2026-2027 ROC Optica Speaker Series - Rob Holcomb, University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics

Tailoring Laser-Generated Supercontinuum with Machine Learning

 

Abstract
Broadband supercontinuum sources are widely used in spectroscopy, metrology, imaging, and as seed sources for multipetawatt laser systems. However, continuum generation arises from coupled nonlinear optical processes, making performance highly sensitive to input conditions and difficult to model and optimize. We generate a configurable supercontinuum in a solid-state material using tunable subpicosecond 1-µm pulses from a home-built Yb:YAG thin-disk regenerative amplifier with nonlinear postcompression in a gas-filled hollow-core fiber. Characterization with a photodiode-based spectral diagnostic reveals key continuum features, including spectral tilt and threshold-dependent stability regimes that correlate with side-view fluorescence imaging. We demonstrate a tandem neural network framework for inverse modeling of white-light continuum generation and show that it reproduces desired outputs and enables system optimization. These results provide insight into coupled nonlinear dynamics and highlight the potential of neural-network–based inverse design for stable, configurable supercontinuum sources.

Bio

Rob Holcomb is a Ph.D. candidate in Optics at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics, where his research focuses on ultrafast laser systems, nonlinear optics, and machine-learning approaches for controlling and optimizing broadband supercontinuum generation. He holds a B.S. in Applied Physics and Mathematics from SUNY Geneseo. He previously interned at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he worked on nonlinear spectral broadening. He has experience in high-energy Yb:YAG laser development and operation, nonlinear pulse compression, and experimental characterization of ultrafast optical sources.

Parking and location
The talk will be held at UR River Campus,  Goergen 101. Parking is available in the lot across the street in Intercampus Drive Lot, and is free for talk attendees (no pass needed).