Numerical evaluation of ultrabroadband parametric amplification in YCOB

The technique of optical parametric chirped pulse amplification has the potential to generate high-energy few-cycle pulses at high repetition rates, thanks to its high fidelity and ultrabroadband capability. The biaxial nonlinear crystal yttrium calcium oxyborate (YCOB) exhibits a favorable set of optical and thermal properties for these purposes. We evaluate numerically the performance of this crystal as the nonlinear medium in a parametric amplifier for a wide range of phase-matching parameters. We explore optimized ultrabroadband noncollinear optical parametric amplification by operating at phase-matching angles outside the principal planes. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America