Efficient white-light continuum generation in transparent solid media using -250 fs, 1053 nmlaser pulses

摘要

We report white-light continuum generation in solid-state media (fused silica and sapphire) using seed pulses centered at 1053 nm and at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. We have investigated the influence of different parameters, such as changing the focal position and the energy of the incident pulse within the medium to obtain optimal white-light continuum. Preliminary results indicate that for intense laser pulses, waist position inside the media and input energy are crucial for high efficiency white-light continuum generation over the wavelength range 400-1100 nm. It was also found that pulses centered at 1053 nm generate a flatter spectrum, with higher white-light continuum efficiency. Such a flat response over a broad bandwidth in the continuum has the potential to be efficiently compressed to shorter durations.