Optical synchronization system for femtosecond X-ray sources

US8078060B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Regents of the University of California · US

Inventors

• Russell Wilcox · Corona, US
• Ronald Holzwarth · Munich, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 4, 2007
• Grant date: Dec 13, 2011
• Expiry date: Mar 5, 2030

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S3/2391
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Femtosecond pump/probe experiments using short X-Ray and optical pulses require precise synchronization between 100 meter-10 km separated lasers in a various experiments. For stabilization in the hundred femtosecond range a CW laser is amplitude modulated at 1-10 GHz, the signal retroreflected from the far end, and the relative phase used to correct the transit time with various implementations. For the sub-10 fsec range the laser frequency itself is upshifted 55 MHz with an acousto-optical modulator, retroreflected, upshifted again and phase compared at the sending end to a 110 MHz reference. Initial experiments indicate less than 1 fsec timing jitter. To lock lasers in the sub-10 fs range two single-frequency lasers separated by several teraHertz will be lock to a master modelocked fiber laser, transmit the two frequencies over fiber, and lock two comb lines of a slave laser to these frequencies, thus synchronizing the two modelocked laser envelopes.