Table-top optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers: past and present

The generation of power- and wavelength-scalable few optical cycle pulses remains one of the major challenges in modern laser physics. Over the past decade, the development of table-top optical parametric chirped pulse amplificationbased systems was progressing at amazing speed, demonstrating excellent performance characteristics in terms of pulse duration, energy, peak power and repetition rate, which place them at the front line of modern ultrafast laser technology. At present, table-top optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers comprise a unique class of ultrafast light sources, which currently amplify octave-spanning spectra and produce carrier-envelope phase-stable, few optical cycle pulses with multi-gigawatt to multi-terawatt peak powers and multi-watt average powers, with carrier wavelengths spanning a considerable range of the optical spectrum. This article gives an overview on the state of the art of table-top optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers, addressing their relevant scientific and technological aspects, and provides a short outlook of practical applications in the growing field of ultrafast science.

Automated summary

The generation of power- and wavelength-scalable few optical cycle pulses is a major challenge in laser physics. Table-top optical parametric chirped pulse amplification-based systems have made significant progress in the past decade, achieving excellent performance characteristics in terms of pulse duration, energy, peak power, and repetition rate, making them at the forefront of modern ultrafast laser technology. These systems amplify octave-spanning spectra and produce carrier-envelope phase-stable, few optical cycle pulses with multi-gigawatt to multi-terawatt peak powers and multi-watt average powers, covering a wide range of the optical spectrum. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in table-top optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers, addressing scientific and technological aspects, and discussing potential practical applications in the field of ultrafast science.