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We show how to adapt a 0-f self-referencing technique to provide a single shot absolute Carrier Envelope Phase (CEP) measurement by using the CEP reference provided by difference frequency generation (DFG) between the spectral wings of the fundamental pulse. Usually, the beat between the input pulse and the DFG signal then provides feedback with which to stabilize the CEP slip in a pulse train. However, with a simple extension we can get a single shot absolute CEP measurement. Success relies on having well characterized input pulses, and the use of accurate propagation models through the nonlinear crystal -- these enable us to construct a mapping between the experimental measurement and the CEP of the optical pulse., Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures. First reported at ECLEO 2007, Munich

We show how to optimize the process of high-harmonic generation (HHG) by gating the interaction using the field gradient of a driving pulse with a linear ramp waveform. Since maximized field gradients are efficiently generated by self-steepening processes, we first present a generalized theory of optical carrier-wave self-steepened (CSS) pulses. This goes beyond existing treatments, which only consider third-order nonlinearity, and has the advantage of describing pulses whose wave forms have a range of symmetry properties. Although a fertile field for theoretical work, CSS pulses are difficult to realize experimentally because of the deleterious effect of dispersion. We therefore consider synthesizing CSS-like profiles using a suitably phased sub-set of the harmonics present in a true CSS wave form. Using standard theoretical models of HHG, we show that the presence of gradient-maximized regions on the wave forms can raise the spectral cut-off and so yield shorter attosecond pulses. We study how the quality of the attosecond bursts created by spectral filtering depends on the number of harmonics included in the driving pulse., Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures; with appendix not present in published version

Carrier wave shocking is studied using the Pseudo-Spectral Spatial Domain (PSSD) technique. We describe the shock detection diagnostics necessary for this numerical study, and verify them against theoretical shocking predictions for the dispersionless case. These predictions show Carrier Envelope Phase (CEP) and pulse bandwidth sensitivity in the single-cycle regime. The flexible dispersion management offered by PSSD enables us to independently control the linear and nonlinear dispersion. Customized dispersion profiles allow us to analyze the development of both carrier self-steepening and shocks. The results exhibit a marked asymmetry between normal and anomalous dispersion, both in the limits of the shocking regime and in the (near) shocked pulse waveforms. Combining these insights, we offer some suggestions on how carrier shocking (or at least extreme self-steepening) might be realised experimentally., Comment: 9 pages

We construct combined electric and magnetic field variables which independently represent energy flows in the forward and backward directions respectively, and use these to re-formulate Maxwell's equations. These variables enable us to not only judge the effect and significance of backward-travelling field components, but also to discard them when appropriate. They thereby have the potential to simplify numerical simulations, leading to potential speed gains of up to 100% over standard FDTD or PSSD simulations. We present results for various illustrative situations, including an example application to second harmonic generation in periodically poled lithium niobate. These field variables are also used to derive both envelope equations useful for narrow-band pulse propagation, and a second order wave equation. Alternative definitions are also presented., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures

Despite the current concentration on phase control in few-cycle pulses, it emerges that there exists a wide class of nonlinear optical interactions in which the carrier phase is essentially irrelevant, even for the shortest pulse profiles. Most parametric processes and most perturbative processes fall into this category, although others such as above threshold ionization (ATI) do not. In an envelope approach, the carrier oscillations are not part of the problem because they are removed at the outset. When they are reinstated at the end of the calculation, one is free to include arbitrary phase shifts -- within certain constraints. In many cases the constraints are relatively weak, and it follows that a single envelope solution can be used with an infinite range of choices for the carrier phase., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

We model the process of ultra broadband light generation in which a pair of laser pulses separated by the Raman frequency drive a Raman transition. In contrast to the usual approach using separate field envelopes for the different frequency components, we treat the field as a single entity. This requires the inclusion of few-cycle corrections to the pulse propagation. Our single-field model makes fewer approximations and is mathematically (and hence computationally) simpler, although it does require greater computational resources to implement. The single-field theory reduces to the traditional multi-field one using appropriate approximations., Comment: 6 pages, two 3-part figures

Soliton propagation is usually described in the ``slowly varying envelope approximation'' (SVEA) regime, which is not applicable for ultrashort pulses. We present theoretical results and numerical simulations for both NLS and parametric ($\chi^{(2)}$) ultrashort solitons in the ``generalised few-cycle envelope approximation'' (GFEA) regime, demonstrating their altered propagation., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

In this paper we discuss the presence of temperature-dependent squeezing in the collective excitations of trapped Bose-Einstein condensates, based on a recent theory of quasiparticle damping. A new scheme to measure temperature below the critical temperature is also considered., Comment: 5 figures

We describe the quantum state of a Bose-Einstein condensate at zero temperature. By evaluating the Q-function we show that the ground state of Bose-Einstein condensate under the Hartree approximation is squeezed. We find that multimode Schroedinger cat states are generated as the condensate evolves in a ballistic expansion., Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures

In a simple picture, a Bessel beam is viewed as a transverse standing wave formed in the interference region between incoming and outgoing conical waves. Based on this interpretation we propose an optical resonator that supports modes that are approximations to Bessel-Gauss beams. The Fox-Li algorithm in two transverse dimension is applied to confirm the conlcusion, Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures

We present a comprehensive framework for treating the nonlinear interaction of few-cycle pulses using an envelope description that goes beyond the traditional SVEA method. This is applied to a range of simulations that demonstrate how the effect of a $\chi^{(2)}$ nonlinearity differs between the many-cycle and few-cycle cases. Our approach, which includes diffraction, dispersion, multiple fields, and a wide range of nonlinearities, builds upon the work of Brabec and Krausz[1] and Porras[2]. No approximations are made until the final stage when a particular problem is considered. The original version (v1) of this arXiv paper is close to the published Phys.Rev.A. version, and much smaller in size., Comment: 9 pages, 14 figures

We estimate the amount of temperature-dependent squeezing and entanglement in the collective excitations of trapped Bose-Einstein condensates. We also demonstrate an alternative method of temperature measurement for temperatures much less that the critical temperature., Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures

A straight forward numerical technique, based on the Gross-Pitaevskii equation, is used to generate a self-consistent description of thermally-excited states of a dilute boson gas. The process of evaporative cooling is then modelled by following the time evolution of the system using the same equation. It is shown that the subsequent rethermalisation of the thermally-excited state produces a cooler coherent condensate. Other results presented show that trapping vortex states with the ground state may be possible in a two-dimensional experimental environment., Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures. It's worth the wait! To be published in Physical Review A, 1st February 1999