Optical frequency combs based on femtosecond lasers are comprised of hundreds of thousands of phase coherent and spectrally pure modes. While they have found primary use in the development and comparison of optical and microwave clocks, such frequency combs can also be useful tools for direct frequency spectroscopy. The high peak power available from the femtosecond laser results in efficient nonlinear generation of frequencies that are not easily obtained from continuous wave lasers and the broad spectral coverage (100’s of THz) of the frequency comb provides a means to simultaneously access multiple transitions in an atomic/molecular system. Our early experiments have shown the utility of this approach for spectroscopy of atoms and molecules in the visible and near infrared, while a new direction is the extension of these techniques to wavelengths in the range of 3-10 microns.  Additional areas of interest include the development of novel laser and nonlinear comb sources, coherent quantum control in atomic systems, precision spectroscopy in the ultraviolet and far infrared spectral regions, and the use of frequency combs for trace-gas detection and remote sensing.

 

Keywords:

Atomic and molecular spectroscopy; Coherent control; Direct frequency comb spectroscopy; Femtosecond frequency comb; Frequency stable laser; Remote sensing;

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Regular applicants