title: Broadband and tunable optical parametric generator for remote detection of gas molecules in the short and mid-infrared.
abstract: The development of a novel broadband and tunable optical parametric generator (OPG) is presented. The OPG properties are studied numerically and experimentally in order to optimize the generator's use in a broadband spectroscopic LIDAR operating in the short and mid-infrared. This paper discusses trade-offs to be made on the properties of the pump, crystal, and seeding signal in order to optimize the pulse spectral density and divergence while enabling energy scaling. A seed with a large spectral bandwidth is shown to enhance the pulse-to-pulse stability and optimize the pulse spectral density. A numerical model shows excellent agreement with output power measurements; the model predicts that a pump having a large number of longitudinal modes improves conversion efficiency and pulse stability.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lambert-Girard
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Allard
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piché
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Babin