Abstract-Single-stage MHz mid-IR OPA using LiGaS2and a fiber laser pump source

Samuel B. Penwell, Lukas Whaley-Mayda, and Andrei Tokmakoff

https://www.osapublishing.org/ol/abstract.cfm?uri=ol-43-6-1363&origin=search

We present the design and characterization of a tunable mid-IR optical parametric amplifier (OPA) with a 1 MHz 1033 nm fiber laser pump source. The OPA generates >10  nJ/pulse$>10\mathrm{nJ}/\text{pulse}$ tunable from 3–7.5 μm with 85–165  cm−1$85–165{\mathrm{cm}}^{-1}$ bandwidth and 140–540 fs pulse durations. The design utilizes a single stage of collinear, Type I amplification in lithium gallium sulfide (LGS) seeded by the near-IR portion of a super-continuum (SC) generated in yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG). The resulting mid-IR idler beam is isolated as the output. This single-stage OPA is a simple and convenient source of high-repetition-rate, tunable mid-IR radiation for high-throughput ultrafast infrared spectroscopy.

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