A high harmonic radiation source and associated method of generating high harmonic radiation is disclosed. The high harmonic radiation source is configured to condition a gas medium by irradiating the gas medium with a pre-pulse of radiation, thereby generating a plasma comprising a pre-pulse plasma distribution; and irradiate the gas medium with a main pulse of radiation to generate said high harmonic radiation. The conditioning step is such that the plasma comprising a pre-pulse plasma distribution acts to configure a wavefront of said main pulse to improve one or both of: the efficiency of the high harmonic generation process and the beam quality of the high harmonic radiation. The high harmonic radiation source further may comprise a beam shaping device configured to shape said customized pre-pulse prior to said conditioning.

The device of the disclosure provides an optical frequency comb frequency multiplication link to generate millimeter wave signals. The device of the disclosure also provides a local oscillator and a delay compensation link to eliminate the influence of the phase noise of the local oscillator on the test system. The local oscillator signal is down-converted in the optical carrier radio frequency link to obtain an intermediate frequency signal. The intermediate frequency signal is then down-converted with the local oscillator signal and the millimeter wave signal twice to cancel the influence of the microwave mixer noise on the test system. At last, by detecting the output low-frequency signal noise, the ultra-low phase noise level of the millimeter wave signal can be accurately obtained.

An integrated optical circuit for an optical neural network is provided. The integrated optical circuit is configured to process a phase-encoded optical input signal and to provide a phase-encoded output signal depending on the phase-encoded optical input signal. The phase-encoded output signal emulates a synapse functionality with respect to the phase-encoded optical input signal. A related method and a related design structure are further provided.

Laser plasma optical device comprising a laser system for outputting driving light pulses and signal light pulses, a vacuum target chamber, a gas target generating device for generating gas and forming a required plasma channel target through high voltage capillary discharge ionization (or through laser picosecond pre-pulse ablation) of gas, and a focusing element. The driving light pulse is focused on the generated plasma channel target through the focusing element to generate a density-modulated plasma wake; and after a predetermined delay time T, the signal light pulse is focused onto a leading edge region of a second plasma density cavitation bubble of the plasma wake through the focusing element, so that the frequency of the signal light pulse is red-shifted to generate an ultra-intense near-single-cycle mid-infrared pulse.

Methods and devices are described for performing an all-phase measurement of an ultra-fast laser pulse having a spectral range of greater than one octave. The ultra-fast laser pulse may be split into a first beam comprising a fundamental light with a wavelength λ.sub.0 and a second beam comprising a light with a wavelength 2λ.sub.0. The light with the wavelength 2λ.sub.0 may be frequency doubled to a light with a wavelength λ.sub.0 to generate an interference with the fundamental light. Fourier transform may be performed on an interference spectrum of the interference, and a relative envelope delay (RED) between the fundamental light and the frequency doubled light and a carrier envelope phase (CEP) may be acquired based on a result of the Fourier transform.

Disclosed is an illumination source comprising a gas delivery system comprising a gas nozzle. The gas nozzle comprises an opening in an exit plane of the gas nozzle. The gas delivery system is configured to provide a gas flow from the opening for generating an emitted radiation at an interaction region. The illumination source is configured to receive a pump radiation having a propagation direction and to provide the pump radiation in the gas flow. A geometry shape of the gas nozzle is adapted to shape a profile of the gas flow such that gas density of the gas flow first increases to a maximum value and subsequently falls sharply in a cut-off region along the propagation direction.

Disclosed is an illumination source comprising a gas delivery system comprising a gas nozzle. The gas nozzle comprises an opening in an exit plane of the gas nozzle. The gas delivery system is configured to provide a gas flow from the opening for generating an emitted radiation at an interaction region. The illumination source is configured to receive a pump radiation having a propagation direction and to provide the pump radiation in the gas flow. A geometry shape of the gas nozzle is adapted to shape a profile of the gas flow such that gas density of the gas flow first increases to a maximum value and subsequently falls sharply in a cut-off region along the propagation direction.

An entanglement-enhanced interferometry system includes a source of correlated photons configured to two-mode squeezed vacuum (TMSV), a polarizing splitter or off-axis polarizing coupler configured to separate the correlated photons into two paths, a polarization control device configured to rotate polarization of photons on one of the two paths relative to the photons on the other of the two paths in order to make photons indistinguishable, a coupler configured to entangle the indistinguishable photons, and a polarization maintaining fiber-based interferometer configured to use the entangled photons as the input state. The source of correlated photons might be a nonlinear element such as a periodically poled element such as a lithium niobate bulk crystal or waveguide. The interferometer might be a Mach-Zehnder or a common path configuration. The coupler might be a 50:50 coupler or a polarizing coupler 45 degrees off-axis.

A method and system for operating a frequency comb. The method may comprise operating an electro-optic (EO) frequency comb with two phase-locked microwave signals to produce an optical output, detecting the optical output with an optical receiver as one or more beat notes, and detecting the one or more beat notes with a radio-frequency spectrum analyzer. The system may comprise an EO frequency comb and an EO phase modulator disposed in the bulk nonlinear crystal resonator. The EO frequency comb may further comprise a continuous-wave laser and a bulk nonlinear crystal resonator connected to the continuous-wave laser.

A method and system for operating a frequency comb. The method may comprise operating an electro-optic (EO) frequency comb with two phase-locked microwave signals to produce an optical output, detecting the optical output with an optical receiver as one or more beat notes, and detecting the one or more beat notes with a radio-frequency spectrum analyzer. The system may comprise an EO frequency comb and an EO phase modulator disposed in the bulk nonlinear crystal resonator. The EO frequency comb may further comprise a continuous-wave laser and a bulk nonlinear crystal resonator connected to the continuous-wave laser.