Optical parametric chirped pulse amplification of Cr:forsterite laser pulses in periodically poled stoichiometric LiTaO3 at 1 kHz

We report the first demonstration of a non-degenerate optical parametric chirped pulse amplification at 1 kHz, utilizing a Cr:forsterite laser as the seed source. Using periodically poled stoichiometric LiTaO3 as the gain medium, signal and idler pulses at the mu J-energy level could be generated near 935 nm and 1235 nm in a single-pass operation, respectively. The spectral bandwidth of 9 nm obtained near 1235 nm and a compressed pulse duration as short as 360 fs in a compact scheme suggest a possible alternative to 1 kHz femtosecond Cr:forsterite regenerative amplifiers.