Spatiotemporal optical vortices generation in the green and ultraviolet via frequency upconversion[Invited]

As a newly discovered type of structured light,a spatiotemporal optical vortex(STOV),which is remarkable for its space–time spiral phase and transverse orbital angular momentum(OAM),has garnered substantial interest.Most previous studies have focused on the generation,characterization,and propagation of STOVs,but their nonlinear frequency conversion remains largely unexplored.Here,we experimentally demonstrate the generation of green and ultraviolet(UV)STOVs by frequency upconversion of a STOV carried near-infrared(NIR)pulse emitted by a high repetition rate Yb-doped fiber laser amplifier system.First,we verify that the topological charge of spatiotemporal OAM(ST-OAM)is doubled along with the optical frequency in the second-harmonic generation(SHG)process,which is visualized by the diffraction patterns of the STOVs in the fundamental and second-harmonic field.Second,the space–time characteristic of NIR STOV is successfully mapped to UV STOV by sum-frequency mixing STOV at 1037 nm and Gaussian beams in the green band.Furthermore,we observe the topological charges of the ST-OAM could be degraded owing to strong space–time coupling and complex spatiotemporal astigmatism of such beams.Our results not only deepen our understanding of nonlinear manipulation of STOAM spectra and the generation of STOVs at a new shorter wavelength,but also may promote new applications in both classical and quantum optics.

Recent advances on the synthesis of Sb(Ⅲ)-based inorganic ultraviolet nonlinear optical materials

Nonlinear optical(NLO)crystals are key components of solid-state lasers and widely used in civilian and military applications.A wide transmission range,a large second harmonic generation(SHG)effect and a suitable bire-fringence are important factors in determining a nonlinear material with excellent performance.Research on ultraviolet(UV)nonlinear optical materials has concentrated on borates,carbonates,and nitrates containing derivative groups,as well as phosphates and sulfates containing tetrahedral groups,as a result of the anionic group theory's influence.In addition,cations have a significant impact on NLO materials according to recent researches.The introduction of lone electron pair cations Sb(Ⅲ)has been proven to be an effective strategy by our group,which could modulate the crystal structures of NLO materials to regulate their linear and nonlinear optical properties.This paper presents a short review of the reported Sb(Ⅲ)-based UV-NLO materials.Also,it gives an overview of the role played by different synthetic methods in the synthesis process of Sb(Ⅲ)-based UV-NLO materials and how to solve the difficult problems including oxidation and hydrolysis.This work will offer some synthetic concepts for investigating the subsequent class of high-performance UV nonlinear materials.