Towards Femtosecond-Scale Ultrafast Laser Studies
Major
Physics
Second Major
Art, BA
Submission Type
Poster
Area of Study or Work
Physics
Faculty Advisor
Gabriel C. Spalding
Location
CNS Atrium
Start Date
4-11-2026 8:30 AM
End Date
4-11-2026 9:45 AM
Abstract
In this project, we aim to adapt and disseminate our own undergraduate‑built ultrafast optics laboratory, updating previous work done at Bethel University, which centers on constructing and characterizing a mode‑locked erbium‑doped fiber ring laser. Many of the materials utilized by Bethel are now obsolete, but their work demonstrated how undergraduate teams might assemble a connector based Er‑fiber oscillator, implement a parallel‑grating dispersion‑compensation stage, and build a fiber‑coupled autocorrelator, which we aim to do using commercially available components and cost-effective diagnostic tools. We hope to disseminate that advanced ultrafast‑laser experimentation can be made accessible at the undergraduate level, through thoughtful design and modular construction. Before constructing a femtosecond‑pulse fiber ring laser at Illinois Wesleyan University, we are reviewing the relevant literature, studying existing implementations of mode‑locked fiber oscillators, and analyzing the design choices presented in Bethel’s documentation. This groundwork will guide our own decisions regarding component selection, dispersion management strategies, and diagnostic instrumentation. Successfully recreating this system will expand our technical competencies, providing us with hands-on experience in nonlinear fiber optics, pulse compression, and ultrafast measurement techniques, which are skills typically encountered only in graduate‑level laboratories. We hope that establishing this capability will support future coursework and research in ultrafast physics and quantum materials.
Towards Femtosecond-Scale Ultrafast Laser Studies
CNS Atrium
In this project, we aim to adapt and disseminate our own undergraduate‑built ultrafast optics laboratory, updating previous work done at Bethel University, which centers on constructing and characterizing a mode‑locked erbium‑doped fiber ring laser. Many of the materials utilized by Bethel are now obsolete, but their work demonstrated how undergraduate teams might assemble a connector based Er‑fiber oscillator, implement a parallel‑grating dispersion‑compensation stage, and build a fiber‑coupled autocorrelator, which we aim to do using commercially available components and cost-effective diagnostic tools. We hope to disseminate that advanced ultrafast‑laser experimentation can be made accessible at the undergraduate level, through thoughtful design and modular construction. Before constructing a femtosecond‑pulse fiber ring laser at Illinois Wesleyan University, we are reviewing the relevant literature, studying existing implementations of mode‑locked fiber oscillators, and analyzing the design choices presented in Bethel’s documentation. This groundwork will guide our own decisions regarding component selection, dispersion management strategies, and diagnostic instrumentation. Successfully recreating this system will expand our technical competencies, providing us with hands-on experience in nonlinear fiber optics, pulse compression, and ultrafast measurement techniques, which are skills typically encountered only in graduate‑level laboratories. We hope that establishing this capability will support future coursework and research in ultrafast physics and quantum materials.