• Infrared and Laser Engineering
  • Vol. 50, Issue 8, 20210456 (2021)
Junyu Qian1、2, Yujie Peng1、*, Yanyan Li1, Wenkai Li1, Renyu Feng1、2, Liya Shen1、3, and Yuxin Leng1、*
Author Affiliations
  • 1State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
  • 2Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • 3School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
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    DOI: 10.3788/IRLA20210456 Cite this Article
    Junyu Qian, Yujie Peng, Yanyan Li, Wenkai Li, Renyu Feng, Liya Shen, Yuxin Leng. Research progress of mid-infrared ultra-intense and ultrashort laser (Invited)[J]. Infrared and Laser Engineering, 2021, 50(8): 20210456 Copy Citation Text show less
    Schematic diagram of OPA
    Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of OPA
    (a) The final output mid-infrared spectra. The solid lines are measured experimental results, the dash lines correspond the spectra from the numerical simulation; (b) Experimental results centered at 3.86 μm; (c) Signal energy versus wavelength; (d) Idler energy versus wavelength[31]
    Fig. 2. (a) The final output mid-infrared spectra. The solid lines are measured experimental results, the dash lines correspond the spectra from the numerical simulation; (b) Experimental results centered at 3.86 μm; (c) Signal energy versus wavelength; (d) Idler energy versus wavelength[31]
    Schematic diagram of OPCPA
    Fig. 3. Schematic diagram of OPCPA
    (a) Amplified signal pulse energy of the second-stage OPA as a function of pump energy; (b) The spectrum evolution throughout the OPCPA system[36]
    Fig. 4. (a) Amplified signal pulse energy of the second-stage OPA as a function of pump energy; (b) The spectrum evolution throughout the OPCPA system[36]
    Schematic of the 100-TW-level mid-infrared laser system[39]
    Fig. 5. Schematic of the 100-TW-level mid-infrared laser system[39]
    Schematic of the 4 μm OPCPA system and the HCF-based coherent beam combination system[49]
    Fig. 6. Schematic of the 4 μm OPCPA system and the HCF-based coherent beam combination system[49]
    Development trend of mid-infrared ultra-intense ultrashort lasers as of 2018
    Fig. 7. Development trend of mid-infrared ultra-intense ultrashort lasers as of 2018
    OPAFOPADC-OPAOPCPA
    Pump durationTransform limitChirpedChirpedTransform limit
    Pump spectrumBroadBroadBroadNarrow
    Seed durationTransform limitTransform limitChirpedChirped
    Seed spectrumBroadBroadBroadBroad
    SynchronizationAutomaticAutomaticAutomaticActive stabilization
    Energy scalingDifficultPossibleEasyEasy
    Output pulsesSignal and idlerSignalSignal and idlerSignal and idler
    Conversion efficiency30%–40%14%30%–40%10%–30%
    Highest output energyA few millijoulesDozens of millijoulesHundred millijoulesHundred millijoules and above
    Few-cycle pulsegeneration?YesYesYesYes
    Preserve CEP stability of seed? YesNoPossiblePossible
    Wavelength tunabilityExcellentNot reportedExcellentGood
    CompressorNot neededNot neededMost often but not always neededNeeded
    Table 1. Characteristics of OPA, OPCPA, FOPA, and DC-OPA for generating MIR femtosecond laser[41]
    HCFGas-filled cellFilamentBulk materialThin plates
    SystemComplexityComplexityEasyEasyGeneral
    MediumGasGasPlasmaSolidSolid
    Spectrum broadening effect SPMSPMSPM and high-order Kerr/plasmaSPMSPM
    Chirp compensationNeededNeededNormal needed or self-compressionNormal needed or self-compressionNormal needed or self-compression
    Maximum energy mJmJmJmJmJ
    Efficiency60%80%80%80%80%
    Compressed factor 2-102-102-102-102-10
    Pulse durationSingle cycleSingle cycleSingle cycleSingle cycleSingle cycle
    N2tunability? Gas and pressureGas and pressureGas and pressureNoNo
    Nonlinearity increasing? Pressure and HCF lengthPressure and number of passedPressureBulk thicknessPlates number
    Beam profileExcellentGeneralExcellentGeneralGeneral
    Table 2. Characteristics comparison of several pulse post-compression techniques
    Wavelength/μm1.51.82.23.33.9510
    OPA or OPCPAOPCPAFOPAOPCPADCOPAOPCPAOPAOPA
    CrystalKTABBOBBOMgO:LiNbO3KTAZGPBGS
    Energy26.5 mJ30 mJ250 μJ31 mJ20 mJ3.4 mJ0.81 µJ
    Repetition frequency100 Hz10 Hz100 kHz10 Hz20 Hz1 kHz100 kHz
    Pulse width/fs6011.616.5703089.4126
    Post-compressionNoneNoneNoneNoneBulk materialNoneNone
    Table 3. Typical parameters of mid-infrared ultra-intense ultrashort lasers at different wavelengths[12, 32, 35, 37, 42, 44, 51-53]
    Junyu Qian, Yujie Peng, Yanyan Li, Wenkai Li, Renyu Feng, Liya Shen, Yuxin Leng. Research progress of mid-infrared ultra-intense and ultrashort laser (Invited)[J]. Infrared and Laser Engineering, 2021, 50(8): 20210456
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