High-power femtosecond infrared laser source based on noncollinear optical parametric chirped pulse amplification

The optical parametric chirped pulse amplication (OPCPA) concept has been extended to the infrared range, providing a new approach, to our knowledge, to high-power femtosecond pulses in the 1.5 mu m range. This amplifier is based on 1.05 mu m pumping of bulk KTiOAsO4 with broadband phase matching in a noncollinear geometry. The output pulse energy of 1 mJ has generated with 50 nm of bandwidth by 3.8 mJ of pump energy from a 100 ps, 1 kHz Nd:YLF amplified laser. Total gain of 10(8) was achieved in three stages with 32% conversion of the pump energy in the final amplifier stage. Amplified pulses were compressed to 130 fs with peak intensities of 3.85 GW. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.