The Christian Doppler Laboratory for Mid-IR Spectroscopy and Semiconductor Optics (CDL Mid-IR) recently had the honor of hosting Donna Strickland, 2018 Physics Nobel Laureate, for a brief research visit. During her stay, she discussed common research interests in the field of laser physics and frequency comb spectroscopy with the laboratory's scientists.
A particular focus was on the application of Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA) [1], co-developed by Strickland, in the CDL Mid-IR systems. Specifically, the amplification of the lab’s custom-built Yb:fiber laser [2] to 100-watt levels [3] was discussed directly at the experimental setup. The visit was rounded off by a tour of the researcher’s latest advances in the field of single-cavity dual combs [4] and crystalline supermirrors for the infrared spectrum [5], which were reviewed with the Nobel laureate.
This research visit highlights the importance of exchange with renowned experts for successful research at the Faculty of Physics.
1. Strickland, D. & Mourou, G., “Compression of amplified chirped optical pulses,” Optics Communications 55, 447–449 (1985).
2. Mayer, A. S. et al., “Flexible all-PM NALM Yb:fiber laser design for frequency comb applications: operation regimes and their noise properties,” Optics Express 28, 18946 (2020).
3. Shumakova, V. et al., “Spectrally tunable high-power Yb:fiber chirped-pulse amplifier,” Photonics Research 10, 2309 (2022).
4. Fellinger, J. et al., “Simple approach for extending the ambiguity-free range of dual-comb ranging,” Optics Letters 46, 3677 (2021).
5. Winkler, G., Perner, L. W. et al., “Mid-infrared interference coatings with excess optical loss below 10 ppm,” Optica 8, 686–696 (2021).
