Development of a novel laser source for nonlinear optical applications EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

In this EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER), funded by the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program of the Division of Chemistry, Professor Marcos Dantus from Michigan State University will investigate a novel approach to the design and construction of femtosecond lasers. The proposed development seeks to exploit the stability and low cost of the telecommunication semiconductor pumped CW lasers to generate ultrashort pulses. The resulting laser should mimic the capabilities of a traditional ultrafast laser, but have greater stability, ruggedness, efficiency and lower cost than the presently available sources. The source will incorporate adaptive pulse compression technology developed by Dantus. The successful demonstration of this new source will lead to its use in the areas of biomedical imaging, sensing, metrology and communications. The new source should be ideal for portable sensing instrumentation given the rugged, compact, and energy efficient components. Nonlinear optical imaging and sensing applications will be used to demonstrate the practical capabilities of the resulting new technology. The proposed low-cost approach will make ultrafast lasers (primarily used for time-resolved spectroscopy and for nonlinear optical imaging) available to a much wider variety of research laboratories, and boost scientific discovery by increased accessibility and reliance of this technology.