%0 Journal Article
%A Martínez Matos, Óscar
%A Vaveliuk, Pablo
%A González Izquierdo, Jesús
%A Loriot, Vincent
%T Femtosecond spatial pulse shaping at the focal plane
%D 2013
%@ 1094-4087
%U https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/33515
%X Spatial shaping of ultrashort laser beams at the focal plane is theoretically analyzed. The description of the pulse is performed by its expansion in terms of Laguerre-Gaussian orthonormal modes. This procedure gives both a comprehensive interpretation of the propagation dynamics and the required signal to encode onto a spatial light modulator for spatial shaping, without using iterative algorithms. As an example, pulses with top-hat and annular spatial profiles are designed and their dynamics analyzed. The interference of top-hat pulses is also investigated finding potential applications in high precision pump-probe experiments (without using delay lines) and for the creation of subwavelength ablation patterns. In addition, a novel class of ultrashort pulses possessing non-stationary orbital angular momentum is also proposed. These exotic pulses provide additional degrees of freedom that open up new perspectives in fields such as laser-matter interaction and micro-machining.
%~