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Published on: October 23, 2018
Extreme supercontinuum generation to the deep UV
S P Stark1, J C Travers, P St J Russell
1Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Günther-Scharowsky-Strasse 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
Optics Letters
|March 2, 2012
Summary
Researchers generated an ultrabroad supercontinuum down to 280 nm in the deep ultraviolet (UV) using tapered photonic crystal fibers. Two-photon absorption in silica ultimately limited deep-UV radiation generation.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Nonlinear Optics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Supercontinuum generation is crucial for various applications, including spectroscopy and optical coherence tomography.
- Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) offer unique dispersion properties for controlling light-matter interactions.
- Achieving deep-ultraviolet (UV) supercontinuum generation is challenging due to material limitations and nonlinear effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the generation of ultrabroad supercontinuum extending into the deep UV region.
- To explore the role of tapered solid-core PCFs in enhancing deep-UV supercontinuum.
- To identify the limiting factors in deep-UV supercontinuum generation.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing sharply tapered solid-core photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) with taper lengths ranging from 5 to 30 mm.
- Pumping the PCFs with femtosecond pulses (130 fs, 2 nJ) at a wavelength of 800 nm.
- Analyzing the spectral characteristics of the generated supercontinuum, focusing on the deep-UV region.
Main Results:
- Formation of an ultrabroad supercontinuum extending down to 280 nm in the deep UV.
- Demonstration that tapering shifts the soliton fission point to a narrower core region, requiring normal dispersion at the fiber input.
- Identification of strong two-photon absorption in silica as the primary limitation for deep-UV radiation generation.
Conclusions:
- Tapered solid-core PCFs enable efficient deep-UV supercontinuum generation.
- Soliton fission dynamics are critical for achieving extended spectral ranges in PCFs.
- Two-photon absorption in the fiber material poses a significant challenge for further extending supercontinuum generation into the deeper UV spectrum.
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