Arbitrary manipulation of nonlinear optical processes

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method for arbitrary manipulation of nonlinear optical processes through artificial phase control, enabling highly efficient, tunable frequency conversions across extreme spectral regions with simple technology.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach to control nonlinear optical processes by adjusting phases with transparent plates, achieving broad spectral tunability and high efficiency.

Findings

Achieved near-unity quantum efficiencies in frequency conversions.

Demonstrated a tunable laser covering 120-200 nm in the vacuum-ultraviolet.

Proposed a simple technology using transparent plates for phase control.

Abstract

Nonlinear optical processes are governed by the relative-phase relationships among the relevant electromagnetic fields in these processes. In this Letter, we describe the physics of arbitrary manipulation of nonlinear optical processes (AMNOP) by artificial control of relative phases. As a typical example, we show freely designable optical-frequency conversions to extreme spectral regions, mid-infrared and vacuum-ultraviolet, with near-unity quantum efficiencies. Furthermore, we show that such optical-frequency conversions can be realized by using a surprisingly simple technology where transparent plates are placed in a nonlinear optical medium and their positions and thicknesses are adjusted precisely. In a numerical experiment assuming practically applicable parameters in detail, we demonstrate a single-frequency tunable laser that covers the whole vacuum-ultraviolet spectral range of 120 to 200 nm.