Group Seminar at MPQ:   Few-optical-cycle pulse generation from a Cr:ZnS oscillator

December 19, 2019

Maximilian Binzer, Krausz group MPQ
MPQ Garching, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1
Herbert-Walther lecture hall
Thursday, December 19, 09:15 am

Abstract:

The mid-infrared region (MIR) is of paramount importance for
spectroscopic analysis in diverse fields ranging from biomedical
science, environmental studies to material characterization. Many of the
relevant molecules show unique absorption features in this region,
allowing their detection and the measurement of their dynamics. In order
to simultaneously measure these absorptions, a light source with a broad
spectral bandwidth and a high brightness is needed. In particular,
stable, table-top femtosecond sources lasing around 2.4 µm are highly
sought after, as they can effectively drive further nonlinear frequency
conversion processes to cover the entire MIR spectrum. To reach theses
goals, a fibre-pumped Cr:ZnS laser oscillator was built. Exploiting the
non-linearity of the gain medium, the oscillator was mode-locked via the
Kerr-effect to generate ultrashort pulses. The duration of these pulses
were further shortened by finely controlling the intra-cavity dispersion
using chirped mirrors.

Go to Editor View