Spatiotemporal Dispersion Compensation for a 200-THz Noncollinear Optical Parametric Amplifier

William P. Carbery, Laurie A. Bizimana, Matthew S. Barclay, Nicholas D. Wright, Paul H. Davis, William B. Knowlton, Ryan D. Pensack, Paul C. Arpin, Daniel B. Turner

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

A noncollinear optical parametric amplifier (NOPA) can produce few-cycle femtosecond laser pulses that are ideally suited for time-resolved optical spectroscopy measurements. However, the nonlinear-optical process giving rise to ultrabroadband pulses is susceptible to spatiotemporal dispersion problems. Here, we detail refinements, including chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) and pulse-front matching (PFM), that minimize spatiotemporal dispersion and thereby improve the properties of ultrabroadband pulses produced by a NOPA. The description includes a rationale behind the choices of optical and optomechanical components, as well as assessment protocols. We demonstrate these techniques using a 1 kHz, second-harmonic Ti:sapphire pump configuration, which produces ∼5-fs duration pulses that span from about 500 to 800 nm with a bandwidth of about 200 THz. To demonstrate the utility of the CPA-PFM-NOPA, we measure vibrational quantum beats in the transient–absorption spectrum of methylene blue, a dye molecule that serves as a reference standard.

Original languageAmerican English
Article number033002
JournalReview of Scientific Instruments
Volume95
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Mar 2024

Keywords

  • chirped pulse amplification
  • femtosecond lasers
  • methylene blue
  • nonlinear optical processes
  • optical parametric amplifiers
  • supercontinuum generation

EGS Disciplines

  • Materials Science and Engineering

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