Efficient femtosecond traveling-wave optical parametric amplification in periodically poled KTiOPO₄

Abstract

We report, for the first time to our knowledge, high-power femtosecond traveling-wave optical parametric amplification by use of periodically poled ${\mathrm{KTiOPO}}_4$. With a single pass through a 4-mm-long sample of 1.23-mm thickness we achieved 40% internal conversion efficiency and $5 \mathit{\mu }\mathrm{J}$ of single-pulse idler energy near $3.8 \mathit{\mu }\mathrm{m}$, using only $75 \mathit{\mu }\mathrm{J}$ of energy from the output of a conventional 1-kHz Ti:sapphire regenerative amplifier. The 210-fs-long idler pulses were almost transform limited. We discuss the specific problems encountered in high-power parametric conversion, such as unwanted quasi-phase-matched upconversion processes for polarization configurations that utilize the largest $\left(d_{33}\right)$ nonlinear coefficient and the related formation of color centers (gray tracking) in ${\mathrm{KTiOPO}}_4$.

© 1999 Optical Society of America

Optical parametric amplification in periodically poled KTiOPO₄ seeded by an Er–Yb:glass microchip laser

J. Hellström, G. Karlsson, V. Pasiskevicius, and F. Laurell
Opt. Lett. 26(6) 352-354 (2001)

Femtosecond optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled KTiOPO₄

Tolga Kartaloǧlu, Kahraman G. Köprülü, Orhan Aytür, Michael Sundheimer, and William P. Risk
Opt. Lett. 23(1) 61-63 (1998)

Continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled KTiOPO₄

A. Garashi, A. Arie, A. Skliar, and G. Rosenman
Opt. Lett. 23(22) 1739-1741 (1998)

Femtosecond traveling-wave optical parametric amplification in MgO:LiNbO₃

Valentin Petrov, Fabian Rotermund, and Frank Noack
Appl. Opt. 37(36) 8504-8511 (1998)

3 dB squeezing by single-pass parametric amplification in a periodically poled KTiOPO₄ crystal

T. Hirano, K. Kotani, T. Ishibashi, S. Okude, and T. Kuwamoto
Opt. Lett. 30(13) 1722-1724 (2005)