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High-power table-top white-light few-cycle laser generator

Walid Tawfik

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Abstract. We have achieved experimentally a generation of white-light few-cycle femtosecond laser pulses, using a neon-filled hollow-core fibre. The pulses observed by us are as short as 6.22 fs at the repetition rate of 1 kHz, when the input is characterized by the parameters 2.5 mJ and 33 fs. Pulse compression has been achieved using a supercontinuum produced in a static neon-filled hollow fibre, while a pair of chirped mirrors have compensated the dispersion. Our technique allows for directly tuning the pulse duration via changing the gas pressure, while maintaining near-transform-limited pulses with constant output energies and thus reducing the complications introduced by the chirped pulses. Using the measurements of the optical transmission of the fibre as a function of the gas pressure, we have testified a high enough throughput exceeding 60%. This demonstrates the successful compression that yields few-cycle femtosecond-long pulses, with a wide spectral bandwidth. The technique can be used when simultaneously exciting different states in complex molecules.

Keywords: ultrafast lasers, hollow fibres, femtosecond pulses, few-cycle light pulses

PACS: 78.47.jj
UDC: 535.37
Ukr. J. Phys. Opt. 16 111-119
doi: 10.3116/16091833/16/3/111/2015
Received: 26.05.2015

Анотація.  У цій роботі експериментально отримано генерацію “білих” фемтосекундних лазерних імпульсів тривалістю в кількох періодів, використовуючи пустотіле волокно, наповнене неоном. Тривалість спостережуваних імпульсів сягала 6.22 фм за частоти повторення 1 кГц, якщо використовувати вхідні імпульси із 2.5 мДж і 33 фс. Стискання імпульсу суперконтинуумом отримано в статичних, заповнених неоном пустотілих волокнах, а пара дзеркал з лінійною частотною модуляцією забезпечувала компенсацію дисперсії. Запропонований метод дає змогу безпосередньо змінювати тривалість імпульсу тиском газу при збереженні параметрів імпульсу, тим самим послаблюючи труднощі, пов’язані з модульованими імпульсами. Вимірюване пропускання волокна як функція тиску газу перевищувало 60%. Спектральна фаза суперконтинууму виявилась стабільною впродовж кількох годин. Це дало змогу стиснути імпульси аж до фемтосекунд, що складає кілька періодів, із широкою спектральною смугою. Метод можна використовувати для одночасного збудження різних рівнів у складних молекулах. 
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