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We report on a novel and general measurement technique to characterize the finesse of optical resonators. The method retrieves the cavity transmission profile coefficient by using an amplitude modulation of the probe beam and a synchronous detection scheme. Both the real and imaginary parts of the transmission profile can be accurately measured. Validation of the method is performed using two different cavity configurations, a linear and a ring resonator, probed by both continuous-wave and mode-locked laser sources. A comparison with respect to conventional cavity-ring-down measurement scheme shows the accuracy of the proposed method.

Scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) allows for nanoscale optical mapping of manifold material properties. It is based on interferometric recording of the light scattered at a scanning probe tip. For dielectric samples such as biological materials or polymers, the near-field amplitude and phase signals of the scattered field reveal the local reflectivity and absorption, respectively. Importantly, absorption in s-SNOM imaging corresponds to a positive phase contrast relative to a non-absorbing reference sample. Here, we describe that in certain conditions (weakly or non- absorbing material placed on a highly reflective substrate), a slight negative phase contrast may be observed, which can hinder the recognition of materials exhibiting a weak infrared absorption. We first document this effect and explore its origin using representative test samples. We then demonstrate straightforward simple correction methods that remove the negative phase contrast and that allow for the identification of weak absorption contrasts.

Holography has always held special appeal, for it is able to record and display spatial information in three dimensions. Here, we show how to augment the capabilities of digital holography by using a large number of narrow laser lines at precisely-defined optical frequencies simultaneously. Using an interferometer based on two frequency combs of slightly different repetition frequencies and a lens-less camera sensor, we record time-varying spatial interference patterns that generate spectral hypercubes of complex holograms, revealing, for each comb line frequency, amplitudes and phases of scattered wave-fields. Unlike with previous multi-color holography and low-coherence holography (including with a frequency comb), the unique synergy of broad spectral bandwidth and high temporal coherence in dual-comb holography opens up novel optical diagnostics, such as precise dimensional metrology over large distances without interferometric phase ambiguity, or hyperspectral 3-dimensional imaging with high spectral resolving power, as we illustrate by molecule-selective imaging of an absorbing gas., 11 pages

Time-resolved near-infrared absorption spectroscopy of single non-repeatable transient events is performed at high spectral resolution with a dual-comb interferometer using a continuous-wave laser followed by a single electro-optic amplitude modulator. By sharing high-speed electrical/optical components, our spectrometer greatly simplifies the implementation of dual-comb spectroscopy and it offers a high mutual coherence time, measured up to 50-s, without any active stabilization system and/or data processing. The time resolution, which can be reconfigured a posteriori, is as short 100 microseconds in our experimental demonstration. For a span of 36 GHz, the mean signal-to-noise ratio of 80, at 100-MHz spectral resolution and 100-microsecond measurement time, enables the precise determination of the parameters of rovibrational lines, including intensity or concentration., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures

We report on a compact optical frequency comb, operating in the wavelength range from 670 to 1500 nm, based on diode-pumped low-noise femtosecond Yb:CALGO amplified laser system. Both the carrier-envelope offset and repetition rate are phase-locked to reference synthesizers. A full characterization of the frequency comb, in terms of frequency stability, phase noise analysis, and optical beating against a single-frequency non-planar ring oscillator Nd:YAG laser, is presented, showing the excellent properties of the Yb:CALGO comb.

The realization and complete characterization of a compact Optical Frequency Comb operating in the wavelength range from 670 to 1500 nm, based on diode-pumped low-noise femtosecond Yb:CALGO amplified laser system, is reported.

The many evenly-spaced lines of a frequency comb are harnessed for a new approach digital holography, using dual-comb interferometry. A “movie” of recorded holograms enables 3- dimensional hyperspectral imaging with high spatial and spectral resolution.

A fiber laser system for standoff detection of chemical and biological species by coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering is presented. The system is based on an ytterbium fiber laser and a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber for generation of broadband pump/Stokes pulses. High-resolution Raman spectra encompassing the fingerprint region ( 600 − 1600 c m − 1 ) are obtained for toluene, and two simulants of chemical and biological warfare agents, specifically dimethyl methylphosphonate and sodium dipicolinate. The system is operated at standoff distances of 2 m and integration times of 8 ms. The fiber technology makes the approach suitable for implementation as a compact standoff detection and identification system.

We report on efficient supercontinuum generation in tapered suspended-core $ {{\rm As}_{39}}{{\rm Se}_{61}} $As

Dual-comb spectroscopy of Doppler-broadened rovibrational transitions of ethylene is performed in the 3-µm region with resolved comb lines and self-referencing of the fiber combs, leading to line-position measurements with an average uncertainty of 2.3 MHz.

We demonstrate nonlinear compression of pulses at 1.03 µm and repetition rate of 200 kHz generated by a ytterbium fiber laser using two cascaded all-solid-state multipass cells. The pulse duration has been compressed from 460 to 22 fs, corresponding to a compression factor of ∼21. The compressed pulse energy is 15.6 µJ, corresponding to an average power of 3.1 W, and the overall transmission of the two compression stages is 76%. The output beam quality factor is M2 ∼1.2 and the excess intensity noise introduced by nonlinear broadening is below 0.05%. These results show that nonlinear pulse compression down to ultrashort durations can be achieved with an all-solid-state approach, at pulse energies much higher than previously reported, while preserving the spatial characteristics of the laser.

An integrated III-V-on-silicon mode-locked laser enables the first on-chip comb generator of 1.0-GHz line-spacing for direct interrogation of gas-phase narrow rovibrational transitions in molecules. Its flat-top spectrum empowers real-time multiplexed spectroscopy without any scanning elements.

Modulation transfer spectroscopy is used to demonstrate absolute frequency stabilization of an 8.6-µm-wavelength quantum cascade laser against a sub-Doppler absorption of the C H F 3 molecule. The obtained spectral emission properties are thoroughly characterized through a self-referenced optical frequency comb, stabilized against either a GPS-disciplined Rb clock or a 1.54-µm Er-fiber laser locked to a high-finesse ultra-low-expansion optical cavity. Fractional long-term stability and accuracy at a level of 4 × 10 − 12 (at 100 s) and 3 × 10 − 10 , respectively, are demonstrated, along with an emission linewidth as narrow as 10 kHz for observation times of 0.1 s.

An optical-frequency-comb-referenced quantum cascade laser is used to perform wavelength-modulation Lamb-dip spectroscopy on a large number of ro-vibrational transitions falling in the CHF3 upsilon(5) fundamental band at 8.6 mu m. The combined (statistical + systematic) fractional uncertainty in the absolute determination of the line-center frequencies ranges from 9 x 10(-11) down to 2 x 10(-11). This represents an improvement by more than two orders of magnitude, as compared to a recent and extensive study performed with a high-resolution FTIR spectrometer [1]. Our investigation realizes a sharpened knowledge of the CHF3 spectrum over a wide interval, also managing to accurately determine the positions of very close, previously unresolved multiple ro-vibrational components. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

We report on efficient supercontinuum generation in tapered suspended-core A s 39 S e 61 fibers pumped by a femtosecond mode-locked Cr:ZnSe laser. The supercontinuum spectrum spans the mid-infrared spectral region from 1.4 to 4.2 µm, and its spectral coherence is proved by heterodyning with a single-frequency narrow-linewidth Er-fiber laser at 1.55 µm, measuring a beat note with 27-dB signal-to-noise ratio in a resolution bandwidth of 100 kHz. The intensity stability of the supercontinuum radiation is also characterized by relative intensity noise measurements.

We demonstrate a Fourier transform (FT) coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy system based on fiber technology with ultra-broad spectral coverage and high-sensitivity. A femtosecond ytterbium fiber oscillator is amplified and spectrally broadened in a photonic crystal fiber to synthesize pulses with energy of 14 nJ at 1040 nm, that are compressed to durations below 20 fs. The resulting pulse train is coupled to a FT-CARS interferometer enabling measurement of high-quality CARS spectra with Raman shifts of ~3000 cm−1 and signal to noise ratio up to 240 and 690 with acetonitrile and polystyrene samples, respectively, for observation times of 160 µs; a detection limit of one part per thousand is demonstrated with a cyanide/water solution. The system has the potential to detect trace contaminants in water as well as other broadband high-sensitivity CARS spectroscopy applications.

We present a mid-IR high-precision spectrometer capable of performing accurate Doppler-free measurements with absolute calibration of the optical axis and high signal-to-noise ratio. The system is based on a widely tunable mid-IR offset-free frequency comb and a Quantum-Cascade-Laser (QCL). The QCL emission frequency is offset locked to one of the comb teeth to provide absolute-frequency calibration, spectral-narrowing, and accurate fine frequency tuning. Both the comb repetition frequency and QCL-comb offset frequency can be modulated to provide, respectively, slow- and fast-frequency-calibrated scanning capabilities. The characterisation of the spectrometer is demonstrated by recording sub-Doppler saturated absorption features of the CHF3 molecule at around 8.6 μm with a maximum signal-to-noise ratio of ∼7 × 103 in 10 s integration time, frequency-resolution of 160 kHz, and accuracy of less than 10 kHz.

We report on metrological-grade saturated absorption spectroscopy of CHF3 at 8.63 μm based on CW distributed-feedback QCL laser and a mid-IR self-frequency referenced optical comb. The experimental setup for the saturation spectroscopy of CHF3 is shown in Fig. 1. A CW DFB-QCL with a maximum output power of ∼40 mW tunable in the wavelength range from 8.55 to 8.65 μm, in coincidence with the us (asymmetric FCF bending) vibrational band of CHF3, is used to probe the gas sample. The QCL output beam is focused at the input of a 30-dB optical isolator to a diameter of 1.6∼mm, by using antireflection-coated aspheric lens mounted onto the laser housing. Then the laser beam passing through a 20-cm plano-convex lens and a 50% beam splitter is coupled to a 25-cm-long stainless steel cell containing the CHF3 gas (98% purity). The transmitted beam first passes through a second 50% beam splitter to detect the single-pass CHF3 absorptions and then is back-reflected into the gas cell to implement the double pass configuration (collinear pump and probe saturated absorption technique). The probe beam is detected exploiting the reflection on the first beam splitter by a four-stage electric cooled MCT detector (10∼MHz bandwidth). By modulating the QCL driving current at a frequency _/m=100 kHz also a wavelength modulation method is implemented to retrieved the first derivative signal by means of a first-harmonic coherent demodulation. To absolute calibrate the QCL emission frequency a difference frequency generation optical frequency comb, covering the 8–14 μm spectral region, is used [1]. The mid-IR comb is properly tuned to a central wavelength of 8.6 μm (average output power of 4∼mW in an optical bandwidth of 0.8 μm) and its repetition frequency is stabilized against a RF synthesizer locked to a GPS-disciplined Rb frequency standard (Allan deviation σ(τ)=10−11τ−1/2 and fractional frequency accuracy of 10−13, respectively, where τ is the integration time).

We report on absolute measurements of saturated-absorption line-center frequencies of room-temperature trifluoromethane using a quantum cascade laser at 8.6 μm and the frequency modulation spectroscopy method. Absolute calibration of the laser frequency is obtained by direct comparison with a mid-infrared optical frequency comb synthesizer referenced to a radio-frequency Rb standard. Several sub-Doppler transitions falling in the υsub5/subvibrational band are investigated at around 1158.9 cmsup-1/supwith a fractional frequency precision of 8.6·10sup-12/supat 1-s integration time, limited by the Rb-clock stability. The demonstrated frequency uncertainty of 6.6·10sup-11/supis mainly limited by the reproducibility of the frequency measurements.

A single electro-optic modulator enables near-infrared dual-comb spectroscopy over a span of 40 GHz with a 150-kHz refresh rate and a 50-s coherence time. The signal-to-noise ratio is 950 at 100-MHz resolution and 100-ms measurement.

Imaging absorption spectroscopy with laser frequency combs simultaneously measures 64 spectra at 250-MHz resolution over a span of 4 nm, within 3 seconds. At 1000 s averaging, the high signal-to-noise ratio reaches 250 per pixel.

Research efforts devoted to supercontinuum (SC) light sources in a fiber-format spanning the mid-infrared (mid-IR) molecular fingerprint region is currently undergoing a dramatic increase, particularly enforced by such demanding applications as biomolecular and environmental sensing. Among various glass compositions, chalcogenides have the highest non-linearity and the broadest transparency range extending further into the mid-IR where fluoride and tellurite glasses are no longer transparent [1]. Here we demonstrate SC generation in tapered suspended-core As 2 Se 3 photonics crystal fibers pumped by a Cr2+:ZnSe ultrafast laser with a pulse duration of 35 fs, a repetition frequency of 170 MHz and an average power of 180 mW (30 kW peak power and 1 nJ pulse energy) at 2.4 μm, based on an improved design of that reported in Ref. [2]. The generated SC covers the spectral region from 1.4 to 4.2 μm.