Carrier-envelope-phase-stable, 1.2 mJ, 1.5 cycle laser pulses at 2.1 μm

Opt Lett. 2012 Dec 1;37(23):4973-5. doi: 10.1364/OL.37.004973.

Abstract

We produce 1.5 cycle (10.5 fs), 1.2 mJ, 3 kHz carrier-envelope-phase-stable pulses at 2.1 μm carrier wavelength, from a three-stage optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier system, pumped by an optically synchronized 1.6 ps Yb:YAG thin disk laser. A chirped periodically poled lithium niobate crystal is used to generate the ultrabroad spectrum needed for a 1.5 cycle pulse through difference frequency mixing of spectrally broadened pulse from a Ti:sapphire amplifier. It will be an ideal tool for producing isolated attosecond pulses with high photon energies.