Description:

What we mean by ultrashort light pulses (USP) . History of USP generation. Characteristics of USP and their description.Methods of USP generation. Principle of mode-locking in lasers. Methods of mode-locking.Influence of dispersion on propagation and USP generation.Methods of dispersion compensation and its use.Spatio-temporal optics of USP.Methods of measurement USP characteristics. Autocorrelation methods. Spectral phase interferometry and frequency resolved optical gating - SPIDER and FROG. Methods of shaping of USP.Amplification of USP, temporal stretching and compression - chirped pulses amplification CPA.Selected application of USP.

Contents:

1. What we mean by ultrashort light pulses (USP). History of USP generation. 2.Characteristics of USP and their description. 3. Methods of USP generation. 3. Principle of mode-locking in lasers. 4. Methods of mode-locking.
5. Influence of dispersion on propagation and USP generation.
6. Methods of dispersion compensation and its use.
7. Spatio-temporal optics of USP.
8. Methods of measurement USP characteristics. Autocorrelation methods. 9. Spectral phase interferometry and frequency resolved optical gating - SPIDER and FROG.
10. Methods of shaping of USP.
11. Amplification of USP, temporal stretching and compression - chirped pulses amplification CPA.
12. Selected application of USP.

Recommended literature:

Key references:
[1]V. Kubecek-texts to the course UKP, http://people.fjfi.cvut.cz/kubecvac
Recommended references:
[2]Femtosecond Laser Pulses (ed. Claude Rulliere), Springer 2005
[3]Course "Ultrafast Optics", http://www.physics.gatech.edu/gcuo/lectures/index.html

Keywords:

femtosecond laser pulses, pulse characteristics, measurements of ultrashort pulses

Abbreviations used:

Semester:

• W ... winter semester (usually October - February)
• S ... spring semester (usually March - June)
• W,S ... both semesters

Mode of completion of the course:

• A ... Assessment (no grade is given to this course but credits are awarded. You will receive only P (Passed) of F (Failed) and number of credits)
• GA ... Graded Assessment (a grade is awarded for this course)
• EX ... Examination (a grade is awarded for this course)
• A, EX ... Examination (the award of Assessment is a precondition for taking the Examination in the given subject, a grade is awarded for this course)

Weekly load (hours per week):

• P ... lecture
• C ... seminar
• L ... laboratory
• R ... proseminar
• S ... seminar