Hamburg 2009 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 10: Ultrakurze Pulse: Erzeugung I

Q 10.3: Talk

Monday, March 2, 2009, 14:30–14:45, VMP 8 R206

Investigation and optimization of continuum generation in crystals - white-light beyond sapphire — •Maximilian Bradler, Peter Baum, and Eberhard Riedle — Lehrstuhl für BioMolekulare Optik, LMU München

Focusing intense ultrashort pulses into nonlinear media leads to one of the most fascinating phenomena in ultrafast optics - white-light generation. The resulting supercontinua are used for many applications such as optical parametric amplification, femtosecond spectroscopy or CEP measurements. The standard bulk material for white-light generation is sapphire, which allows the generation of a high quality single filament. We now find that sapphire is not always the best choice. We report a comprehensive investigation and the optimization of femtosecond continuum generation in single crystals of several common laser host materials. The absolute spectral energy density, pulse-to-pulse stability, pump threshold and beam profile are studied in dependence on the crystal thickness, focusing conditions, pump pulse energy and pump wavelength. Lower thresholds, plateau-like visible and infrared spectra and higher infrared photon flux as compared to conventional materials are found in yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG), yttrium vanadate (YVO4), gadolinium vanadate (GdVO4) and potassium-gadolinium tungstate (KGW). We discuss the particular advantages of each material and show the potential of the new crystals for advanced applications.