Ian Walmsley

Abstract:

We present a technique for frequency-resolved wavefront characterization of high harmonics based on lateral shearing interferometry. Tilted replicas of the driving laser pulse are produced by a Mach–Zehnder interferometer, producing separate focii in the target. The interference of the resulting harmonics on a flat-field extreme ultraviolet spectrometer yields the spatial phase derivative. A comprehensive set of spatial profiles, resolved by harmonic order, validate the technique and reveal the interplay of single-atom and macroscopic effects.

Abstract:

The complexity of ultrafast molecular photoionization presents an obstacle to the modeling of pump-probe experiments. Here, a simple optimized model of atomic rubidium is combined with a molecular dynamics model to predict quantitatively the results of a pump-probe experiment in which long-range rubidium dimers are first excited, then ionized after a variable delay. The method is illustrated by the outline of two proposed feasible experiments and the calculation of their outcomes. Both of these proposals use Feshbach Rb872 molecules. We show that long-range molecular pump-probe experiments should observe spin-orbit precession given a suitable pump pulse, and that the associated high-frequency beat signal in the ionization probability decays after a few tens of picoseconds. If the molecule was to be excited to only a single fine-structure state, then a low-frequency oscillation in the internuclear separation would be detectable through the time-dependent ionization cross section, giving a mechanism that would enable observation of coherent vibrational motion in this molecule. © 2011 American Physical Society.

Abstract:

High-quality quantum sources are of paramount importance for the implementation of quantum technologies. We present here a heralded single-photon source based on commercial-grade polarization-maintaining optical fiber. The heralded photons exhibit a purity of at least 0.84 and an unprecedented heralding efficiency into a single-mode fiber of 85%. The birefringent phase-matching condition of the underlying four-wave mixing process can be controlled mechanically to optimize the wavelength tuning needed for interfacing multiple sources, as is required for large-scale entanglement generation. © 2011 American Physical Society.