Mode-locked pulsed laser system and method

US6850543B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of Commerce · US

Inventors

• Steven T. Cundiff · Ann Arbor, US
• John L. Hall · Tracy, US
• Scott Diddams · Louisville, US
• David Jones · Oviedo, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 29, 2001
• Grant date: Feb 1, 2005
• Expiry date: Sep 17, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S3/1636
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for stabilizing the carrier-envelope phase of the pulses emitted by a femtosecond mode-locked laser by using the powerful tools of frequency-domain laser stabilization. Control of the pulse-to-pulse carrier-envelope phases was confirmed using temporal cross correlation. This phase stabilization locks the absolute frequencies emitted by the laser, which is used to perform absolute optical frequency measurements that were directly referenced to a stable microwave clock.