Sub-cycle phase coherence of an optical field can now be preserved over seconds. This capability has facilitated the merge between CW laser-based precision optical-frequency metrology and mode-locked laser-based ultrafast science, resulting in profound and unexpected progress in both fields. An optical frequency comb spanning the entire visible spectrum allows any optical frequency to be established at the Hz level stability and accuracy. Accurate phase connections among different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum have established optical atomic clocks and optical frequency synthesis. Combined with ultracold atoms, optical spectroscopy and frequency metrology at the highest level of precision and resolution are being accomplished. The parallel developments in the time domain have resulted in precise control of the pulse waveform in the sub-femtosecond regime. This has led to recent demonstrations of coherent synthesis of optical pulses from independent lasers, coherent control in nonlinear spectroscopy, coherent pulse addition without any optical gain, and generation of coherent frequency combs in the VUV and XUV spectral regions. With this unified approach on time and frequency domain controls, one can now pursue simultaneously coherent control of quantum dynamics in the time domain and high precision measurements of matter structure in the frequency domain.
Coffee and cookies before the presentation at 3:20 pm, and refreshments after the presentation will both be served in Room 128.