Generation of intense supercontinuum in condensed media

• DOI: 10.1364/optica.1.000400
• Publication Date: 2014-12-09T15:27:42Z
• Authors: Chih-Hsuan Lu; Yu-Jung Tsou; Hong-Yu Chen; Bo-Han Chen; Yu-Chen Cheng; Shang-Da Yang; Ming-Chang Chen; Chia-Chen Hsu; A. H. Kung
• Keywords: Supercontinuum; Pulse duration

Destructive nonlinear processes have limited the useful input power to a few megawatts for supercontinuum generation in bulk material. Consequently, reliable high-power, high-pulse-energy condensed media has not been realized. Here, we describe an intense femtosecond generated solid medium with pulse energy and mode quality that approach those gas phase while preserving advantages of being compact, simple operate, highly reproducible. This is achieved by strategically placing several thin plates at or near focused waist high-power laser pulse. The thickness each plate such optical exits before undesirable effects begin take hold With this approach, obtained pulses octave-spanning spectrum covers from 450 980 nm −20 dB intensity level converting as much 54% continuum. highest date 76 μJ, nearly two orders magnitude greater than previously reported values. transverse M2 1.25. Frequency-resolved grating spectral interferometric measurements indicate coherent could be compressed femtoseconds. Furthermore, multiple-plates shown extremely flexible versatile. It applicable broad range powers materials. continuum stable robust. Thus, multiple-plate promising new light source ultrafast science extreme optics applications.