Advances in mid-infrared spectroscopy enabled by supercontinuum laser sources
arXiv:2110.15091 · doi:10.1364/OE.447269
Abstract
Supercontinuum sources are all-fiber pulsed laser-driven systems that provide high power spectral densities within ultra-broadband spectral ranges. The tailored process of generating broadband, bright, and spectrally flat supercontinua -- through a complex interplay of linear and non-linear processes -- has been recently pushed further towards longer wavelengths and has evolved enough to enter the field of mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy. In this work, we review the current state and perspectives of this technology that offers laser-like emission properties and instantaneous broadband spectral coverage comparable to thermal emitters. We aim to go beyond a literature review. Thus, we first discuss the basic principles of supercontinuum sources and then provide an experimental part focusing on the quantification and analysis of intrinsic emission properties such as typical power spectral densities, brightness levels, spectral stability, and beam quality (to the best of the authors' knowledge, the M2 factor for a mid-IR supercontinuum source is characterized for the first time). On this basis, we identify key competitive advantages of these alternative emitters for mid-IR spectroscopy over state-of-the-art technologies such as thermal sources or quantum cascade lasers. The specific features of supercontinuum radiation open up prospects of improving well-established techniques in mid-IR spectroscopy and trigger developments of novel analytical methods and instrumentation. The review concludes with a structured summary of recent advances and applications in various routine mid-IR spectroscopy scenarios that have benefited from the use of supercontinuum sources.
34 pages, 13 figures
References in corpus (13)
- Instabilities, breathers and rogue waves in optics
- Harnessing and control of optical rogue waves in supercontinuum generation
- Real-time full bandwidth measurement of spectral noise in supercontinuum generation
- Mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in tapered chalcogenide fiber for producing octave-spanning frequency comb around 3 μm
- Amplitude noise and coherence degradation of femtosecond supercontinuum generation in all-normal-dispersion fibers
- Cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy in the mid-infrared using a supercontinuum source
- Supercontinua for high resolution absorption multiplex infrared spectroscopy
- Coherent supercontinuum generation in tellurite glass regular lattice photonic crystal fibers
- Sensitivity-enhanced Fourier transform mid-infrared spectroscopy using a supercontinuum laser source
- Correlative infrared optical coherence tomography and hyperspectral chemical imaging
- Cross-Phase Modulation Instability in PM ANDi Fiber-Based Supercontinuum Generation
- Time-encoded mid-infrared Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography
- Nanoimprinting and Tapering of Chalcogenide Photonic Crystal Fibers for Cascaded Supercontinuum Generation