Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 20, 2026
07:42
Rapid Repetition Rate Fluctuation Measurement of Soliton Crystals in a Microresonator
Published on: December 15, 2021
3.7K
Tunable mid-infrared (6.3-12 μm)optical vortex pulse generation
Optics Express
|November 18, 2014
Summary
We generated tunable mid-infrared optical vortex pulses using a novel laser setup. This breakthrough enables new possibilities for mid-infrared vortex beam applications with high pulse energy.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Laser Physics
- Nonlinear Optics
Background:
- Optical vortex beams possess unique properties like orbital angular momentum.
- Mid-infrared (MIR) light sources are crucial for various applications, including spectroscopy and sensing.
- Generating MIR optical vortices with preserved topological charge is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate widely tunable MIR optical vortex pulse generation.
- To achieve efficient conversion using a cascaded nonlinear optical geometry.
- To investigate the preservation of topological charge in the generated MIR vortex pulses.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a 2 μm optical vortex laser as the pump source.
- Employed a cascaded Potassium Titanyl Phosphate (KTP) geometry for difference frequency generation (DFG).
- Used a Zirconium Gallium Phosphide (ZGP) crystal for DFG in the MIR region.
Main Results:
- Achieved widely tunable MIR optical vortex pulse generation spanning 6.3-12 μm.
- Demonstrated the preservation of topological charge from the pump laser to the MIR output.
- Obtained a pulse energy exceeding 135 μJ in the 6.3-7.0 μm wavelength range.
Conclusions:
- The cascaded KTP and ZGP geometry is effective for generating high-energy, tunable MIR optical vortex pulses.
- The generated MIR vortex pulses maintain the topological charge of the pump beam.
- This work opens avenues for advanced applications requiring MIR optical vortices.
Related Concept Videos
01:24IR Spectroscopy: Molecular Vibration Overview
6.7K
When Infrared (IR) radiation passes through a covalently bonded molecule, the bonds transition from lower to higher vibrational levels. The fundamental vibrational motions that result in infrared absorption can be classified as stretching or bending vibrations.
Stretching vibrations are vibrational motions that occur along the bond line, changing the bond length or distance between two bonded atoms. They are further distinguished as symmetric or asymmetric. In symmetric stretching, the...
Stretching vibrations are vibrational motions that occur along the bond line, changing the bond length or distance between two bonded atoms. They are further distinguished as symmetric or asymmetric. In symmetric stretching, the...
6.7K
01:17NMR Spectrometers: Radiofrequency Pulses and Pulse Sequences
2.2K
A pulse is a short burst of radio waves distributed over a range of frequencies that simultaneously excites all the nuclei in the sample. Upon passing a radio frequency pulse along the x-axis, the nuclei absorb energy corresponding to their Larmor frequencies and achieve resonance. This shifts the net magnetization vector from the z-axis toward the transverse plane. This angle of rotation of the magnetization vector, or the flip angle, is proportional to the duration and intensity of the pulse.
2.2K
01:09Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy: Overview
7.7K
When electromagnetic radiation passes through a material, atoms or molecules transition from a lower to a higher energy state by absorbing radiation corresponding to the energy difference between the two states. The absorption of infrared (IR) radiation causes transitions between vibrational energy levels in a molecule. Therefore, IR spectroscopy is a useful analytical tool for determining the molecular structure of molecules.
Different compounds display unique properties due to their...
Different compounds display unique properties due to their...
7.7K
01:10Generating Electromagnetic Radiations
8.9K
The German physicist Heinrich Hertz (1857–1894) was the first to generate and detect certain types of electromagnetic waves in the laboratory. Starting in 1887, he performed a series of experiments that confirmed the existence of electromagnetic waves and verified that they travel at the speed of light. Hertz used an alternating-current RLC (resistor-inductor-capacitor) circuit that resonated at a known frequency and connected it to a loop of wire. High voltages induced across the gap in...
8.9K
01:08IR Spectrum Peak Splitting: Symmetric vs Asymmetric Vibrations
2.4K
Identical bonds within a polyatomic group can stretch symmetrically (in-phase) or asymmetrically (out-of-phase). Similar to hydrogen bonding, these vibrations also influence the shape of the IR peak. Generally, asymmetric stretching frequencies are higher than symmetric stretching frequencies. For example, primary amines exhibit two distinct IR peaks between 3300–3500 cm−1 corresponding to the symmetric and asymmetric N-H stretching, while secondary amines exhibit a single...
2.4K
01:21IR Absorption Frequency: Hybridization
1.7K
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...
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...
1.7K