High-field mid-infrared pulses derived from frequency domain optical parametric amplification

Abstract

We present a novel, to the best of our knowledge, approach for scaling the peak power of mid-infrared laser pulses with few-cycle duration and carrier-to-envelope phase stabilization. Using frequency domain optical parametric amplification (FOPA), selective amplification is performed on two spectral slices of broadband pulses centered at 1.8 µm wavelength. In addition to amplification, the Fourier plane is used for specific pulse shaping to control both the relative polarization and the phase/delay between the two spectral slices of the input pulses. At the output of the FOPA, intrapulse difference frequency generation provides carrier–envelope phase stabilized two-cycle pulses centered at 9.5 µm wavelength with 25.5 µJ pulse energy. The control of the carrier–envelope phase is demonstrated through the dependence of high-harmonic generation in solids. This architecture is perfectly adapted to be scaled in the future to high average and high peak powers using picosecond ytterbium laser technologies.