Design and simulation of few-cycle optical parametric chirped pulse amplification at mid-IR wavelengths

We present a design for a novel carrier to envelope phase stable optical parametric chirped pulse amplification source in the mid-infrared. We calculate the amplification of a 3.1 mu m seed pulse, generated via DFG from a two-colour fibre laser, using a fully three dimensional OPCPA code. We combine this with a ray-tracing code to model pulse compression using a grating compressor and a deformable mirror for programmable phase compensation. The simulation models the complete system based on FROG measurements of the commercially available fibre laser, ensuring the simulation is realistic. The obtained results indicate energetic pulses of 56 fs duration, corresponding to 5.2 cycles, can be produced with calculated pulse energies of up to 9.6 mu J at a central wavelength of 3.3 mu m. (c) 2008 Optical Society of America