Arbitrarily Structured Laser Pulses

TL;DR

This paper introduces arbitrarily structured laser (ASTRL) pulses, a versatile formalism for creating complex laser fields with tailored spatiotemporal properties for various applications.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel superposition-based formalism for generating arbitrarily structured laser pulses, expanding the capabilities of spatiotemporal control techniques.

Findings

Demonstrates the versatility of ASTRL pulses through multiple examples.

Shows potential applications in advanced laser-based technologies.

Provides a general framework for designing complex laser fields.

Abstract

Spatiotemporal control refers to a class of optical techniques for structuring a laser pulse with coupled space-time dependent properties, including moving focal points, dynamic spot sizes, and evolving orbital angular momenta. Here we introduce the concept of arbitrarily structured laser (ASTRL) pulses which generalizes these techniques. The ASTRL formalism employs a superposition of prescribed pulses to create a desired electromagnetic field structure. Several examples illustrate the versatility of ASTRL pulses to address a range of laser-based applications.