Ultrafast Laser Techniques And Experimentation
Physics 880.L20 Special Topics

This course focuses on the physics and techniques necessary to perform experiments using ultrafast lasers. An ultrafast laser is one that generates laser pulses shorter than 100 fs in duration. The goal of this course is to prepare students for work in the laboratory or to understand and evaluate the research of others.

Course Outline

• Linear pulse propagation.
  Including: time and frequency domain views, grating and prism compressors and expanders, pulse shaping.
• Non-linear optics.
  Including: Second harmonic generation, sum frequency generation, Kerr effect, Four-wave mixing.
  (Emphasis will be on those aspects most used for the construction and characterization of short pulse laser systems.)
• Short pulse generation and amplification.
  Including: lasing, Q-switching, modelocking, design of short pulse laser systems.
• Characterization of short pulses.
  Including: spectrometers, auto-correlators, interferometric devices, frequency resolved optical gating.
• Experimental techniques using short pulses.
  Including: pump-probe, time gating, four-wave mixing

Some of the above areas will be covered at the level of a survey with reliance on back-of-the-envelope calculations, others will be covered in detail.

General Description

Lecturer	Prof. Douglass Schumacher
Time	Tuesday and Thursday, 12:30 - 2:18
Location	Smith 1186
Assessment	Homework problems and a short paper or presentation.
Text	None.

Prerequisites - A basic knowledge of electricity and magnetism, quantum mechanics and mathematics is assumed. Graduate students at all levels are the intended audience, but advanced undergraduates should do well and are also welcome.

Students are welcome to sit in for the first week or two to see if the course suits them. After that, all students attending will be required to register for the course either for credit or to audit.

Contact Information

Douglass Schumacher
2-7035 (office)
2-7545 (lab)
dws@mps.ohio-state.edu
http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~dws