Generation of 5.0 fs, 5.0 mJ pulses at 1 kHz using hollow-fiber pulse compression

We demonstrate methods to increase the energy incident on hollow fibers for spectral broadening by self-phase modulation. We used chirped pulses for spectral broadening, lowering the optical intensity to avoid ionization of the gaseous medium. We also used helium as a nonlinear medium and demonstrated the generation of 5.0 fs, 5.0 mJ pulses at a repetition rate of 1 kHz using a pressure gradient hollow-fiber pulse compressor. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America