Water energy produces a broad-spectrum supercontinuum white laser with an impressive wavelength range. Researchers have made significant progress in fabricating ultra-wideband white light laser sources with a wide range of wavelengths, from ultraviolet to far-infrared. These advanced lasers can be used in a variety of fields, including broad imaging, trace chemistry, telecommunications, laser spectroscopy, sensing, and ultrafast science.
The experiment** of Hong Lihong's team at South China University of Technology showed that the intense white light laser projected a brilliant rainbow. **South China University of Technology, LHong et al.
However, this quest presents challenges, especially when it comes to choosing the right nonlinear medium. Conventional solid materials, although highly efficient, are prone to light damage under high power peak conditions. Although the gas medium is not easy to damage, it generally has the problem of low efficiency and technical complexity.
Researchers at the South China University of Technology recently took an unconventional move to use water as a nonlinear medium. Water is abundant, inexpensive, and does not cause damage to optics, even under the action of high-power lasers. As reported in the open-access journal Advanced Photonics Nexus, water-induced spectral broadening involves enhanced self-phase modulation and stimulated Raman scattering, resulting in a supercontiguous white light laser with a 10 decibel bandwidth of 435 nm covering an impressive 478-913 nm range.
In the process of further innovation, the researchers combined water with chirped periodically polarized lithium niobate crystals (CPPLN) crystals, which are distinguished by their powerful second-order nonlinear power. This collaboration not only expands the frequency range of supercontinuum white lasers, but also makes their output spectrum flatter. According to the corresponding author, Professor Li Zhiyuan, introduced"The cascaded water-cppln module achieves strong pulse energy, high spectral flatness and ultra-wide bandwidth'Three highs'White light lasers provide a long-life, high-stability, and low-cost technical route. "
The output of this water-CPPLN collaboration project is promising. This ultra-wideband supercontinuum light source has a pulse energy of 06 mJ with a bandwidth of 10 dB more than one octave (413-907 nm) and has potential for ultrafast spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging.
Li Zhiyuan pointed out:"It provides high resolution of physical, chemical, and biological processes with high signal-to-noise ratios over extreme spectral bandwidths. It opens up an efficient avenue for the fabrication of long-life, high-stability, and inexpensive white lasers with strong pulse energy, hyperspectral flatness, and ultra-wide bandwidth, paving the way for new possibilities for scientific research and applications"。
Compilation**: scitechdaily