Broadband tunable optical parametric amplification from a single 50 MHz ultrafast fiber laser

Opt Express. 2009 Apr 27;17(9):7304-9. doi: 10.1364/oe.17.007304.

Abstract

We have demonstrated a 0.7 microm - 1.9 microm wavelength-tunable light source based on a single-pass optical parametric amplification (OPA) in a multiperiod magnesium oxide-doped periodically poled lithium niobate crystal. The OPA pump was a frequency-doubled ultrafast ytterbium-doped fiber oscillator, and the residual 1040 nm laser power after frequency doubling was recycled to generate a supercontinuum seeding source. Compared with conventional OPAs, this system is free from timing jitter between the pump laser and the seeding source. Over 50% conversion efficiency was obtained with 10 nJ pump energy. Combined with a 50 MHz repetition rate, this versatile source is ideal for biomedical and spectroscopic applications.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amplifiers, Electronic*
  • Computer-Aided Design
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Fiber Optic Technology / instrumentation*
  • Lasers*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity