Generation of two-color ultrashort pulses in mixed solid thin plates

We experimentally demonstrate a compact two-plate continuum system capable of simultaneous generation of two-color ultrashort pulses centered at 400 nm and 800 nm. By integrating thin plates mixed by beta barium borate (BBO) and a fused silica (FS) plate, this system can achieve second harmonic generation (SHG) and spectral broadening of both the fundamental (800 nm) and second harmonic pulses (400 nm). Numerical simulations show agreement with the experimental spectra, confirming the underlying physical mechanisms and compressibility of the two-color pulses. Through spectral separation and dispersion management, we obtain compressed pulses with durations of 6.2 fs (400 nm) and 11.1 fs (800 nm), both exhibiting excellent spatial quality. This work presents a simple and robust method for generating high-energy two-color ultrashort pulses, which could be an ideal source for tailored optical waveforms, attosecond pulse generation, terahertz pulse generation, and ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy.