Fundamental and applied research on ultrafast nonlinear laser-matter interactions in transparent bulk materials and photonic crystal fibers for the development of compact high average power ultrashort pulse light sources based on supercontinuum generation, optical parametric amplification, fiber-based laser amplification, frequency conversion and pulse post-compression.
Scientific research topics:
- Nonlinear propagation and supercontinuum generation in bulk materials, photonic crystal fibers and photonic crystals;
- Light-driven structural modifications of transparent materials and related nonlinear optical phenomena;
- Generation of few optical cycle pulses via spectral broadening, optical parametric amplification and pulse post-compression;
- Development of high repetition rate tunable wavelength UV-VIS femtosecond laser systems;
- Development of sub-nanosecond optical parametric generators and amplifiers.
Research spotlight!
The generation of power- and wavelength-scalable few optical cycle pulses remains one of the major challenges in modern laser physics. Over the past decade, the development of table-top optical parametric chirped pulse amplification-based systems was progressing at amazing speed, demonstrating excellent performance characteristics in terms of pulse duration, energy, peak power and repetition rate, which place them at the front line of modern ultrafast laser technology. At present, table-top optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers comprise a unique class of ultrafast light sources, which currently amplify octave-spanning spectra and produce carrier-envelope phase-stable, few optical cycle pulses with multi-gigawatt to multi-terawatt peak powers and multi-watt average powers, with carrier wavelengths spanning a considerable range of the optical spectrum.
This Article gives an overview on the state of the art of table-top optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers, addressing their relevant scientific and technological aspects, and provides a short outlook of practical applications in the growing field of ultrafast science.
A. Dubietis, A. Matijošius, Table-top optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers: past and present (REVIEW), Opto-Electronic Advances 6, 220046 (2023).
High repetition rate femtosecond filaments in transparent solids produce conical third harmonic generation due to filament-induced material reorganization in the form of periodic volume nanogratings. Here we report on conical third harmonic generation that accompanies supercontinuum generation in fused silica using broadly tunable femtosecond pulses. The measurement of third harmonic cone angles with driving wavelengths in the 1–3-μm range fully supports the noncollinear phase-matching scenario that involves a reciprocal lattice vector of the filament-inscribed nanograting. The nanograting provides an octave-spanning phase-matching bandwidth, as attested by the measurements of the angle-resolved spectra of broadband conical third harmonic emission.
R. Grigutis, V. Jukna, G. Tamošauskas, A. Dubietis, Broadband conical third harmonic generation in femtosecond filament-modified fused silica, Optics Letters 48, 506-509 (2023).
The work discloses a flexible, non-destructive, aberration-free, and automated periodic poling quality evaluation technique of the periodically poled crystals in the whole volume of the crystal with very high control and resolution. The method is based on a crystal translation in the directions perpendicular to the pump laser beam and the simultaneous recording of the parametric signal conversion efficiency in a simple single-pass parametric light generator setup. This technique allowed us to investigate and quantitatively describe the ferroelectric domain structure homogeneity of the periodically poled lithium niobate and potassium titanyl phosphate crystals with single, multi, and fan-out grating designs and offers a practicable overall efficiency assessment of the quasi-phase-matched device.
J. Banys, J. Pimpė, O. Balachninaite, V. Jarutis, J. Vengelis, Non-destructive periodic poling quality evaluation of MgO:PPLN and Rb:PPKTP crystals based on crystal translation and parametric light generation, Optik 277, 170686 (2023).
Group members
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Habil. Dr. (hp) Audrius Dubietis
Leader / Distinguished Professor / Chief Researcher
Saulėtekio ave. 10, 205 office.
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Habil. Dr. (hp) Gintaras Valiulis
Professor / Chief Researcher
Saulėtekio ave. 10, 111 office.
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Dr. Gintaras Tamošauskas
Associate Professor / Senior Researcher
Saulėtekio ave. 10, 301 office.
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Dr. Vygandas Jarutis
Associate Professor / Senior Researcher
Saulėtekio ave. 10, 111 office.
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Dr. Vytautas Jukna
Associate Professor / Senior Researcher
Saulėtekio ave. 10, 111 office.
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Dr. Julius Vengelis
Assistant Professor / Research scientist
Saulėtekio ave. 10, 104 office.
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Robertas Grigutis
Doctoral Student
Dissertation topic: Conical third harmonic generation in femtosecond filament-modified transparent materials
Supervisor: prof. A. Dubietis
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Vaida Marčiulionytė
Doctoral Student
Dissertation topic: Supercontinuum generation in transparent dielectrics at very high laser repetition rates
Supervisor: prof. A. Dubietis
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Miglė Kuliešaitė
Doctoral Student
Dissertation topic: Investigation of supercontinuum coherence generated in an optical fiber
Supervisor: assoc. prof. V. Jarutis
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Jonas Banys
Doctoral Student
Dissertation topic: Investigation of optical parametric generator pumped by subnanosecond microlaser pulses
Supervisor: assoc. prof. V. Jarutis
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Jokūbas Pimpė
Doctoral Student
Dissertation topic: Development of high repetition rate tunable wavelength UV-VIS femtosecond laser system
Supervisor: dr. J. Vengelis
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Publications
Most significant publications
5 most important publications:
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A. Dubietis, A. Matijošius, Table-top optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers: past and present (REVIEW), Opto-Electronic Advances 6, 220046 (2023).
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A. Dubietis and A. Couairon, Ultrafast supercontinuum generation in transparent solid state media, Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland, ISBN 978-3-030-14994-9, 125 p., 2019.
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A. Dubietis, G. Tamošauskas, R. Šuminas, V. Jukna, A. Couairon, Ultrafast supercontinuum generation in bulk condensed media (REVIEW), Lithuanian Journal of Physics 57, 113-157 (2017).
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J. Vengelis, V. Jarutis, V. Sirutkaitis, Estimation of photonic crystal fiber dispersion by means of supercontinuum generation, Optics Letters 42, 1844-1847 (2017).
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D. Majus, G. Tamošauskas, I. Gražulevičiūtė, N. Garejev, A. Lotti, A. Couairon, D. Faccio, A. Dubietis, Nature of spatiotemporal light bullets in bulk Kerr media, Physical Review Letters 112, 193901 (2014).
Most recent publications
Most recent publications:
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V. Jarutis, D. Paipulas, V. Jukna, Thermodynamical Analysis of the Formation of α-Si Ring Structures on Silicon Surface, Materials 16 (6), 2205 (2023).
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A. Dubietis, A. Matijošius, Table-top optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers: past and present, Opto-Electronic Advances 6, 220046 (2023).
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J. Banys, J. Pimpė, O. Balachninaitė, V. Jarutis, J. Vengelis, Non-destructive periodic poling quality evaluation of MgO:PPLN and Rb:PPKTP crystals based on crystal translation and parametric light generation, Optik 277, 170686 (2023).
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R. Grigutis, V. Jukna, G. Tamošauskas, A. Dubietis, Broadband conical third harmonic generation in femtosecond filament-modified fused silica, Optics Letters 48, 506-509 (2023).
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J. Banys, J. Savickytė, O. Balachninaitė, S. Armalytė, V. Tamulienė, V. Jarutis, J. Vengelis, Performance investigation of high-efficiency widely-tunable subnanosecond optical parametric generator and amplifier based on MgO:PPLN, Optics Expresss 30, 23163-23176 (2022).
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M. Navickas, R. Grigutis, V. Jukna, G. Tamošauskas, A. Dubietis, Low spatial frequency laser-induced periodic surface structures in fused silica inscribed by widely tunable femtosecond laser pulses, Scientific Reports 12, 20231 (2022).
International collaboration
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University of Glasgow, School of Physics and Astronomy
Glasgow G12 8SU, UK
Prof. Daniele Faccio
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Université Paris-Sacla, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, Centre de Physique Théorique
91120 Palaiseau, France
Prof. Arnaud Couairon
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University of Eastern, Department of Physics and Mathematics
Yliopistokatu 7, 80130 Joensuu, Finland
Prof. Jari Turunen
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University of Auckland, Faculty of Science
Auckland, New Zealand
Dr. Alex Risos
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Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
Brinellvägen 8, 114 28 Stockholm, Sweden
Prof. Valdas Pašiškevičius
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Laser equipment
Laboratory of Ultrashort Pulse Optics (301)
- Ti:sapphire laser system (Spitfire-PRO, Newport-Spectra Physics): pulsewidth 100 fs, energy 3 mJ, wavelength 800 nm, pulse repetition rate 1 kHz.
- Optical parametric amplifier (Topas-Prime, Light Conversion Ltd.): pulsewidth 100 fs, wavelength tuning range 1150-2600 nm, home made DFG stage, tuning range 3-5 μm.
- Noncollinear optical parametric amplifier (Topas-white, Light Conversion Ltd.): pulsewidth 25 fs, wavelength tuning range 530-720 nm.
- Yb:KGW laser system (Pharos, Light Conversion Ltd): pulsewidth 190 fs, energy up to 1 mJ, wavelength 1030 nm, pulse repetition rate up to 200 kHz.
- Optical parametric amplifier (Orpheus-One, Light Conversion Ltd.): pulsewidth 200 fs, wavelength tuning range 1320-4500 nm, DFG stage, tuning range 5-12 μm, pulse repetition rate up to 14 kHz.
Laboratory of Quantum Optics (403)
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Yb:KGW oscillator (FLINT, Light Conversion Ltd.): pulsewidth 100 fs, wavelength 1028 nm, average power 6.5 W, pulse repetition rate 76 MHz; SHG module (HIRO, Light conversion Ltd.): pulsewidth 120 fs, wavelength 514 nm, average power 2.5 W
Laboratory of Parametric Phenomena (110)
- Yb:KGW oscillator (FLINT, Light Conversion Ltd.) with integrated in rod-type fiber PCMA system: pulsewidth 80 fs, wavelength 1035 nm, average power 17 W, pulse repetition rate 76 MHz.
- Nd:YAG microlaser (MOPA, Standa Ltd.): pulsewidth 400 ps, wavelength 1064 nm, pulse repetition rate 1 kHz with second (532 nm) and third (355 nm) harmonics generation modules.
- Nd:YAG microlaser (MOPA, Standa Ltd.): pulsewidth 520 ps, wavelength 1064 nm, pulse repetition rate 1 kHz, average power 1 W.
- Optical spektrum analyzer (Thorlabs): detection range 1-12 μm, performance mode CW and >30 kHz in pulsed regime.
- Pulse picker (MP1, Eksma Optics): range 130 ns – 1 ms, 76 MHz synchronization.
Ongoing Projects
SMART: Development and investigation of novel optical parametric generators: towards subnanosecond pulses
Number: 01.2.2-LMT-K-718-03-0004
Head: Dr. J. Vengelis (VU, Lithuania)
Participants: -
Duration: 36 months
Funding: 698 987,42 EUR
Funding agency: The Research Council of Lithuania
Project description:
The aim of this project is to develop commercialization ready optical parametric generator technologies for generation of subnanosecond pulses in the VIS and NIR spectral range based on the nonlinear optics methods. Comprehensive research of optical parametric generation in the VIS and NIR spectral ranges when pumping with subnanosecond pulses is planned: various OPG configurations in different nonlinear crystals will be tested; experimental and theoretical investigation of generation dynamics will be carried out; OPG output parameters (pulse energy, duration and frequency tuning range) will be optimized; measurement of the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) in various nonlinear crystals and their coatings will be performed in order to determine optimal OPG configuration with respect to LIDT and parametric generation threshold and corresponding technological solutions for realization of the OPG. Finally, a prototype of subnanosecond OPG will be developed.
High repetition rate femtosecond filamentation- induced laser-matter interactions in transparent solids (FEMTOLAMA)
Number: S-MIP-22-40
Head: Prof. A. Dubietis (VU, Lithuania)
Participants: -
Duration: 24 months
Funding: 145 844 EUR
Funding agency: The Research Council of Lithuania
Project description:
The main objective of the Project is investigation of accumulation effects that lead to optical degradation and damage induced by high repetition rate femtosecond filamentation in transparent solids over a wide spectral range. Since most of these effects are detrimental to both, characteristics of the broadband ultrashort-pulsed light (supercontinuum) and optical properties of the material itself due to evolving multipulse optical damage, the special emphasis will be given to find optimal operating conditions, where these effects could be eliminated, or at least suppressed to a large extent.
Development of high repetition rate tunable wavelength UV-VIS femtosecond laser system. (HIREPUVIS)
Number: -
Head: Dr. J. Vengelis (VU, Lithuania)
Participants: -
Duration: 36 months
Funding: 150 000 EUR
Funding agency: The Research Council of Lithuania
Project description:
The aim of this project is to develop watt-level average power high repetition rate broadly tunable wavelength UV-VIS femtosecond laser system. This will be accomplished by developing a combined laser setup consisting of laser amplifier, harmonic generator and synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator. Such combined laser system will superceed capabilities of any currently existing laser or optical parametric generator system used for spectroscopy, nonlinear microscopy, material science and laser micromaching applications in terms of measurement / micromachining speed, versatility, accuracy and efficiency.