Generation and compression of 10-fs deep ultraviolet pulses at high repetition rate using standard optics

The generation and characterization of ultrashort laser pulses in the deep ultraviolet spectral region is challenging, especially at high pulse repetition rates and low pulse energies. Here, we combine achromatic second harmonic generation and adaptive pulse compression for the efficient generation of sub-10 fs deep ultraviolet laser pulses at a laser repetition rate of 200 kHz. Furthermore, we simplify the pulse compression scheme and reach pulse durations of approximate to 10 fs without the use of adaptive optics. We demonstrate straight-forward tuning from 250 to 320 nm, broad pulse spectra of up to 63 nm width, excellent stability and a high robustness against misalignment. These features make the approach appealing for numerous spectroscopy and imaging applications. Published by The Optical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Automated summary

The study combines achromatic second harmonic generation and adaptive pulse compression to efficiently generate sub-10 fs deep ultraviolet laser pulses at a laser repetition rate of 200 kHz. The simplified pulse compression scheme achieves pulse durations of approximately 10 fs without the use of adaptive optics, enabling straightforward tuning, broad pulse spectra, excellent stability, and high robustness against misalignment.