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Lightwave pulse shaping in the picosecond regime has remained unaddressed because it resides beyond the limits of state-of-the-art techniques, due to either its inherently narrow spectral content or fundamental speed limitations in electronic devices. The so-called picosecond shaping gap hampers progress in all areas correlated with time-modulated light–matter interactions, such as photoelectronics, health and medical technologies, and energy and materials sciences. We report on a novel nonlinear method to simultaneously frequency-convert and adaptably shape the envelope of light wave packets in the picosecond regime by balancing spectral engineering and nonlinear conversion in solid-state nonlinear media, without requiring active devices. We capture computationally the versatility of this methodology across a diverse set of nonlinear conversion chains and initial conditions. We also provide experimental evidence of this framework producing picosecond-shaped, ultranarrowband, near-transform-limited light pulses from broadband, femtosecond input pulses, paving the way toward programmable lightwave shaping at gigahertz-to-terahertz frequencies. 

While there has been success in Wakefield acceleration of electrons, there are a number of applications that could benefit from acceleration to modest energy (~MeV) by the laser field, for example, ultrafast electron diffraction and injection into higher-energy laser-driven accelerators. Here we outline our scheme for ponderomotive acceleration of electrons (and in principle, positrons) in which we control the group velocity of ultrafast pulses through pulse front tilt. Provided the intensity is above the threshold for capture of electrons, the leading part of the pulse front effectively acts like a moving mirror whose shape is controlled by the spatio-temporal topology of the intensity profile. Our analytic models of the propagation of spatially-chirped beams, simple relativistic single-particle models of the laser-electron interaction and our implementation of these beams in particle-in-cell simulations help to predict the output electron energy and direction. We are preparing experiments on the ALEPH laser system at Colorado State University in which we will use the diagnostic techniques that we have developed to align our scaled-up design of a high-energy pulse compressor that will deliver spatially chirped pulses. 

The study of the physics of naturally occurring electrostatic discharges (ESDs) at early times is challenged by the difficulty in overcoming pre-trigger requirements of laser probes. In this work, ultraviolet (UV) pulses from a diode-pumped solid-state, Q-switched laser system are used to trigger ESDs. We use an open-air spark gap with a gap voltage held near threshold. The laser intensity is in the microjoule range so that seed electrons are produced through the photoelectric effect on the cathode. In contrast to laser-triggered spark gaps, the resulting discharges are anticipated to be very similar to those produced by random seed electrons. The triggering produces ESDs with a yield of >65%. While there is ~10ns jitter, co-recording of the current pulse will allow for time-resolved experimental diagnostics with ns timing resolution. Early results show a relatively short delay between triggering and the arc discharge (~100ns), indicating that collisional UV generation is a more likely source of secondary electrons than ion return current. Our experiment will be compared to our numerical models for plasma temperature and species evolution measurements in ESDs. Future experiments will be completed in a discharge chamber which allows for control of the gas composition and pressure. 

We introduce a self-referenced system that retrieves the full spatio-temporal profile of an ultrashort pulse using a Shack-Hartmann and second harmonic generation FROG. The key feature is the precise co-location of a spectral phase measurement at one spatial position with the spectrally resolved spatial measurements. 

We generalize our method for propagating spatially chirped Gaussian beams to properly calculate the evolution of geometric spectral phase through a lens. By expanding the spectral phase around the local central frequency, we analytically calculate the spatio-temporal field. Applications to intentionally detuned pulse compressors are discussed. 

We􀀁explore􀀁an􀀁electron􀀁acceleration􀀁scheme􀀁which􀀁uses􀀁the􀀁ponderomotive􀀁force􀀁of􀀁a􀀁tilted􀀁ultrafast􀀁laser􀀁as􀀁the􀀁drive􀀁mechanism􀀁for􀀁acceleration. The􀀁effect􀀁of􀀁pulse􀀁front􀀁curvature􀀁on􀀁the􀀁acceleration􀀁process􀀁is􀀁also􀀁discussed. 

We present a phase retrieval algorithm for dispersion scan (d-scan), inspired by ptychography, which is capable of characterizing multiple mutually-incoherent ultrafast pulses (or modes) in a pulse train simultaneously from a single d-scan trace. In addition, a form of Newton’s method is employed as a solution to the square root problem commonly encountered in second harmonic pulse measurement techniques. Simulated and experimental phase retrievals of both single-mode and multi-mode d-scan traces are shown to demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of the root preserving ptychographic algorithm (RPPA). 

We present a ptychographic phase retrieval algorithm which solves the square root problem in second order pulse measurement techniques and reconstructs the fields of multiple incoherent pulses simultaneously from a single dispersion scan trace. 

We demonstrate a novel dispersion scan algorithm using grating dispersion. We also propose using the intrinsic dispersion of temporally focused laser pulses to characterize the pulse structure by scanning a nonlinear crystal through focus. 

Programmable, two-dimensional, spatial frequency modulation linear and nonlinear imaging combined with a novel and remarkably simple, in-situ quantitative pulse compensation and measurement scheme is demonstrated for the first time.