Generation of 1.5 cycle 0.3 TW laser pulses using a hollow-fiber pulse compressor

Abstract

Pulse compression in a differentially pumped neon-filled hollow fiber was used to generate high-power fewcycle laser pulses. The pulse compression process was optimized by adjusting gas pressure and laser chirp to produce the shortest laser pulses. Precise dispersion control enabled the generation of laser pulses with duration of 3.7 fs and energy of 1.2 mJ. This corresponds to an output of 1.5 cycle, 0.3 TW pulses at a 1 kHz repetition rate using positively chirped 33 fs laser pulses. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America