Donna Strickland

Associate Chair
Associate Professor

Office: PHY 257, 264
Phone: (519) 888-4567 ext. 32724
Email: strickla@uwaterloo.ca

Research interests

• Intense laser-matter interactions
• Nonlinear optics
• Short-pulse, intense laser systems

Research activities

The propagation of intense beams through nonlinear media is receiving renewed interest, as attainable laser powers approach the petawatt level. Ionizing and self-focusing in air has been observed with collimated beams of pulses having peak powers greater than one terawatt. These propagation effects will be investigated in the laboratory. The ultimate goal of this research is to provide long channels of intense radiation, by controlling diffraction and self-focusing, for use in such applications as X-ray lasers and laser accelerators.

A second research interest is the investigation of laser-atom and laser-molecule interactions at intensities greater than the binding energies of the electrons. At these intensities, harmonic frequencies greater than the 100th order have been observed. Also molecular dynamics can be altered by varying the phase and amplitude of the laser pulses.

These research areas require continual development of short pulse, extremely intense laser systems. Laser development here will focus on new types of short pulse oscillators and amplifiers. Also new techniques for pulse shaping through control of the amplitude and phase of the laser radiation will be investigated.

Selected publications

• J.F. Xia, J. Sanderson, W.-K. Liu, D. Strickland.
  "Experimental Observation of Raman Chirped Adiabatic Rapid Passage",
  J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 36 (2003) L1-L6
• L. L. Losev, J. Song, J. F. Xia, Z. and D. Strickland, V. V. Brukhanov.
  "Multi-frequency parametric IR Raman generation in KGd(WO₄)₂ crystal with biharmonic ultrashort pulse pumping",
  Opt. Lett. 27, 2100-2102 (2002)
• J. F. Xia , J. Song, and D. Strickland.
  "Development of a dual-wavelength Ti:sapphire multi-pass amplifier and its application to intense mid-infrared generation",
  Opt. Commun. 206, 149-157 (2002)
• J. Song, J. F. Xia, Z. Zhang, and D. Strickland.
  "Mid-infrared Generated from mixing Output of Amplified, Dual Wavelength Ti:sapphire System",
  Opt. Lett. 27, 200 (2002).
• Z. Zhang, A. M. Deslauriers and D. Strickland.
  "Dual wavelength chirped pulse amplification system",
  Opt. Lett. 25, 581 (2000)