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We experimentally analyze the complete photon number statistics of parametric down-conversion and ascertain the influence of multimode effects. Our results clearly reveal a difference between single-mode theoretical description and the measured distributions. Further investigations assure the applicability of loss-tolerant photon number reconstruction and prove strict photon number correlation between signal and idler modes.

We have investigated the intensity dependence of high-order harmonic generation in argon when the two shortest quantum paths contribute to the harmonic emission. For the first time to our knowledge, experimental conditions were found to clearly observe interference between these two quantum paths that are in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions. This result is a first step towards the direct experimental characterization of the full single-atom dipole moment and demonstrates an unprecedented accuracy of quantum path control on an attosecond time scale.

A new spectral shearing interferometry technique for ultrashort pulse characterization is demonstrated. The method makes use of a spectral shear that varies across the test pulse beam profile to generate a two-dimensional interferogram that allows simultaneous reference phase measurement and pulse-field reconstruction from a single data set. The method uses a new configuration for upconversion of a single (non-spatially chirped) test pulse with two spatially chirped ancillary pulses in a medium with a highly asymmetric phase matching function. This technique is particularly suited for spectral regions where second harmonic is much easier detectable that the fundamental wavelength, such as telecom band around 1.5 μm, since all the data are available from the measurement at the upconverted wavelength. The high degree of redundancy in the two-dimensional interferogram provides a built-in check of the consistency of the reconstruction.

We study theoretically the generation of photon pairs by spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in photonic crystal optical fiber. We show that it is possible to engineer two-photon states with specific spectral correlation ("entanglement") properties suitable for quantum information processing applications. We focus on the case exhibiting no spectral correlations in the two-photon component of the state, which we call factorability, and which allows heralding of single-photon pure-state wave packets without the need for spectral post filtering. We show that spontaneous four wave mixing exhibits a remarkable flexibility, permitting a wider class of two-photon states, including ultra-broadband, highly-anticorrelated states.

We propose a simple approach for suppressing decoherence of a wave packet excited in an anharmonic oscillator. We show that when a resonant external field forces the oscillator to follow the driving force, motion around the resonant trajectory inside a stable resonant island can be made almost completely immune to the environment. As an example, we study suppression of decoherence due to coupling to thermally populated rotations in vibrational wave packets in a Na2 molecule.

We present an experimental method to measure the transverse spatial quantum state of an optical field in coordinate space at the single-photon level. The continuous-variable measurements are made with a photon-counting, parity-inverting Sagnac interferometer based on all-reflecting optics. The technique provides a large numerical aperture without distorting the shape of the wavefront, does not introduce astigmatism, and allows for characterization of fully or partially coherent optical fields at the single-photon level. Measurements of the transverse spatial Wigner functions for highly attenuated coherent beams are presented and compared with theoretical predictions.

A noncollinear optical parametric amplifier in which blue pump pulse generation as well as parametric amplification takes place in the same nonlinear crystal is presented. Broadband spectra tunable throughout over 100 nm in the visible were generated in a simple setup. The green output pulses were compressed to 65 fs, and efficiency (IR-to-visible) of 1.8% was achieved.

We report the complete spatiotemporal characterization of ultrashort light pulses by use of a self-referencing device based on shearing interferometry in the space and frequency domains. The apparatus combines a spatially resolved spectral shearing interferometer with a spectrally resolved spatial shearing interferometer. The electric field as a function of one transverse spatial coordinate and time is obtained from a single experimental trace by means of a direct and fast algebraic phase reconstruction algorithm. The method has been tested in several common laboratory situations.

We have measured the joint Q-function of a highly multimode field using unbalanced heterodyne detection with a charge-coupled device array detector. We use spectral interferometry between a weak signal field and a strong, 100 fs duration local oscillator pulse to reconstruct the joint quadrature amplitude statistics of about 25 temporal modes. By adjusting the time delay between the signal and local oscillator pulses we are able to shift all the classical noise to modes distinct from the signal. This obviates the need to use a balanced detector.

We study and demonstrate a version of spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER) that uses self-referencing homodyne detection. This technique has a higher sensitivity than conventional SPIDER, is self-calibrating, and can be adjusted for a wider range of pulse parameters.

We report the observation of correlated photon pairs generated by spontaneous parametric downconversion of a 400-nm pump pulse in a quasi-phase-matched KTiOPO(4) nonlinear waveguide. The highest ratio of coincidence to single-photon count rates observed near 800 nm exceeds 18%. This suggests that nonlinear waveguides will be a promising source of correlated photons for metrology and quantum information processing applications. We also discuss possibilities of controlling the spatial characteristics of the downconverted photons produced in multimode waveguide structures.

Ultrabroadband pulses exhibit a frequency-dependent mode size owing to the wavelength dependence of free-space diffraction. Additionally, rather complex lateral dependence of the temporal pulse shape has been reported for Kerr-lens mode-locked lasers and broadband amplifier chains and in frequency-domain pulse shapers, for example. We demonstrate an ultrashort-pulse characterization technique that reveals lateral pulse-shape variations by spatially resolved amplitude and phase measurements by use of spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER). Unlike with autocorrelation techniques, with SPIDER we can obtain spatially resolved pulse characterization even after the nonlinear process. Thus, with this method the spectral phase of the pulse can be resolved very rapidly along one lateral beam axis in a single measurement.

We present the results of a direct measurement of the temporal response of a terahertz (THz) photoconductive receiver obtained by dithered-edge sampling. The receiver response has structure that accounts for the negative-going leading edge of the pulse shape that is often seen in measurements made with these receivers in a conventional sampling arrangement. We show that the THz pulse shape measured by conventional photoconductive sampling is indeed a cross correlation of the pulse with the measured receiver's response.

We demonstrate spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER) as a novel method to characterize sub-6-fs pulses with nanojoule pulse energy. SPIDER reconstructs pulse phase and amplitude from a measurement of only two optical spectra by use of a fast noniterative algorithm. SPIDER is well suited to the measurement of ultrabroadband pulses because it is quite insensitive to crystal phase-matching bandwidth and to unknown detector spectral responsivity. Moreover, it combines highly accurate pulse-shape measurement with the potential for online laser system diagnostics at video refresh rates.

We present an implementation of spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER) which characterizes ultrashort optical pulses in the spectral or temporal domain at a rate of 20 Hz. This apparatus was used in real-time as a diagnostic tool to optimize our 1 kHz regeneratively amplified laser system for the shortest duration pulses.

We present a novel, self-referencing interferometric technique for measuring the amplitude and the phase of ultrashort optical pulses. The apparatus uses a collinear geometry that requires no moving components. The phase-retrieval procedure is noniterative and rapid and uses only two one-dimensional Fourier transforms. We apply the technique to characterize ultrashort pulses from a mode-locked Ti:sapphire oscillator.

The space-shift-variant two-point correlation function of a transversely spatially localized optical field of arbitrary coherence at a remote plane is measured with a novel interferometric technique. The method permits reconstruction of the correlation function by a simple resorting of the measured data. In the case of a coherent field the experimentally measured correlation function is shown to factorize, as expected, and the field amplitude and phase are also reconstructed.

An electro-optic phase modulator in a regenerative mode-locker configuration is demonstrated as the starting mechanism for a Kerr-lens mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser. Mode locking is initiated automatically, and the system is capable of pulses as short as 21 fs.

We formulate the first-order properties of a general two-beam interferometer. We show that it may be completely described by the light source position and the location, orientation, and size of the two images of this light source as seen from the observation plane, plus the image-plane position and the location, orientation, and size of the two images of this observation screen as seen from the light source position, plus the optical path difference between the two possible optical paths. The parameters are quite similar to those previously defined by Steel [W. H. Steel, Interferometry, 2nd ed. (Cambridge U. Press, New York, 1983)].

We demonstrate reliable operation of a stable synchronously pumped dye amplifier for femtosecond pulses from a passively mode-locked dye laser. Conversion efficiencies of 8% are obtained with output powers of 40 mW and 50-fs pulse widths at repetition rates of up to 10 kHz with pulse energy stability of 3% rms. Synchronization is achieved by driving the frequency-modulated mode-locked seed oscillator for the regenerative amplifier pump laser directly from the dye laser oscillator. Low timing jitter between the dye oscillator and seed laser of less than 1 ps leads to efficient amplification and low amplified spontaneous emission (1%) from the amplifier.

We investigate the absorption distribution in a cylindrical gain medium that is pumped by a source of distributed laser diodes by means of a pump cavity developed from the edge-ray principle of nonimaging optics. The performance of this pumping arrangement is studied by using a nonsequential, numerical, three-dimensional ray-tracing scheme. A figure of merit is defined for the pump cavities that takes into account the coupling efficiency and uniformity of the absorption distribution. It is found that the nonimaging pump cavity maintains a high coupling efficiency with extended two-dimensional diode arrays and obtains a fairly uniform absorption distribution. The nonimaging cavity is compared with two other designs: a close-coupled side-pumped cavity and an imaging design in the form of a elliptical cavity. The nonimaging cavity has a better figure of merit per diode than these two designs. It also permits the use of an extended, sparse, two-dimensional diode array, which reduces thermal loading of the source and eliminates all cavity optics other than the main reflector.

The probability density of the single-shot mean Stokes frequency from a linear Raman generator is calculated. It is shown that the fluctuations in the Stokes pulse energy spectrum that arise from the quantum initiation of the Stokes light are reduced in the transient regime of amplification. Also, it appears that saturation of the Raman gain does not reduce the phase fluctuations of the Stokes light below those present in the unsaturated gain (linear) regime.

A continuously pumped Nd:YLF regenerative amplifier has been developed that can amplify 40-psec pulses at a repetition rate of greater than 10 kHz, with an average power in excess of 5 W. Pulse energies are as high as 2.0 mJ at 3 kHz and 640 microJ at 10.5 kHz. The limitation on the amplifier repetition rate that is associated with piezoelectric ringing in LiNbO(3) electro-optics has been overcome by using short-pulsed electric fields (10 nsec) and proper acoustic damping. Regenerative pulse amplification, limited in repetition only by the pump rate of the gain medium, has been achieved. The high repetition rate in regenerative pulse amplification made possible by this development should prove important for signal-processing considerations in a wide variety of pulse-amplification applications.

We have developed a technique to measure the group-delay time of optical components with a temporal resolution of +/-0.1 fsec and a spectral resolution of 0.1 nm over the spectral region 600-640 nm. The group delay is determined from a measurement of the optical path length through the component as a function of wavelength with a phase-locked interferometer.