ROCKY MOUNTAIN SECTION OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
                              &
           IEEE LASERS AND ELECTROOPTICS SOCIETY


                       Sept. Meeting

Date:  Thursday, 18 Sept. 2003
Time:  7:00 PM refreshments, 7:30 PM talk
Place: National Center for Atmospheric Research
       Mesa Lab
       Main Seminar Room
       1850 Table Mesa, Boulder


Title: Stabilization of femtosecond lasers for precision 
measurement and coherent storage of optical pulses in 
external cavities

       R. Jason Jones
       JILA
       Boulder, CO


Abstract:

The stabilization of mode-locked femtosecond lasers has 
played a key role in recent advances in optical frequency 
metrology. Noise reduction in femtosecond laser systems 
becomes increasingly important as novel applications 
utilizing the femtosecond comb are developed that require 
greater levels of control. Proper stabilization of ultrafast 
lasers can allow efficient coupling and temporary storage of 
ultrashort light pulses inside passive high finesse cavities. 
This enables exciting possibilities for advancing 
enhancement-cavity based techniques for short pulses, such as 
nonlinear frequency conversion, intracavity spectroscopy, and 
coherent pulse amplification to name a few. A highly stable 
cavity may even itself serve as a frequency and phase 
reference for the pulse train. This provides strong 
motivation to further improve tools for ultrafast laser 
control. I will describe efforts in both active stabilization 
of ultrafast lasers and in storing these pulses in high 
finesse cavities.


Biography:

R. Jason Jones was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1972. 
He graduated from Bethel College (St. Paul, MN) in 1994 with 
a B.S. degree in Physics and from the University of New 
Mexico in 2001 with a Ph.D. in Optical Science. His graduate 
work focused on the use of stable Fabry-Perot cavities for 
both intracavity dispersion measurements and stabilization of 
femtosecond lasers for optical frequency metrology. He is 
currently a postdoctoral research associate at JILA in 
Boulder CO, where he is supported by a fellowship from the 
National Research Council.