Since 2004, pioneering efforts within Ferenc Krausz's team have advanced the development of innovative light sources based on Yb:YAG Thin-Disk technology. Following numerous breakthroughs, including the creation of Kerr-Lens modelocked oscillators and high-power kW scale CPA systems, researchers of the attoworld-team at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) now demonstrated that the Yb:YAG technology is more up to date than ever before. The group used several recently developed spectral broadening technologies to generate powerful ultrashort pulses which were then harnessed for nonlinear frequency conversion into the highly sought-after Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) regime.
This cutting-edge source has remarkable performance, delivering pulse energies exceeding 20µJ with ultra-low phase noise of less than 20mrad, thanks to its fully collinear setup. Such a noise figure is comparable to oscillators at three orders of magnitude higher pulse power. Moreover, the system's single-crystal technology enables real-time wavelength tuning from 1.6µm to 2.2µm. Utilizing these few cycle pulses, the team successfully generated a supercontinuum spanning over three octaves from 500nm to 2500nm, underscoring its utility for advanced attosecond spectroscopy applications.
The Thin-Disk concept coupled to a hybrid, gas-based nonlinear spectral broadening system ensures scalability in output power without concerns of thermal effects or optical damage. Positioned as a cornerstone for driving light-matter interactions and facilitating waveform-sensitive attosecond experiments, this laser system represents a significant leap forward. Furthermore, its unique attributes enable noise-critical strong-field experiments at more than ten times the repetition rate of traditional Titanium Sapphire sources and offer significantly higher pulse energy than recent II-VI lasers, along with complete passive stabilization.
Original publication:
Ultra-phase-stable infrared light source at Watt level
S. Reiger, M. Mamaikin, D. Kormin, K. Golyari, H. Kassab, M. Seeger, V. Pervak, N. Karpowicz, T. Nubbemeyer
Optics Letters 49, 1049 (2024)
