Ultrafast Laser Laboratory

The Laser Laboratory in the Instrumentation Division is actively involved in the development of efficient, high quality photoelectron sources, optical version of particle detectors with high spatial and temporal resolution, and diagnostics for ultrafast laser pulses. Various pulsed and continue wave laser systems with optical pulse duration ranging from a few tens of femtosecond to a few microsecond, wavelengths range from ~1300 nm in the Infrared to 266 nm in the ultraviolet, and energies of nanoJoule to nearly a Joule per pulse are used in these research programs. In addition to these lasers, the laboratory also has two unique high voltage pulse generators capable of delivering 1 MV and 5 MV in <1 ns with rise and fall times of <150 ps. These pulse generators along with fast lasers are used to generate electron beams with unprecedented brightness. These fast lasers are used for detector applications as well as the development of diagnostic tools for ultrafast optical events.

Core Programs

• Linear and nonlinear Photoemission studies
• High voltage and high field gradient studies: Laser-Triggered High-voltage pulsers.
• High average current photoinjector
• Ultrafast laser pulses measurement techniques: FROG and 2-photon photoconductivity
• Optoelectronics in particle detectors:Electro-optical modulators and Vcsels
• Ultrafast detection of relativistic particles EO ultrafast detectors
• Ultrafast lasers micromachining and optical components fabrication
• Muon targetry study: fast CCD camera capture of Mercury targets

In-house Lasers

• Femtosecond (15 and 100 fs) Ti:sapphire laser oscillators and amplifiers
• Picosecond flashlamp-pumped Nd:YAG laser - fundamental, double, and quadruple outputs
• Q-switched Nd:YAG laser - 300 mJ output
• Nitrogen, Excimer, and YLF lasers
• OEM diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser at 1310 nm

Team members

• Triveni Rao
• Thomas Y.F. Tsang
• John Smedley
• John Walsh