Highly efficient difference-frequency generation for mid-infrared pulses by passively synchronous seeding

Abstract

We have proposed and experimentally demonstrated a novel scheme for efficient mid-infrared difference-frequency generation based on passively synchronized fiber lasers. The adoption of coincident seeding pulses in the nonlinear conversion process could substantially lower the pumping threshold for mid-infrared parametric emission. Consequently, a picosecond mid-infrared source at 3.1 $\mu$m was prepared with watt-level average power, and a maximum power conversion efficiency of 77\% was realized from pump to down-converted light. Additionally, the long-term stability of generated power was manifested with a relative fluctuation as low as 0.17\% over one hour. Thanks to the all-optical passive synchronization and all-polarization-maintaining fiber architecture, the implemented laser system was also featured with simplicity, compactness and robustness, which would favor subsequent applications beyond laboratory operation.

References in corpus (4)

• Mid-infrared frequency combs
• High-power frequency comb source tunable from 2.7 to 4.2 μm based on difference frequency generation pumped by an Yb-doped fiber laser
• Passive all-optical synchronization for polarization-maintaining ultrafast fiber lasers
• Intensity Noise Optimization of a Mid-Infrared Frequency Comb Difference Frequency Generation Source

Cited by in corpus (3)

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