexistence of the seemingly incompatible similariton and soliton-like waves subject to the boundary conditions of a laser oscillator requires in the presence of a narrow bandpass filter and result in spectral breathing of the waves by unprecedented one order of magnitude, constituting the observation of the strongest nonlinear effects in any mode-locked laser to date. The laser reduces to the dispersion-managed laser in limit of large filter bandwidth and to the all-normal-dispersion laser in the limit of vanishing anomalous-dispersion fiber. Thus, all the four basic modelocking regimes are covered. As such, we believe the unraveling of this regime can be instrumental in deeper understanding of all the mode-locking regimes. Importantly, by showing that two attractor solutions can co-exist in a single laser cavity opens the door to new future designs. From an applications point of view, the laser is easy to mode-lock and exhibits excellent short-term and longterm stability, indicating high potential for high precision materials processing applications. We also illustrate, to our knowledge, the first high-energy, all-fiber implementation of the nonlinear chirp pulse amplification technique, which allows us to achieve in-fiber peak powers of 57 kW. We demonstrate a fiber amplifier with no free space beam pump or signal beam propagation, producing 70-ps chirped pulses with 3 μJ and 4 μJ pulse energies, which are compressible to 140 fs and 170 fs, respectively, via a grating compressor. The amplified output can be used directly, as a picosecond source, or compressed externally in a grating compressor. This approach results in a completely robust, misalignment-free system, with peak powers approaching 10 MW. This was, at the time of publication, the highest peak power obtained from an integrated fiber amplifier. Finally, we apply the laser systems we developed, together with the lessons learned from our implicit control of the nonlinear dynamics to demonstrate a method that utilizes positive nonlocal feedback to initiate, and negative local feedback to stabilize growth of self-organized metal oxide nanostructures, initiated and controlled by ultrafast pulses. We achieve unprecedented uniformity at high speed, low cost, and on non-flat or flexible surfaces. By exploiting the nonlocal nature of the feedback to stitch the nanostructures seamlessly, we are able to cover indefinitely large areas with sub-nm uniformity in periodicity. We demonstrate our approach through fabrication of TiO2 and tungsten oxide nanostructures, which can be extended in principle to a large variety of materials.Item Open Access Lasing action and supercontinuum generation in nano- and micro-structures(Bilkent University, 2009) Akbulut, DuyguSupercontinuum generation is the substantial broadening of electromagnetic radiation due to nonlinear interactions with the transporting medium. It nds application in a wide range of areas, including spectroscopy, frequency metrology, optical coherence tomography and telecommunications. Whispering gallery mode microresonators con ne light in a micron scale area via total internal re ection mechanism. Among these structures, microtoroid is especially interesting since it combines ultrahigh quality factor and chip integrability. Applications of such structures include nonlinear and quantum optics, biological and chemical sensing, telecommunications and quantum electrodynamics. In the rst part of the present work, continuum generation from a nanostructured chalcogenide glass (As2Se3) core, high temperature polymer (polyethersulfone, PES) cladding ber was experimentally investigated. Simulation results for nonlinear interactions inside a microtoroid are also provided. In the second part, polymer coated toroidal microresonators were employed for observation of laser action. Owing to high quantum e ciency of the polymer, the observed lasing threshold has a very low value of 200 pJ/pulse despite free space excitation.Item Open Access Ultrashort and short pulsed fiber laser development for transparent material processing, imaging and spectroscopy applications(Bilkent University, 2015) Yavaş, SeydiSince the invention of the laser in the 60s, the main advances in laser technology were done in two directions; shorter pulses and higher powers. In order to achieve this purpose, many laser types are developed and always replaced with simpler, smaller, cheaper alternatives that can deliver the same or better parameters. In the past 20 years, ber lasers have become an important alternative that can match and even enhance the performance of currently used lasers while reducing the complexity, costs and instability. Optical bers, which are the main components of ber lasers, were rst de- veloped just as a substitute for conventional cables since they offer much less attenuation in carrying signals over long ranges. So, most of the studies were focused on making the bers better for communication channels. After realizing that ber lasers offer better beam qualities, which is also a vital parameter for many laser applications, researches started nding ways to use bers for lasers and they achieved this in 80s by the rst ever utilization of low-attenuation ac- tive bers. After the invention of double-clad bers, utilization of diode lasers for pumping and development of efficient rare-earth doped bers, ber lasers became more than just a research topic in the laboratory and began to nd use in many applications. The utilization of ber lasers for short (nanoseconds) and ultrashort (picosec- onds, femtoseconds) pulse generation was a difficult task for researchers. The biggest challenge to overcome was nonlinear effects caused by the con nement of the beam into small volumes. By using smart designs like chirped pulse ampli - cation and highly doped lasers, pulse energies and peak powers close to solid-state ultrafast lasers can be achieved. These nonlinear effects were not just problems in the power scalability of ber lasers, on the other hand, they were an opportunity for new possible applications. For example, using these nonlinear effects inside bers, supercontinuum generation was demonstrated and found usage in many areas like spectroscopy, imaging and metrology. Today, more than 50 worldwide companies sell short-pulse ber lasers for ap- plications as diverse as ophthalmology, micromachining, medical imaging and precision metrology. Especially, ber-laser-based micromachining is routinely im- plemented in the fabrication processes for widely used consumer products. New applications of ber lasers are being continuously developed. Consequently, in this Ph.D. thesis study, new application areas of ber lasers are investigated. Ultrashort and short pulsed ber lasers are developed and uti- lized for biological and transparent material processing, spectroscopy and imag- ing. In the rst part of thesis study, we have demonstrated the use of a custom- built ber laser-based microscope system for nanosurgery and tissue ablation experiments. Through the use of custom FPGA electronics acting through ber- coupled AOMs, we are able to generate custom pulse sequence. Using this system, we have made photodisruption experiments in tissue level, cellular level and sub- cellular level. In the second part of this thesis study, in collaboration with Bogazici Univer- sity, we have developed a nanosecond ber laser system that is able to generate wavelength components of 600 nm to 1300 nm, developed speci cally for pho- toacoustic excitation. Using this system, we have made photoacoustic signal excitation in a ceramic sample and prepared the system for further experiments to generate photoacoustic images from biological specimens. In the third part of thesis study, in collaboration with ODTU, the development of a THz-TDS system driven by a novel Yb-doped ber laser whose repetition rate can be tuned, speci cally for fast scan THz measurements, is realized. Char- acterization of the built laser system is done considering the necessities for the OSCAT technique as an alternative method for fast scan THz measurements. Stability of the oscillator is examined in terms of power, spectrum and pulse duration with the changing repetition rate of the laser. Using this system THz waveforms are generated at different wavelengths and the system is prepared for further research in spectroscopy. In the last part of the thesis study, a high-pulse energy femtosecond laser system is developed and utilized for transparent material processing. The laser output is coupled to a fast galvo-scanner system, and a synchronized translation stage such that very wide areas (10 cm x 10 cm) are able to be processed with very high speed (2 m/s). Using this system, glass samples are cut, engraved and photodarkened.