Title : A review of high-power femtosecond MID-IR laser systems for attosecond science and spectroscopy
Abstract:
A review is presented of current high power, femtosecond (< 100fs), laser systems at mid-infrared (MIR-IR) wavelengths (3 – 12 nm), pumped by Yb-based solid-state lasers. The technology used to achieve a high-power laser source is optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) together with white-light-generation (WLG). This combination makes it possible to provide carrier-envelope phase (CEP) stable femtosecond pulses, which are scalable to high power levels. In this review we cover basic design features of our OPCPAs, including the important optical nonlinear materials that can withstand high thermal loads and the various OPCPA-pump technologies. Finally, we demonstrate some applications of these lasers to attosecond science, biology and spectroscopy. An important feature of these new OPCPAs is their reliability and compact design, requiring no complex cooling systems.
