Abstract
Parametric three-photon interaction provides continuously tunable ultrashort pulses in extended spectral regions from the UV to the mid-IR. We focus on parametric systems operating in the pulsed mode. Optical parametric oscillators pumped by intense microsecond trains of subpicosecond pulses exhibit favorable properties. We present data on a pulsed optical parametric oscillator that has a wide tuning range from 0.7 to 1.8 μm, a conversion efficiency of a few percent, and a minimum pulse duration of as low as 65 fs. Larger tuning ranges are covered by subsequent downconversion or parametric amplification. We discuss the generation of ≲1-ps pulses at wavelengths between 2 and 18 μm. Finally, the potential of parametrically generated IR pulses is demonstrated by several applications.
© 1993 Optical Society of America
Full Article | PDF ArticleMore Like This
R. Danielius, A. Piskarskas, A. Stabinis, G. P. Banfi, P. Di Trapani, and R. Righini
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 10(11) 2222-2232 (1993)
R. Laenen, K. Simeonidis, and A. Laubereau
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 15(3) 1213-1217 (1998)
J. G. Haub, M. J. Johnson, and B. J. Orr
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 10(9) 1765-1777 (1993)