BROADBAND MODULATION OF LIGHT BY COHERENT MOLECULAR OSCILLATIONS Chapter uri icon

abstract

  • The purpose of this chapter is to review the basics of the molecular modulation technique, with an emphasis on the characteristics that are relevant for optical pulse synthesis. It describes several experiments that have demonstrated the generation of a wide comb of Raman sidebands. Experimental evidence of their mutual coherence is provided. Coherent molecular modulation is one method that in the past has proven to produce collinear mutually coherent spectral sidebands that extend in frequency from the infrared to the far ultraviolet, giving promise for compression of optical subcycle pulses and for nonsinusoidal field synthesis. The basic fundamental theoretical concepts of the molecular modulation are reviewed and experimental demonstrations are described. In addition, it discusses recent developments that emerged from the need to improve the initial concept of molecular modulation: in particular, it emphasizes the benefits of applying more input fields that drive different Raman transitions in the same molecular medium and the use of hollow fibers filled with molecular gases for improving the efficiency of generation without the need of high-power input lasers. It reviews a technique for subfemtosecond pulse synthesis and subcycle pulse shaping. The essence of the technique is the preparation of a macroscopic medium in a coherent superposition state. It shows different ways of improving the efficiency of the generation process, from using multiple input fields to the molecular ensemble to the use of hollow core fibers filled with gases. 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

author list (cited authors)

  • Burzo, A. M., & Sokolov, A. V.

citation count

  • 1

complete list of authors

  • Burzo, AM||Sokolov, AV

Book Title

  • FRONTIERS OF MOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY

publication date

  • December 2009