High-energy femtosecond laser pulse compression in single- and multi-ionization regime of rare gases: experiment versus theory

We report experimental and numerical results on the post-compression of 40 fs duration pulses down to 10 fs at high energy level (multi-mJ). The spectral broadening is achieved through the self-phase modulation resulting from optical-field-ionization of different noble gases (He, Ne, Ar) by the 40-f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics. B, Lasers and optics Lasers and optics, 2013-04, Vol.111 (1), p.75-87
Main Authors: Auguste, T., Fourcade Dutin, C., Dubrouil, A., Gobert, O., Hort, O., Mével, E., Petit, S., Constant, E., Descamps, D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Capillarity
Engineering
Femtosecond
Lasers
Modulation
Optical Devices
Optics
Photonics
Physical Chemistry
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Quantum Optics
Rare gases
Robustness
Spectra
Three dimensional
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Summary:We report experimental and numerical results on the post-compression of 40 fs duration pulses down to 10 fs at high energy level (multi-mJ). The spectral broadening is achieved through the self-phase modulation resulting from optical-field-ionization of different noble gases (He, Ne, Ar) by the 40-fs laser pulse propagating in a low-pressure gas-filled hollow capillary. We discuss the influence of the multi-ionization dynamics, through the gas dependence, on the laser energy carried by the capillary, as well as on the duration and temporal shape of the post-compressed pulses. In all the different experimental conditions investigated in this article (pressures and gases used), the experimental data is in good agreement with the numerical results from a three-dimension propagation code. Through this study, we demonstrate the robustness of the proposed post-compression technique with regard to multi-ionization, indicating that it can be used on a large intensity range by judiciously choosing the gas.
ISSN:0946-2171
1432-0649
DOI:10.1007/s00340-012-5309-x