Synthesis of picosecond pulses by spectral compression and shaping of femtosecond pulses in engineered quadratic nonlinear media

Narrow-bandwidth picosecond pulses of predetermined spectral and temporal shapes are generated with high efficiency by frequency conversion of femtosecond pulses in lithium tantalate crystals with engineered quasi-phase-matching structures. We give examples of the synthesis of Gaussian and super-Gaussian picosecond pulses and also of a pair of synchronized phase-coherent picosecond pulses with a predetermined carrier-frequency difference. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America