Optical parametric amplification of phase-stable terahertz-to-midinfrared pulses studied in the time domain

Abstract

We report optical parametric amplification (OPA) of low-frequency infrared pulses in the intermediate region between terahertz (THz) frequency and mid-infrared (MIR), i.e., from 16.9 to 44.8 THz. The 255-fs laser output of the Yb:KGW regenerative amplifier is compressed to 11-fs pulses using a multi-plate broadening scheme, which generates THz-to-MIR pulses with a spectrum extending to approximately 50 THz by intra-p1ulse differential frequency generation (DFG) in GaSe. The THz-to-MIR pulses are further amplified using a two-stage OPA in GaSe. The temporal dynamics and photocarrier effects during OPA are characterized in the time domain. Owing to the intra-pulse DFG, the long-term phase drift of the THz-to-MIR pulses after two-stage OPA is as small as 16 mrad during a 6-h operation without any active feedback. Our scheme using the intra-pulse DFG and post-amplification proposes a new route to intense THz-to-MIR light sources with extreme phase stability.

References in corpus (9)

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• Sub-cycle control of terahertz high-harmonic generation by dynamical Bloch oscillations
• An optically stimulated superconducting-like phase in K3C60 far above equilibrium Tc
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• Multi-microjoule GaSe-based mid-infrared optical parametric amplifier with an ultra-broad idler spectrum covering 4.2-16 μm
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Cited by in corpus (11)

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• Tracking ultrafast change of multiterahertz broadband response functions in a photoexcited Dirac semimetal Cd${}_3$As${}_2$ thin film
• Observation of Terahertz Spin Hall Conductivity Spectrum in GaAs with Optical Spin Injection
• Stimulated Rayleigh Scattering Enhanced by a Longitudinal Plasma Mode in a Periodically Driven Dirac Semimetal Cd${}_3$As${}_2$
• Double-pass multiple-plate continuum for high temporal contrast nonlinear pulse compression
• Programmable generation of counterrotating bicircular light pulses in the multi-terahertz frequency range
• Anomalous Hall transport by optically injected isospin degree of freedom in Dirac semimetal thin film
• Light-induced inverse spin Hall effect and field-induced circular photogalvanic effect in GaAs revealed by two-dimensional terahertz Fourier analysis
• Correction of broadband terahertz electro-optic sampling with GaSe crystals
• Valley polarization dynamics of photoinjected carriers at the band edge in room-temperature silicon studied by terahertz polarimetry