Multi-millijoule few-cycle mid-infrared pulses through nonlinear self-compression in bulk.
The physics of strong-field applications requires driver laser pulses that are both energetic and extremely short. Whereas optical amplifiers, laser and parametric, boost the energy, their gain bandwidth restricts the attainable pulse duration, requiring additional nonlinear spectral broadening to enable few or even single cycle compression and a corresponding peak power increase. Here we demonstrate, in the mid-infrared wavelength range that is important for scaling the ponderomotive energy in strong-field interactions, a simple energy-efficient and scalable soliton-like pulse compression in a mm-long yttrium aluminium garnet crystal with no additional dispersion management. Sub-three-cycle pulses with >0.44 TW peak power are compressed and extracted before the onset of modulation instability and multiple filamentation as a result of a favourable interplay between strong anomalous dispersion and optical nonlinearity around the wavelength of 3.9 μm. As a manifestation of the increased peak power, we show the evidence of mid-infrared pulse filamentation in atmospheric air.
Photonics Institute, TU Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27-387, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.
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Shumakova
Photonics Institute, TU Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27-387, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.
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Malevich
Photonics Institute, TU Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27-387, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.
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Ališauskas
Physics Department, International Laser Center, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119992 Moscow, Russia.|Russian Quantum Center, ul. Novaya 100, Skolkovo, Moscow region 143025, Russia.
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Voronin
Physics Department, International Laser Center, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119992 Moscow, Russia.|Russian Quantum Center, ul. Novaya 100, Skolkovo, Moscow region 143025, Russia.|Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University, College Station, 77843-4242 Texas, USA.
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Zheltikov
Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, David Brewster Building, DB1.12 Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS UK.
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Faccio
Institute for Optics and Quantum Electronics, Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Max-Wien Platz 1, 07743 Jena, Germany.
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Kartashov
Photonics Institute, TU Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27-387, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.|Center for Physical Sciences &Technology, Savanoriu Ave. 231, LT-02300 Vilnius, Lithuania.
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Baltuška
Photonics Institute, TU Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27-387, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.|Center for Physical Sciences &Technology, Savanoriu Ave. 231, LT-02300 Vilnius, Lithuania.
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Pugžlys