Ultrashort pulse

Introduction

In optics, an ultrashort pulse of light is an electromagnetic pulse whose time duration is on the order of the femtosecond (10^{-15} second). Such pulses have a broadband optical spectrum, and can be created by mode-locked oscillators. They are commonly referred to as ultrafast events.

Related Topics:
Optics - Electromagnetic pulse - Optical spectrum - Mode-locked - Ultrafast

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They are characterized by a high peak power that usually leads to nonlinear interactions in various materials, including air. These processes are studied in the field of nonlinear optics.

Related Topics:
Power - Nonlinear optics

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the specialized literature, "ultrashort" means in the range 1 fs -- 1 ps, although such pulses no longer hold the record for the shortest pulses artificially generated. Indeed, pulse durations on the attosecond time scale have been reported.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~