High power 9 μm source for spectroscopy and HHG

High power mid-infrared (MID-IR) laser systems delivering ultrashort pulses at high repetition rates are of considerable interest for vibrational spectroscopy, label-free microscopy, ultrafast dynamics and HHG studies. To meet these requirements, we developed an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier (OPCPA) with a difference frequency generation (DFG) stage to provide an efficient platform to down-convert a 200W Yb-YAG pump laser into the MID-IR range. The MID-IR pulses are tunable from 4.2-11 mu m, with a maximum pulse energy of 2.2 mu J around 9 mu m at 200 kHz (440mW) supporting a Fourier limit of 50 fs. In addition, thermal parameters of various nonlinear crystals are reviewed for high power MID-IR OPCPAs.

Automated summary

A high power MID-IR laser system with tunable pulses in the range of 4.2-11 μm and a maximum pulse energy of 2.2 μJ has been developed using an OPCPA with a DFG stage, supporting high repetition rates and ultrafast dynamics studies with a Fourier limit of 50 fs. Thermal parameters of various nonlinear crystals are also reviewed for potential use in high power MID-IR OPCPAs.