Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

The applicant requests funds for URGENT equipment required to produce sub-10 femtoseconds laser pulses near 1400 nm.  The equipment is called Dazzler WB45-1150-1600-T2 and solely soled by FASTLITE (Palaiseau, France).  This state-of-the-art equipment offers the possibility of shaping the amplitude and the phase of broadband laser pulses with spectral components in the range of 1150 nm up to 1600 nm.  The system includes stretching components for application with amplified laser pulses and a Dazzleroscope for pulse compression and high order phase compensation using a rapid feedback loop, allowing the generation of intense sub-10 femtoseconds pulses.  Ultra-broadband spectra will be generated by coupling the output of an Optical Parametric Amplifier (~40 femtoseconds, ~1 millijoule, 5 kHz) into a hollow core fibre filled with noble gas or through filamentation in a gas cell.  The Dazzler will be located after the hollow core fibre or after the gas cell for spectral phase and amplitude corrections.  The combination of the Dazzler with the unique Optical Parametric Amplifier laser system available at the Advanced Laser Light Sources (INRS-EMT) allows for the first time the generation of intense sub-10 fs laser pulses in the 1400 nm spectral range.This unique source will be used by the applicant for studying the impact of wavelength on Coulomb explosion imaging.  In January 2007, a student (Mr. B. Bogdan) will start Ph.D. under the supervision of the applicant and will work full time on the development and application of this unique laser source.  In addition, this source will be perfectly suitable for laser induced electron diffraction proposed by Dr. P.B. Corkum, an imaging approach which is under development at ALLS.  In general, it will be possible to investigate strong field molecular physics in a spectral range not yet studied for sub-10 fs laser pulses.  Finally, the availability at ALLS, an international facility, of a system producing intense sub-10 femtoseconds laser pulses in the spectral range near 1400 nm will initiate new collaboration with scientists from across the country and worldwide.