Optical Pulse Propagation in Dispersive Media

This lecture covers the propagation of an optical pulse in a transparent linear dispersive medium, discussing concepts such as form factor, group speed dispersion, and phase velocity. It explains the temporal widening and frequency chirp effects, as well as the representation of a Gaussian pulse. The lecture delves into the dispersion of group velocity, the generation of new frequencies in nonlinear dispersive media, and the effects of phase self-modulation. Additionally, it explores the principles of laser operation, including stimulated transitions, population inversion, and laser amplification. The lecture concludes with a discussion on the characteristics of short optical pulses and the behavior of axial modes in laser cavities.

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In optics, an ultrashort pulse, also known as an ultrafast event, is an electromagnetic pulse whose time duration is of the order of a picosecond (10−12 second) or less. Such pulses have a broadband optical spectrum, and can be created by mode-locked oscillators. Amplification of ultrashort pulses almost always requires the technique of chirped pulse amplification, in order to avoid damage to the gain medium of the amplifier. They are characterized by a high peak intensity (or more correctly, irradiance) that usually leads to nonlinear interactions in various materials, including air.

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In optics and in wave propagation in general, dispersion is the phenomenon in which the phase velocity of a wave depends on its frequency; sometimes the term chromatic dispersion is used for specificity to optics in particular. A medium having this common property may be termed a dispersive medium (plural dispersive media). Although the term is used in the field of optics to describe light and other electromagnetic waves, dispersion in the same sense can apply to any sort of wave motion such as acoustic dispersion in the case of sound and seismic waves, and in gravity waves (ocean waves).

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