title: Two-optical-cycle pulses in the mid-infrared from an optical parametric amplifier.
abstract: Ultrabroadband mid IR pulses with energy as high as 2 microJ and tunability from 2 to 5 microm are generated as the idler beam of an 800 nm pumped optical parametric amplifier in periodically poled stoichiometric lithium tantalate. After bulk compression in a Ge plate and frequency-resolved-opticle-gating characterization, a pulse duration as low as 25 fs was measured, corresponding to two optical cycles of the 3.6 microm carrier wavelength.
authors.affiliation: National Laboratory for Ultrafast and Ultraintense Optical Science--INFM-CNR, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brida
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marangoni
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Manzoni
authors.forename: S De
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Silvestri
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cerullo