Programmable optics for ultrashort pulse management: devices and applications

Abstract

The contribution of the present report to the field of ultrashort optics has several aspects: from the development of new optical devices for ultrashort pulse management, to the application of those devices for triggering laser-matter interaction processes. In this sense, the key point of this Thesis is the use of reconfigurable phase-only SLMs based on LCOS technology for spatial and temporal shaping of femtosecond pulses. The management of femtosecond pulses demands specific strategies to obtain the desired output response while preventing undesirable distortions. Our results show that programmable diffractive optics encoded in SLMs is a powerful tool for ultrashort (~30 fs) beam management. The reconfigurable nature of SLMs allows wavefront control of an input pulsed beam at a micro scale level. In this way, we have developed devices for transferring amplitude and/or phase maps onto the spatial and temporal profile of an ultrashort pulse. Moreover, our proposals result in very compact optical devices, allowing easy-to-align setups especially suitable for non-expert users. We believe that this fact may promote the use of ultrafast technology in many different scientific fields that demands user-friendly devices for ultrashort pulse control.