Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Super-bandwidth in laser pulses

Enrique G. Neyra, Demian A. Biasetti, Pablo Vaveliuk, Gustavo Adrian Torchia, Fabián A. Videla, Marcelo F. Ciappina, Lorena Rebón

Published Jun 17, 2021• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We present here a theoretical analysis of the interaction between an ideal two-level quantum system and a super-oscillatory pulse, like the one proposed and successfully synthesized in Ref. this http URL. As a prominent feature, these pulses present a high efficiency of the central super-oscillatory region in relation to the unavoidable side-lobes. Besides, our study shows an increase of the global bandwidth of the pulse, in the super-oscillatory region, and not only the appearance of a frequency higher than its highest Fourier-frequency component, as in the usual description of the phenomenon of super-oscillations. Beyond introducing the concept of super-bandwidth, the presented results could be relevant for experimental applications and opening new perspectives for laser-matter interaction.

Related papers

Effective super-bandwidth in laser pulses

Enrique G. Neyra, Demian A. Biasetti, Pablo Vaveliuk +4 more

We present here a theoretical analysis of the interaction between an ideal two-level quantum system and a super-oscillatory pulse, like the one proposed and successfully synthesized in [J. Opt.23, 075604 (2021)JOOPDB0150-536X10.1088/2040-8986/abfedf; arXiv:2106.09192 (2021)]. As a prominent feature, these pulses present a high efficiency of the central super-oscillatory region in relation to unavoidable sidelobes. Our study shows an increase in the effective bandwidth of the pulse in the super-oscillatory region, and not only the appearance of a local frequency higher than its highest Fourier-frequency component, as in the usual description of the phenomenon of super-oscillations. Beyond introducing the concept of effective super-bandwidth, the presented results could be relevant for experimental applications and opening new perspectives for laser-matter interaction.

arXiv:2106.09596•Optics Letters•Aug 25, 2021•3 citations

Temporal optical super-resolution by super-oscillating beats (Conference Presentation)

Alon Bahabad, Yaniv Eliezer, Liran Hareli +2 more

We experimentally broke the temporal Fourier focusing limit of an ultra-short optical pulse and used it to demonstrate temporal super-resolution detection of a temporal event [1]. The envelope function of the pulse is synthesized in the form of a Super-Oscillating Beat (SOB) signal, made of pairs of optical modes (i.e. beat modes) centered around a common carrier frequency. The mathematical form for the synthesis of the SOB signal is based on a known super-oscillatory function [2]. Suited with the right amplitude and phases these beat modes interfere to create a lobe in the temporal waveform of the field’s envelope which can be arbitrarily narrow, at the cost of reduced amplitude at the fast oscillation. In our case, we achieved a temporal feature that is approximately three times shorter than the duration of a transform-limited Gaussian pulse having a comparable bandwidth while maintaining 30% visibility of the super-oscillating feature. We then used this SOB signal to demonstrate experimentally temporal super-resolution. Specifically, the SOB signal was used to resolve the existence of a temporal double-slit, a pair of adjacent pulses which are detected as a single temporal event by a transform-limited Gaussian pulse having the same bandwidth. Formally, this experiment constitutes a temporal analogue to super resolution imaging by using a super oscillating point-spread-function [3,4]. Numerical simulations analyse in which cases the SOB signal outperform transform-limited signals for detection of short temporal events. [1] Y. Eliezer, L. Hareli, L. Lobachinsky, S. Froim and A. Bahabad, “Breaking the Temporal Resolution Limit by Superoscillating Optical Beats”, Physical Review Letters, 119, 043903 (2017). [2] M. V Berry and S. Popescu, "Evolution of Quantum Superoscillations and Optical Supperresolution without Evanescent Waves," J. Phys. A. Math. Gen. 39, 6965 (2006). [3] A. M. H. Wong and G. V Eleftheriades, "An Optical Super-microscope for Far-field, Real-time Imaging Beyond the Diffraction Limit" Sci. Rep. 3, (2013). [4] E. T. F. Rogers, J. Lindberg, T. Roy, S. Savo, J. E. Chad, M. R. Dennis, and N. I. Zheludev, "A Super-oscillatory Lens Optical Microscope for Subwavelength Imaging," Nat. Mater. 11, 432 (2012).

SPIE Conference on Nonlinear Optics and its Applications•May 23, 2018•0 citations

Excitation of wave packets

Carlos R. Stroud, J.D. Parker, John A. Yeazell

The large transform bandwidth of a picosecond or subpicosecond laser pulse can simultaneously and coherently excite many electronic states of an atom or molecule. The resulting superposition state has a number of properties very different from those of an ordinary energy eigenstate.

•Apr 26, 1987•0 citations

Free temporal evolution of a superbandwidth wave packet: The quantum tale of the hare and the tortoise

Enrique G. Neyra, Marcelo F. Ciappina, Lorena Rebón

Can the interplay between quantum mechanics and classical optics offer new perspectives on wavepacket dynamics? Building on this connection, we show that local momenta with both super-oscillatory and suboscillatory characteristics can arise during the free propagation of a quantum particle. This behavior is mathematically analogous to the propagation of a superbandwidth laser pulse in a dispersive medium, where the instantaneous frequencies of the electric field exhibit similar sub- and super-oscillatory features. This analogy is rooted in the equivalence between the wave description of light in classical optics and the formalism of quantum mechanics. In addition, we explore the phenomenon of wavepacket localization during free propagation within a bounded region. This localization is directly linked to the distribution of local momenta within the confined wavepacket region. To complement our quantum mechanical analysis, we also perform a classical analysis to provide further insights into this phenomenon. Our findings reveal that both the emergence of local momenta with sub- and super-oscillatory features and the wavepacket localization occur within a distinct timescale, which we define as the interference time.

arXiv:2501.06001•Jan 10, 2025•0 citations

Analysis of superoscillatory wave functions

Matt S. Calder, Achim Kempf

Surprisingly, differentiable functions are able to oscillate arbitrarily faster than their highest Fourier component would suggest. The phenomenon is called superoscillation. Recently, a practical method for calculating superoscillatory functions was presented and it was shown that superoscillatory quantum mechanical wave functions should exhibit a number of counter-intuitive physical effects. Following up on this work, we here present more general methods which allow the calculation of superoscillatory wave functions with custom-designed physical properties. We give concrete examples and we prove results about the limits to superoscillatory behavior. We also give a simple and intuitive new explanation for the exponential computational cost of superoscillations.

arXiv:quant-ph/0405065•Journal of Mathematical Physics•Dec 22, 2004•26 citations

Simple interferometric setup enabling sub-Fourier-scale ultra-short laser pulses

Enrique G. Neyra, Gustavo Adrian Torchia, Pablo Vaveliuk +1 more

Abstract In this work, we describe an interferometric method to generate ultra-short pulses below the Fourier limit. It is done by extending concepts first developed in the spatial domain to achieve sub-diffractive beams through the addition of a spatial chirp in one of the arms of a Michelson interferometer using a spherical mirror. To experimentally synthesize sub-Fourier pulses, we replace the spherical mirror with a water cell, since it produces chirp in the temporal domain. We also present an alternative procedure, based on asymmetrical interference between the widened pulse and the original pulse where the peaks of both pulses exhibit a temporal delay achieving the narrowing of ultra-short pulses with sub-Fourier scales. To characterize the performance of the system, we performed a preliminary assessment considering the percentage of full width at half-maximum shrinking obtained for each scheme. By means of a symmetrical configuration, 7% and 12% pulse reductions were verified, both experimentally and analytically, while for the non-symmetrical configuration, 10% and 24% reductions were achieved corresponding to main lobe to side-lobe ratios of 10% and 30%. The experimental setup scheme is simple, versatile and able to work with high-power laser sources and ultra-short pulses with a broad bandwidth at any central wavelength. The results presented in this work are promising and help to enlighten new routes and strategies in the design of coherent control systems. We envision that they will become broadly useful in different areas from strong field domain to quantum information.

arXiv:2106.09192•Journal of Optics•Dec 14, 2021•4 citations
We present here a theoretical analysis of the interaction between an ideal two-level quantum system and a super-oscillatory pulse, like the one proposed and successfully synthesized in Ref. this http URL. As a prominent feature, these pulses present a high efficiency of the central super-oscillatory region in relation to the unavoidable side-lobes. Besides, our study shows an increase of the global bandwidth of the pulse, in the super-oscillatory region, and not only the appearance of a frequency higher than its highest Fourier-frequency component, as in the usual description of the phenomenon of super-oscillations. Beyond introducing the concept of super-bandwidth, the presented results could be relevant for experimental applications and opening new perspectives for laser-matter interaction.
We present here a theoretical analysis of the interaction between an ideal two-level quantum system and a super-oscillatory pulse, like the one proposed and successfully synthesized in [J. Opt.23, 075604 (2021)JOOPDB0150-536X10.1088/2040-8986/abfedf; arXiv:2106.09192 (2021)]. As a prominent feature, these pulses present a high efficiency of the central super-oscillatory region in relation to unavoidable sidelobes. Our study shows an increase in the effective bandwidth of the pulse in the super-oscillatory region, and not only the appearance of a local frequency higher than its highest Fourier-frequency component, as in the usual description of the phenomenon of super-oscillations. Beyond introducing the concept of effective super-bandwidth, the presented results could be relevant for experimental applications and opening new perspectives for laser-matter interaction.
We experimentally broke the temporal Fourier focusing limit of an ultra-short optical pulse and used it to demonstrate temporal super-resolution detection of a temporal event [1]. The envelope function of the pulse is synthesized in the form of a Super-Oscillating Beat (SOB) signal, made of pairs of optical modes (i.e. beat modes) centered around a common carrier frequency. The mathematical form for the synthesis of the SOB signal is based on a known super-oscillatory function [2]. Suited with the right amplitude and phases these beat modes interfere to create a lobe in the temporal waveform of the field’s envelope which can be arbitrarily narrow, at the cost of reduced amplitude at the fast oscillation. In our case, we achieved a temporal feature that is approximately three times shorter than the duration of a transform-limited Gaussian pulse having a comparable bandwidth while maintaining 30% visibility of the super-oscillating feature. We then used this SOB signal to demonstrate experimentally temporal super-resolution. Specifically, the SOB signal was used to resolve the existence of a temporal double-slit, a pair of adjacent pulses which are detected as a single temporal event by a transform-limited Gaussian pulse having the same bandwidth. Formally, this experiment constitutes a temporal analogue to super resolution imaging by using a super oscillating point-spread-function [3,4]. Numerical simulations analyse in which cases the SOB signal outperform transform-limited signals for detection of short temporal events. [1] Y. Eliezer, L. Hareli, L. Lobachinsky, S. Froim and A. Bahabad, “Breaking the Temporal Resolution Limit by Superoscillating Optical Beats”, Physical Review Letters, 119, 043903 (2017). [2] M. V Berry and S. Popescu, "Evolution of Quantum Superoscillations and Optical Supperresolution without Evanescent Waves," J. Phys. A. Math. Gen. 39, 6965 (2006). [3] A. M. H. Wong and G. V Eleftheriades, "An Optical Super-microscope for Far-field, Real-time Imaging Beyond the Diffraction Limit" Sci. Rep. 3, (2013). [4] E. T. F. Rogers, J. Lindberg, T. Roy, S. Savo, J. E. Chad, M. R. Dennis, and N. I. Zheludev, "A Super-oscillatory Lens Optical Microscope for Subwavelength Imaging," Nat. Mater. 11, 432 (2012).
Can the interplay between quantum mechanics and classical optics offer new perspectives on wavepacket dynamics? Building on this connection, we show that local momenta with both super-oscillatory and suboscillatory characteristics can arise during the free propagation of a quantum particle. This behavior is mathematically analogous to the propagation of a superbandwidth laser pulse in a dispersive medium, where the instantaneous frequencies of the electric field exhibit similar sub- and super-oscillatory features. This analogy is rooted in the equivalence between the wave description of light in classical optics and the formalism of quantum mechanics. In addition, we explore the phenomenon of wavepacket localization during free propagation within a bounded region. This localization is directly linked to the distribution of local momenta within the confined wavepacket region. To complement our quantum mechanical analysis, we also perform a classical analysis to provide further insights into this phenomenon. Our findings reveal that both the emergence of local momenta with sub- and super-oscillatory features and the wavepacket localization occur within a distinct timescale, which we define as the interference time.
Surprisingly, differentiable functions are able to oscillate arbitrarily faster than their highest Fourier component would suggest. The phenomenon is called superoscillation. Recently, a practical method for calculating superoscillatory functions was presented and it was shown that superoscillatory quantum mechanical wave functions should exhibit a number of counter-intuitive physical effects. Following up on this work, we here present more general methods which allow the calculation of superoscillatory wave functions with custom-designed physical properties. We give concrete examples and we prove results about the limits to superoscillatory behavior. We also give a simple and intuitive new explanation for the exponential computational cost of superoscillations.
Abstract In this work, we describe an interferometric method to generate ultra-short pulses below the Fourier limit. It is done by extending concepts first developed in the spatial domain to achieve sub-diffractive beams through the addition of a spatial chirp in one of the arms of a Michelson interferometer using a spherical mirror. To experimentally synthesize sub-Fourier pulses, we replace the spherical mirror with a water cell, since it produces chirp in the temporal domain. We also present an alternative procedure, based on asymmetrical interference between the widened pulse and the original pulse where the peaks of both pulses exhibit a temporal delay achieving the narrowing of ultra-short pulses with sub-Fourier scales. To characterize the performance of the system, we performed a preliminary assessment considering the percentage of full width at half-maximum shrinking obtained for each scheme. By means of a symmetrical configuration, 7% and 12% pulse reductions were verified, both experimentally and analytically, while for the non-symmetrical configuration, 10% and 24% reductions were achieved corresponding to main lobe to side-lobe ratios of 10% and 30%. The experimental setup scheme is simple, versatile and able to work with high-power laser sources and ultra-short pulses with a broad bandwidth at any central wavelength. The results presented in this work are promising and help to enlighten new routes and strategies in the design of coherent control systems. We envision that they will become broadly useful in different areas from strong field domain to quantum information.