Statement of Requirements
The proposed instrument is a laser that produces pulses of duration less than 100 femtoseconds. The center wavelength of the laser should be tunable from 690nm to 1070nm. Daily operation of the laser and wavelength tuning should be automated.
General Description:
This source will deliver bright, tuneable femtosecond-duration pulses from 0.69um to 1.07um in wavelength. The tuning range of this laser makes it ideal for performing nonlinear optical interactions with visible or near-IR photons used in free-space quantum communications. It will be used to implement a novel scheme for improved quantum key distribution in a noisy environment. This source can also be used to setup and characterize the adaptive optics system in the laboratory.
Minimum Mandatory Requirements:
1. Oscillator Specifications
When used with the provided pump laser the oscillator output must have the following parameters:
1.1. Must have a wavelength tunability of at least 690-1040nm while producing pulses with a duration of less than 200 fs
1.2. The spatial mode of the output beam must be TEM00 with quality M2<1.2
1.3. The time-averaged output power must be more than 3.0W at 800nm
1.4. Power instability must be equal to or less than 2% rms over 2 hour period, after 60 minute warm-up and at constant environmental temperature (<±1°C).
1.5. The repetition rate must be between 75 and 85 MHz.
1.6. Beam diameter must be less than 5 mm, measured at 1/e^2 intensity level.
1.7. The beam astigmatism and ellipticity must be less than 15%
1.8. Pointing stability must be better that 10 microrad within 6 hours period after 60 min warm up time. (Laboratory temperature stability within +/-1C).
1.9. The output light must be polarized with a contrast of greater than 500 to 1.
1.10. The system must be able to automatically self-align, produce a laser beam output, and tune the output wavelength.
2. Other Criateria
2.1. Installation and onsite training must be included.
2.2. Must include one (1) year warranty on parts and labor.
3. Utilities
3.1. All components in the entire laser system must operate on standard Canadian power distribution/ electrical supply (120V, 20A or 208V, 20A). This includes power supplies, chiller, vacuum or cryo pumps, etc.
3.2 All electrical components must have CSA (Canadian Standards Association) certification or accepted equivalent as per Electrical Safety Authority Recognized Certification Mark at the following link: https://www.esasafe.com/electricalproducts/marks. Otherwise the cost of inspection and certification has to be covered by the vendor.
