Optica· 2026Q1
Free-space multipass optical parametric amplifier
- 1citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
A novel free-space multipass optical parametric amplifier (OPA) architecture using a quasi-periodic geometry overcomes spatio-temporal walk-off and back-conversion limitations, achieving 64% quantum efficiency and 42% pump-to-signal conversion.
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Key points
- A free-space multipass OPA architecture using quasi-periodic geometry is demonstrated.
- The design overcomes spatio-temporal walk-off, intensity-dependent gain, and back-conversion.
- Key techniques include pass-by-pass dichroic idler rejection and birefringent crystal temporal resynchronization.
- Experimental results show 64% quantum efficiency, 42% pump-to-signal conversion, and 80 dB gain.
- The system generates 0.8 μJ, 160 fs signal pulses from 1.9 μJ, 330 fs pump pulses at 515 nm.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Scaling the efficiency of optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) without degrading spatio-temporal pulse quality is fundamentally limited by spatio-temporal walk-off, intensity dependent gain, and back-conversion. Here, we numerically and experimentally demonstrate an OPA architecture based on a free-propagating quasi-periodic geometry that overcomes these bottlenecks. Operating within a single nonlinear crystal, the system utilizes pass-by-pass dichroic idler rejection to suppress back-conversion, a birefringent crystal for temporal resynchronization, and free-space diffraction to improve the spatial overlap along propagation. Starting from 1.9 μJ 330 fs pulses at 515 nm and a continuous-wave seed at 783 nm, the generation of 0.8 μJ 160 fs signal pulses at the same wave-length is obtained at a repetition rate of 500 kHz. This simple architecture achieves a 64% quantum efficiency, a 42% pump-to-signal conversion efficiency, and 80 dB of gain while maintaining excellent spatial and temporal quality, providing a scalable platform for ultrafast sources with arbitrary emission wavelengths
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Optica, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Electrical and Electronic EngineeringEngineering