Mode-locking - Applications

Applications

• Nuclear fusion. (inertial confinement fusion).
• Nonlinear optics, such as second-harmonic generation, parametric down-conversion, optical parametric oscillators, and generation of Terahertz radiation
• Optical Data Storage uses lasers, and the emerging technology of 3D optical data storage generally relies on nonlinear photochemistry. For this reason, many examples use mode-locked lasers, since they can offer a very high repetition rate of ultrashort pulses.
• Femtosecond laser micromachining – The short pulses can be used to micromachine in many types of materials.
• An example of pico- and femtosecond micromachining is drilling the silicon jet surface of ink jet printers
• Two-photon microscopy
• Corneal Surgery. Femtosecond lasers can create bubbles in the cornea, if multiple bubbles are created in a planar fashion parallel to the corneal surface then the tissue separates at this plane and a flap like the one in LASIK is formed (Intralase: Intralasik or SBK (Sub Bowman Keratomileusis) if the flap thickness is equal or less than 100 micrometres). If done in multiple layers a piece of corneal tissue between these layers can be removed (Visumax: FLEX Femtosecond Lenticle Extraction).
• A laser technique has been developed that renders the surface of metals deep black. A femtosecond laser pulse deforms the surface of the metal forming nanostructures. The immensely increased surface area can absorb virtually all the light that falls on it thus rendering it deep black. This is one type of black gold
• Photonic Sampling, using the high accuracy of lasers over electronic clocks to decrease the sampling error in electronic ADCs