Directly diode-pumped femtosecond Cr:ZnS amplifier with ultra-low intensity noise.

Diode-pumped Cr:ZnS oscillators have emerged as precursors for single-cycle infrared pulse generation with excellent noise performance. Here we demonstrate a Cr:ZnS amplifier with direct diode-pumping to boost the output of an ultrafast Cr:ZnS oscillator with minimum added intensity noise. Seeded with a 0.

Directly diode-pumped, Kerr-lens mode-locked, few-cycle Cr:ZnSe oscillator.

Lasers based on Cr-doped II-VI material, often known as the Ti:Sapphire of the mid-infrared, can directly provide few-cycle pulses with octave-spanning spectra, and serve as efficient drivers for generating broadband mid-infrared radiation. It is expected that the wider adoption of this technology benefits from more compact and cost-effective embodiments. Here, we report the first directly diode-pumped, Kerr-lens mode-locked Cr-doped II-VI oscillator pumped by a single InP diode, providing average powers over 500 mW and pulse durations of 45 fs - shorter than six optical cycles at 2.

Broadband mid-infrared coverage (2-17 μm) with few-cycle pulses via cascaded parametric processes.

A myriad of existing and emerging applications could benefit from coherent and broadband mid-infrared (MIR) light. Yet, existing tabletop sources are often complex or sensitive to interferometric optical misalignment. Here we demonstrate a significantly simplified scheme of broadband MIR generation by cascading the intra-pulse difference-frequency generation process in a specific nonlinear crystal.

Efficient femtosecond mid-infrared generation based on a Cr:ZnS oscillator and step-index fluoride fibers.

Femtosecond light sources in the 3-5 μm region are highly sought after for numerous applications. While they can be generated by using nonlinear effects in optical fibers, the efficiencies and effectiveness of frequency conversion can be significantly enhanced by using ultrashort driving pulses. Here, we report on a few-cycle Cr:ZnS oscillator driving low-order soliton dynamics in soft-glass fibers.

Multi-mW, few-cycle mid-infrared continuum spanning from 500 to 2250 cm.

The demand for and usage of broadband coherent mid-infrared sources, such as those provided by synchrotron facilities, are growing. Since most organic molecules exhibit characteristic vibrational modes in the wavelength range between 500 and 4000 cm, such broadband coherent sources enable micro- or even nano-spectroscopic applications at or below the diffraction limit with a high signal-to-noise ratio. These techniques have been applied in diverse fields ranging from life sciences, material analysis, and time-resolved spectroscopy.