Two-octave-wide (3-12 μm) mid-infrared frequency comb produced as an optical subharmonic in a nondispersive cavity
arXiv:2007.02496
Abstract
Coherent laser beams in the 3 to 20 μm region of the spectrum are most applicable for chemical sensing by addressing the strongest vibrational absorption resonances of the media. Broadband frequency combs in this spectral range are of special interest since they can be used as a powerful tool for molecular spectroscopy offering dramatic gains in speed, sensitivity, precision, and massive parallelism of data collection. Here we show that a frequency comb realized through subharmonic generation in an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on orientation-patterned gallium phosphide (OP-GaP) pumped by a Kerr-lens mode-locked 2.35-μm laser can reach a continuous wavelength span of 3-12 μm, thus covering most of the molecular 'signature' region. The key to achieving such a broad spectrum is to use a low-dispersion cavity entailing all gold-coated mirrors, minimally dispersive and optically thin intracavity elements, and a specially designed pump injector. The system features a smooth ultra-broadband spectral output that is phase coherent to the pump laser comb, 245-mW output power with high (>20%) optical conversion efficiency, and a possibility to reach close to unity conversion from a mode-locked drive, thanks to the non-dissipative downconversion processes and photon recycling.
arXiv comment14 pages, 5 figures
References in corpus (17)
- Frequency comb spectroscopy
- Network of Time-Multiplexed Optical Parametric Oscillators as a Coherent Ising Machine
- Silicon-Chip Mid-Infrared Frequency Comb Generation
- Mid-infrared frequency comb generation with silicon nitride nano-photonic waveguides
- Phase-stabilized, 1.5-W frequency comb at 2.8 to 4.8 micron
- An octave spanning mid-infrared frequency comb generated in a silicon nanophotonic wire waveguide
- Mid-Infrared Optical Frequency Combs based on Difference Frequency Generation for Molecular Spectroscopy
- Mid-infrared frequency comb spanning an octave based on an Er fiber laser and difference-frequency generation
- Generation of Kerr combs centered at 4.5μm in crystalline microresonators pumped by quantum cascade lasers
- Temporal Simultons in Optical Parametric Oscillators
- mid-infrared frequency comb generation and stabilization with few-cycle pulses
- Nonlinear silicon waveguides generating broadband, spectrally engineered frequency combs spanning 2.0-8.5 um
- High-power mid-infrared frequency comb source based on a femtosecond Er:fiber oscillator
- Fourier transform spectroscopy around 3 microns with a broad difference frequency comb
- Three Photon Absorption in Optical Parametric Oscillators Based on OP-GaAs
- Mid-infrared frequency comb with 6.7 W average power based on difference frequency generation
- Generalized Nonlinear Wave Equation in Frequency Domain