Generation Of Multioctave Coherent Light Harmonics
A light spectrum generator uses an input continuous light source well within the normal GVD of a resonator to produce a multi-wavelength spectrum having irregularly spaced harmonics that could span wavelengths of more than six octaves from one another. Combined with a tuner that adjusts the power and wavelength of the light source, a turner that adjusts a temperature or a pressure applied to the resonator, and a filter, the generator could be used to produce any wavelength of light between 0.1 and 10 μm.
1 . An apparatus for generating a multi-octave spectrum of light, comprising:
a light source that provides an input light; and
a nonlinear resonator configured to receive the input light and produce a coherent output beam having a multi-wavelength spectrum that spans at least two octaves, wherein the input light has a wavelength within a normal GVD wavelength region of the resonator.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the input light comprises at least one of a continuous wave transmission and a pulsed transmission.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the nonlinear resonator comprises calcium fluoride.
4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the input light has a wavelength of at most 1000 nm.
5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the nonlinear resonator comprises magnesium fluoride.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the nonlinear resonator exhibits nonzero cubic nonlinearities.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light source comprises a laser that produces a wavelength of light at least 5% of a zero GVD wavelength into the normal GVD wavelength region of the resonator.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a filter that produces a spectrum having distinct coherent harmonics of light.
9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the harmonics of light are irregularly spaced in frequency space.
10 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein a first wavelength of a first harmonic of light and a second wavelength of a second harmonic of light span at least 5 μm.
11 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first wavelength is at most 1 μm and the second wavelength is at least 9 μm.
12 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the harmonics of light comprise visible and non-visible light.
13 . The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a second filter that directs only one of the harmonics of light towards an output light path.
14 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein a wavelength of a first coherent harmonic of the distinct coherent harmonics differs from a second coherent harmonic of the distinct coherent harmonics by at least two octaves.
15 . The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a tuner that alters a frequency of the input light, wherein a change in frequency of the input light results in altering the phase-matching conditions of the resonator.
16 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the tuner alters the frequency of the input light by altering a power input to the light source.
17 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein a first tuner setting selects a first wavelength of light to output through an output beam path and a second tuner setting selects a second wavelength of light to output through the output beam path.
18 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the tuner alters the output beam by altering a temperature of the resonator.
19 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the tuner alters the output beam by altering a pressure imparted to the resonator.
20 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a filter that selects a single coherent harmonic having a wavelength different from the input light wavelength.