Multikilohertz optical parametric chirped pulse amplification in periodically poled stoichiometric LiTaO3 at 1235 nm

We demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, multikilohertz operation of a double-stage optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier with periodically poled stoichiometric LiTaO3 crystals, seeded by a home-made Cr:forsterite oscillator operating at 1235 nm. The repetition rate of the amplifier could easily be tuned without the use of electro-optic modulators by using a repetition-rate-tunable kilohertz pump laser operating at 532 nm and a time-synchronization unit. Amplified total (signal+idler) energies of 55.9 and 36.2 mu J were achieved at 1 and 5 kHz, respectively. After recompression, the pulse width of amplified idler pulses at 1235 nm amounted to 530 fs. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.