Optimization of a multi-TW few-cycle 1.7-µm source based on Type-I BBO dual-chirped optical parametric amplification.

This paper presents the optimization of a dual-chirped optical parametric amplification (DC-OPA) scheme for producing an ultrafast intense infrared (IR) pulse. By employing a total energy of 0.77 J Ti:sapphire pump laser and type-I BBO crystals, an IR pulse energy at the center wavelength of 1.7 mu m exceeded 0.1 J using the optimized DC-OPA. By adjusting the injected seed spectrum and prism pair compressor with a gross throughput of over 70%, the 1.7-mu m pulse was compressed to 31 fs, which resulted in a peak power of up to 2.3 TW. Based on the demonstration of the BBO type-I DC-OPA, we propose a novel OPA scheme called the "dual pump DC-OPA" for producing a high-energy IR pulse with a two-cycle duration. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement