TIME-LENS PRODUCING 1.9 PS OPTICAL PULSES

A resonant microwave optical phase modulator in LiNbO3 with multiple passes, based on an off-axis path in a stable optical resonator, is demonstrated as a time-lens. With 1 W of cw microwave power at 5.2 GHz, 45 ps pulses at 1.06 mum were temporally focused to 6.7 ps (FWHM). Increasing the drive power to 13 W, at 10% duty cycle, produced 1.9 ps pulses. The aperture of the time-lens is about 31 ps. This is the first demonstration of a useful time-lens.