8 fs laser pulses from a compact gas-filled multi-pass cell

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Optics
• Laser Technology

Background:

• Ultrashort laser pulses are crucial for various scientific applications.
• Achieving few-cycle pulse durations requires advanced pulse compression techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the compression of Ti:Sapphire laser pulses to sub-10 fs durations.
• To investigate spectral broadening in a multi-pass cell for nonlinear pulse compression.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a compact multi-pass cell filled with argon gas for spectral broadening.
• Employed a Ti:Sapphire amplifier to generate initial 42 fs, 0.29 mJ pulses.
• Performed 3-dimensional numerical simulations to model nonlinear pulse propagation.

Main Results:

• Successfully compressed laser pulses down to 8 fs (approximately 3 optical cycles).
• Achieved a nonlinear pulse compression efficiency of 45%, primarily limited by mirror losses.
• Simulations provided insights into the spatio-spectral properties of the broadened pulses.

Conclusions:

• Spectral broadening in an argon-filled multi-pass cell is an effective method for generating few-cycle laser pulses.
• Mirror losses in the multi-pass cell represent a significant factor limiting compression efficiency.
• Numerical simulations are valuable tools for understanding and optimizing nonlinear pulse propagation.