Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2026

07:45
Quasi-light Storage for Optical Data Packets
Published on: February 6, 2014
A deep-UV optical frequency comb at 205 nm
E Peters1, S A Diddams, P Fendel
1Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany. elisabeth.peters@mpq.mpg.de
Optics Express
|May 26, 2009
Summary
Researchers generated a deep ultraviolet frequency comb at 205 nm using a Ti:sapphire laser. This novel method offers a powerful tool for advanced spectroscopic applications.
Area of Science:
- Quantum optics
- Laser physics
- Spectroscopy
Background:
- Frequency combs are precise laser sources used in metrology and spectroscopy.
- Generating deep ultraviolet (UV) light (below 300 nm) with frequency combs is challenging.
- Picosecond pulse lasers offer unique properties for nonlinear frequency conversion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for generating a deep UV frequency comb at 205 nm.
- To achieve efficient nonlinear frequency conversion of a Ti:sapphire laser output.
- To enable new spectroscopic applications requiring deep UV light.
Main Methods:
- Frequency quadrupling of a picosecond pulse train from a Ti:sapphire laser at 820 nm.
- Utilizing two successive frequency doubling stages within matched resonant cavities.
- Operating at a pulse repetition rate of 82 MHz.
Main Results:
- Generation of a frequency comb at 205 nm with nearly bandwidth-limited pulses.
- Achieved an overall nonlinear frequency conversion efficiency of 4.5%.
- Produced output powers of up to 70 mW for short durations and 25 mW for continuous operation.
Conclusions:
- The developed deep UV frequency comb is a viable alternative to continuous wave laser conversion for spectroscopy.
- This technology opens possibilities for high-resolution spectroscopy in the deep UV range.
- The high efficiency and power output make this a practical tool for scientific research.
Related Concept Videos
Ultraviolet and Visible (UV–Vis) Spectroscopy: Overview
Ultraviolet–visible (UV–visible or UV–Vis) spectroscopy is an analytical technique that investigates the interaction between matter and UV–Vis light within the electromagnetic spectrum. This method is widely used for its versatility, simplicity, and relatively quick data acquisition, making it valuable for both qualitative and quantitative analysis. When UV–Vis radiation passes through a material, molecules absorb light depending on the energy required for electronic transitions. As a result...
UV–Vis Spectroscopy: Molecular Electronic Transitions
In Ultraviolet–Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, the absorption of electromagnetic radiation is used to probe the electronic structure of molecules. This technique provides insights into molecular electronic transitions, particularly the movement of electrons between different molecular orbitals. Radiation is absorbed if the energy of the electromagnetic radiation passing through the molecule is precisely equal to the energy difference between the excited and ground states. During this process,...
UV–Vis Spectrometers
The absorbance of UV and visible (UV–visible) radiations is measured using a UV–visible spectrophotometer. Deuterium lamps, which emit UV radiation, and tungsten lamps, which produce radiation in the visible region, are used as light sources in UV–visible spectrophotometers. A monochromator or prism is used for diffraction grating, i.e., to split the incoming radiation into different wavelengths. A system of slits is used to focus the desired wavelength on the sample cell. Samples for...
UV–Vis Spectrum
When light passes through a substance, a portion of the light is absorbed while the remaining light is reflected or transmitted. If the molecule absorbs light between the wavelengths of 180–400 nm range, the UV spectrum is obtained, and if it absorbs light in the 400–780 nm wavelength range, the visible spectrum is obtained.
The UV–Vis spectrum of a molecule is the plot of its absorbance versus wavelength. The plot is drawn by taking molar absorptivity (ε) or log ε on the y-axis (ordinate)...
The UV–Vis spectrum of a molecule is the plot of its absorbance versus wavelength. The plot is drawn by taking molar absorptivity (ε) or log ε on the y-axis (ordinate)...
IR Absorption Frequency: Hybridization
Hydrocarbons such as alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes show characteristic C–H stretching absorption bands. These IR stretching frequencies depend on the hybridization of the involved carbon atom and can be explained in terms of the s character of each hybridized atomic orbital.
Among the sp, sp2, and sp3 hybridized orbitals, sp orbitals have the maximum s character (50%). Consequently, the electrons are held more closely to the nucleus, resulting in stronger and shorter C–H bonds that stretch at a...
Among the sp, sp2, and sp3 hybridized orbitals, sp orbitals have the maximum s character (50%). Consequently, the electrons are held more closely to the nucleus, resulting in stronger and shorter C–H bonds that stretch at a...
UV–Vis Spectroscopy of Conjugated Systems
Organic compounds with conjugated double bonds show strong absorption features in the UV–visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum attributed to π → π* electronic excitations. Generally, a UV–vis absorption spectrum is recorded as a plot of absorbance vs wavelength. The wavelength of maximum absorbance, which manifests as a peak in the absorption spectrum, is denoted as λmax.
One of the factors influencing λmax is the extent of conjugation in the...
One of the factors influencing λmax is the extent of conjugation in the...
