The technology of generating ultrafast laser pulses has resulted in substantial progress in our understanding of how nature works at the fundamental time scales for atomic and molecular processes. Our research group has been a leader in this technology development, with many designs that were developed in our group in use throughout the world. For example, the mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser design developed in our group is a standard fixture in hundreds of laboratories worldwide (including in several other JILA labs). In 1994, our group demonstrated the first sub-10 femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser.

Our current work in developing high peak-power, high average-power lasers with unprecedented short pulse duration, and our development of pulse-shaping and dispersion-compensation techniques, has made it possible to explore new areas of science. Science and technology are inextricably linked and continue to drive each other. Our latest innovation is a simple and compact laser capable of generating millijoule pulse energies at up to 20 kHz repetition-rate, with carrier-envelope phase stabilization. This is an unprecedented average power for compact, university-scale, lasers, and is based on cryo-cooling of the amplifier crystal. This new laser system will enable many applications in science and technology. We are also continually developing new laser designs, diagnostics, and optical elements in our group.

See also http://www.kmlabs.com

Fig. 2. Cryo-cooling of the laser amplifier crystal allows the repetition rate to be increased to tens of kHz, for application experiments and for generating high-flux x-ray beams.
Opt. Lett. 22, 1256 (1997); Rev. Scientific Instruments 69, 1207 (1998); Opt. Lett. 29, 2665 (2004).