1
|
Zhang Y, Zhu W, Wang J, Ma J, Yuan P, Zhang D, Zhu H, Qian L. Ultrabroad bandwidth of quasi-parametric amplification beyond the phase-matching limit. OPTICS EXPRESS 2024; 32:5481-5491. [PMID: 38439273 DOI: 10.1364/oe.513828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Quasi-parametric amplification (QPA), a variant of optical parametric amplification, can release the phase-matching requirement owing to the introduction of idler dissipation, and thus may support ultrabroad bandwidth. Here we establish the gain-dispersion equation for QPA, which reveals the interplay of signal gain, idler dissipation and phase mismatch. The idler dissipation dramatically enhances the gain bandwidth, which breaks the limit set by phase matching. We theoretically demonstrate that QPA with strong dissipation allows high-efficiency few-cycle pulse amplification in those nonlinear crystals without a magic phase-matching solution.
Collapse
|
2
|
Deckert T, Vanderhaegen A, Brida D. Sub-8-fs pulses in the visible to near-infrared by a degenerate optical parametric amplifier. OPTICS LETTERS 2023; 48:4496-4499. [PMID: 37656537 DOI: 10.1364/ol.498291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
This work presents a single-stage optical parametric amplifier (OPA) operating at degeneracy (DOPA) and pumped by the third harmonic of a Yb:KGW laser system. This DOPA exploits the broad amplification bandwidth that occurs with type-I phase-matching in β-barium borate (BBO) when signal and idler overlap in the spectrum. The output pulses span from 590 to 780 nm (1.59-2.10 eV) with 7.75-fs duration after compression. Ultrashort pulses with similar bandwidths in this spectral window complement the existing array of optical parametric amplifiers that cover either the visible or the near-IR spectral regions with sub-10-fs pulses. This source of ultrashort optical pulses will enable the application of sophisticated spectroscopy techniques to the study of electronic coherences and energy migration pathways in biological, chemical, and condensed matter systems.
Collapse
|
3
|
Dorrer C, Spilatro M, Herman S, Borger T, Hill EM. Broadband sum-frequency generation of spectrally incoherent pulses. OPTICS EXPRESS 2021; 29:16135-16152. [PMID: 34154182 DOI: 10.1364/oe.424167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We study and demonstrate the nonlinear frequency conversion of broadband optical pulses from 1053 nm to 351 nm using sum-frequency generation with a narrowband pulse at 526.5 nm. The combination of angular dispersion and noncollinearity cancels out the wave-vector mismatch and its frequency derivative, yielding an order-of-magnitude increase in spectral acceptance compared to conventional tripling. This scheme can support the nonlinear frequency conversion of broadband spectrally incoherent nanosecond pulses generated by high-energy lasers and optical parametric amplifiers to mitigate laser-plasma instabilities occurring during interaction with a target. The experimental results obtained with KDP crystals are in excellent agreement with modeling, demonstrating the generation of spectrally incoherent pulses with a bandwidth larger than 10 THz at 351 nm.
Collapse
|
4
|
Li Z, Tsubakimoto K, Ogino J, Guo X, Tokita S, Miyanaga N, Kawanaka J. Stable ultra-broadband gain spectrum with wide-angle non-collinear optical parametric amplification. OPTICS EXPRESS 2018; 26:28848-28860. [PMID: 30470055 DOI: 10.1364/oe.26.028848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Comparing with the non-collinear optical parametric amplification (NOPA), the gain bandwidth could be significantly enhanced by the wide-angle NOPA (WNOPA), i.e., with a divergent signal (WNOPA-S) or pump (WNOPA-P). In a uniaxial crystal, the spectral symmetry/asymmetry of WNOPA is introduced. In WNOPA-S, the ultra-broadband gain spectrum can be obtained in two phase-matching directions at both sides of the pump, however, the output is heavily angularly dispersed. In WNOPA-P, although the gain bandwidth enhancement is only achieved in one phase-matching direction, i.e., on the opposite side of the crystal axis, it is free of angular dispersion. The stabilities of the gain spectrum in NOPA and in WNOPA-P are experimentally compared and theoretically analyzed. Compared with NOPA, WNOPA-P supports an even broader and more stable gain spectrum, and compared with WNOPA-S, WNOPA-P is angular-dispersion-free. The conversation efficiency of WNOPA-P is the same as NOPA. We suppose WNOPA-P is ideally suitable for the amplification of stable ultra-broadband few-cycle pulse lasers.
Collapse
|
5
|
Temperature- and wavelength-insensitive parametric amplification enabled by noncollinear achromatic phase-matching. Sci Rep 2016; 6:36059. [PMID: 27786299 PMCID: PMC5081528 DOI: 10.1038/srep36059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) has been demonstrated to be a promising approach for pushing femtosecond pulses towards ultra-high peak powers. However, the future success of OPCPA strongly relies on the ability to manipulate its phase-matching (PM) configuration. When a high average power pump laser is involved, the thermal effects in nonlinear crystals induce phase-mismatch distortions that pose an inherent limitation on the conversion efficiency. Here, we demonstrate that the noncollinear configuration previously adopted for wavelength-insensitive PM can be employed for temperature-insensitive PM when the noncollinear angle is properly reset. Simultaneous temperature- and wavelength-insensitive PM is realized for the first time by imposing such a temperature-insensitive noncollinear configuration with an angularly dispersed seed signal. Based on the lithium triborate crystal, the proposed noncollinear achromatic PM has a thermal acceptance 6 times larger than that of the conventional wavelength-insensitive noncollinear PM and has a sufficient spectral acceptance to support pulse durations of ~20 fs at 800 nm. These achievements open new possibilities for generating ultra-high peak power lasers with high average power.
Collapse
|
6
|
Schmidt BE, Thiré N, Boivin M, Laramée A, Poitras F, Lebrun G, Ozaki T, Ibrahim H, Légaré F. Frequency domain optical parametric amplification. Nat Commun 2014; 5:3643. [PMID: 24805968 PMCID: PMC4024740 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2013] [Accepted: 03/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Today's ultrafast lasers operate at the physical limits of optical materials to reach extreme performances. Amplification of single-cycle laser pulses with their corresponding octave-spanning spectra still remains a formidable challenge since the universal dilemma of gain narrowing sets limits for both real level pumped amplifiers as well as parametric amplifiers. We demonstrate that employing parametric amplification in the frequency domain rather than in time domain opens up new design opportunities for ultrafast laser science, with the potential to generate single-cycle multi-terawatt pulses. Fundamental restrictions arising from phase mismatch and damage threshold of nonlinear laser crystals are not only circumvented but also exploited to produce a synergy between increased seed spectrum and increased pump energy. This concept was successfully demonstrated by generating carrier envelope phase stable, 1.43 mJ two-cycle pulses at 1.8 μm wavelength.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bruno E Schmidt
- 1] Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Énergie Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Quebec, Canada J3X1S2 [2] few-cycle Inc., 2890 Rue de Beaurivage, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H1L 5W5
| | - Nicolas Thiré
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Énergie Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Quebec, Canada J3X1S2
| | - Maxime Boivin
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Énergie Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Quebec, Canada J3X1S2
| | - Antoine Laramée
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Énergie Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Quebec, Canada J3X1S2
| | - François Poitras
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Énergie Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Quebec, Canada J3X1S2
| | - Guy Lebrun
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Énergie Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Quebec, Canada J3X1S2
| | - Tsuneyuki Ozaki
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Énergie Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Quebec, Canada J3X1S2
| | - Heide Ibrahim
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Énergie Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Quebec, Canada J3X1S2
| | - François Légaré
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Énergie Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Quebec, Canada J3X1S2
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Huang SW, Moses J, Kärtner FX. Broadband noncollinear optical parametric amplification without angularly dispersed idler. OPTICS LETTERS 2012; 37:2796-2798. [PMID: 22825137 DOI: 10.1364/ol.37.002796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We report a new scheme for direct generation of broadband angular-dispersion-free mid-IR idler pulses via noncollinear optical parametric amplification when group-velocity matched wavelengths cannot be found and the traditional noncollinear geometry fails to increase the phase-matching bandwidth. The scheme does not require any post-amplification idler angular dispersion compensation. We derive and interpret the condition for broadband amplification and absence of idler angular dispersion. A broadband angular-dispersion-free 2.15 μm idler pulse is generated as an experimental demonstration. We identify the potential of the scheme to generate a broadband 3.5 μm idler, with a bandwidth supporting a sub-two-cycle pulse.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Wei Huang
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Aguergaray C, Schmidt O, Rothhardt J, Schimpf D, Descamps D, Petit S, Limpert J, Cormier E. Ultra-wide parametric amplification at 800 nm toward octave spanning. OPTICS EXPRESS 2009; 17:5153-5162. [PMID: 19333279 DOI: 10.1364/oe.17.005153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
We report on a significant improvement of the total bandwidth amplified in an optical parametric process. By pumping a parametric amplifier with a broadband pump, we demonstrate amplification of a supercontinuum whose spectrum expands over nearly an octave ranging from less than 600 nm up to 1200 nm. Our amplifier stage is set to provide amplification at degeneracy in the quasi-collinear configuration with a temporally as well as angularly dispersed pump.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Aguergaray
- CELIA, Université Bordeaux 1, UMR 5107, Talence, France.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|