Generation of strong cylindrical vector pulses via stimulated Brillouin amplification

Abstract

Light with transverse polarization structure, such as radial and azimuthal polarization, enables and revives lots of applications based on light-matter interaction due to their unique focal properties. To date, studies referring to this topic mainly concentrate in weak-light domain, yet it should have gained more attention in strong-light domain. A main factor contributing to the current situation is that the generation devices cannot afford high power. Here, in this proof-of-principle work, we demonstrate the generation of strong single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) cylindrical vector (CV) short pulses via stimulated Brillouin amplification, specifically, the energy is transferred from a 700 ps pump to a 300 ps Stokes pulse via parametrically generated coherent phonons. After amplification, a 100 mJ-level SLM CV pulse light with 300 ps duration is obtained. Meanwhile, the phase and polarization structures are high fidelity maintained. This result provides a practicable way to generate strong CV light, and by extending this mechanism into multi-pump beam combing system, even an ultra-high intensity CV light can be expected.Science of structured light-the generation and application of light fields with custom transverse intensity, phase and polarization profiles-has gained enormous progress and gradually become the hottest topic of optical community over the past decade. 1,2 In this new subject of modem optics, orbital angular momentum (OAM) 3 plays a crucial role, which is associated with light's twisted phase profile. Particularly, the infinite dimensional space spanned by this degree-of-freedom (DOF) has directly given rise to a promising research direction of the topic-informatics, including both classical and quantum domains. 4 In addition to intensity and phase structures, the polarization of light can also exhibit a non-uniform transverse distribution once the OAM and spin angular momentum (SAM) DOFs are entangled. 5,6 Among them, radially and azimuthally polarized light, two specific members of the so-called cylindrical vector (CV) beam, have received more attention, because their focal a) Zhi-Han Zhu and Peng Chen contributed equally to this work. b) Electronic

Gouy-phase-mediated propagation variations and revivals of transverse structure in vectorially structured light

“…Importantly, the propagation variations of the transverse structures in these cases provides the physical basis required in building 3-D structured light [1,11]. By using the paraxial light with tailorable 3D structures of amplitude and polarization enhanced profoundly our capability to shape and control (both linear and nonlinear) light-matter interactions [12][13][14][15]. Of note, the propagation evolution of non-eigen structured light usually is regular and even sometimes displays periodicity.…”

Developments of Picosecond Lasers Based on Stimulated Brillouin Scattering Pulse Compression

“…For vectorial spatial modes, the first theoretically study for amplification of cylindrical vector (CV) modes was provided by Vieira et al [42], only 1 year later, Zhu experimentally realized a strong (100 mJ at 300 ps) CV-mode laser output via SBA [43]. Besides, it is worthy to note that the structured acoustic wave generated in SBS excited by structured light, owing to its 0-spin and low group velocity, has a great potential for generation and transformation of structured light, and especially for applications regarding to strong laser pulses.…”

“…Besides, driven by the recent advances in the field of structured light during the last two decades, generation and application of laser beams or pulses with high-order (scalar and vector) spatial modes have gained increasing attention [36,37]. Although the study on shaping light's spatial modes via nonlinear interactions can be traced back to the dawn of the field [38], the SBS involves structured light was theoretically considered until the last decade and only explored experimentally in recent years, yet demonstrating a series of impressive results [28,[39][40][41][42][43][44]. For years, detailed research works on SBS-based pulse compression technology had been hotly pursued by several groups.…”

Vectorial light-matter interaction -- exploring spatially structured complex light fields

“…single crystal fibre amplifiers, 124,125 or by energy transfer via stimulated Raman/Brillouin scattering medium. 126…”