Efficient 1 kHz femtosecond optical parametric amplification in BiB(3)O(6) pumped at 800 nm

Development of interface-/surface-specific two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy

Structures, kinetics, and chemical reactivities at interfaces and surfaces are key to understanding many of the fundamental scientific problems related to chemical, material, biological, and physical systems. These steady-state and dynamical properties at interfaces and surfaces require even-order techniques with time-resolution and spectral-resolution. Here, we develop fourth-order interface-/surface-specific two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy, including both two-dimensional electronic sum frequency generation (2D-ESFG) spectroscopy and two-dimensional electronic second harmonic generation (2D-ESHG) spectroscopy, for structural and dynamics studies of interfaces and surfaces. The 2D-ESFG and 2D-ESHG techniques were based on a unique laser source of broadband short-wave IR from 1200 nm to 2200 nm from a home-built optical parametric amplifier. With the broadband short-wave IR source, surface spectra cover most of the visible light region from 480 nm to 760 nm. A translating wedge-based identical pulses encoding system (TWINs) was introduced to generate a phase-locked pulse pair for coherent excitation in the 2D-ESFG and 2D-ESHG. As an example, we demonstrated surface dark states and their interactions of the surface states at p-type GaAs (001) surfaces with the 2D-ESFG and 2D-ESHG techniques. These newly developed time-resolved and interface-/surface-specific 2D spectroscopies would bring new information for structure and dynamics at interfaces and surfaces in the fields of the environment, materials, catalysis, and biology.

Green-Yellow-Orange-Red Spectral Range with Sum-Frequency Generation Using BIBO Crystal Pumped with an Optical Parametric Amplifier

In this letter, we show the broadband sum-frequency generation (SFG) in the Green-Yellow-Orange-Red spectral range using bismuth triborate, BiB3O6 crystal (BIBO) as a nonlinear material. We perform a noncollinear phase-matching configuration within the BIBO crystal using the remaining light behind the second harmonic generation stage and the infrared idler of an optical parametric amplifier (OPA). The obtained mixing radiation of ultrafast light sources to generate femtosecond pulses across the 520.5 to 742.5 nm region is observed. The SFG spectrum from a single-pass cross-correlation intensity over such visible range is shown. The SFG wavelengths as a function of the tunable wavelength idler OPA agree with the expectations of the parametric conversion condition and open the door to practical multi-beam or multi-color sum-frequency generators.

High-power, widely tunable, green-pumped femtosecond BiB3O6 optical parametric oscillator

We report on an efficient high-power, widely tunable femtosecond optical parametric oscillator in BiB₃O₆, synchronously pumped by a frequency-doubled mode-locked Yb:KGW laser at 515 nm. Using collinear type I (o→e+e) phase matching, a resonant wavelength range of 688-1057 nm at a 151-MHz repetition rate is demonstrated, with a tunable idler range of 1150-1900 nm. The output power at 705 nm is 1.09 W for 3.6 W pump power exceeding 30% conversion efficiency. Near-transform-limited pulses down to 71 fs are achieved by deploying extracavity dispersion compensation in a pair of SF6 prisms.

High-power Femtosecond Optical Parametric Amplification at 1 kHz in BiB(3)O(6) pumped at 800 nm

Substantial power scaling of a travelling-wave femtosecond optical parametric amplifier, pumped near 800 nm by a 1 kHz Ti:sapphire laser amplifier, is demonstrated using monoclinic BiB(3)O(6) in a two stage scheme with continuum seeding. Total energy output (signal plus idler) exceeding 1 mJ is achieved, corresponding to an intrinsic conversion efficiency of approximately 32% for the second stage. The tunability extends from 1.1 to 2.9 microm. The high parametric gain and broad amplification bandwidth of this crystal allowed the maintenance of the pump pulse duration, leading to pulse lengths less than 140 fs, both for the signal and idler pulses, even at such high output levels.