Jennifer Tate

Intense self-compressed, self-phase-stabilized few-cycle pulses at 2 μm from an optical filament

We report the compression of intense, carrier-envelope phase stable mid-IR pulses down to few-cycle duration using an optical filament. A filament in xenon gas is formed by using self-phase stabilized 330 microJ 55 fs pulses at 2 microm produced via difference-frequency generation in a Ti:sapphire-pumped optical parametric amplifier. The ultrabroadband 2 microm carrier-wavelength output is self-compressed below 3 optical cycles and has a 270 microJ pulse energy. The self-locked phase offset of the 2 microm difference-frequency field is preserved after filamentation. This is to our knowledge the first experimental realization of pulse compression in optical filaments at mid-IR wavelengths (lambda>0.8 microm).

Strong field physics with long wavelength lasers

The generation of short, intense, mid-infrared laser pulses allows for the exploration of atom–laser interactions deep in the tunnelling regime as well as providing the ability to explore scaled interactions. In this paper we present recent experimental and theoretical results for this largely unexplored parameter space.

Strong-field physics using mid-infrared lasers

This document reports recent theoretical and experimental investigations of strong field ionization and high harmonic generation from mid-infrared lasers at 2 and 4 microns. Numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation as well as Strong Field approximation calculations are reported. Photoelectron and high harmonic spectra are discussed. Preliminary experimental results are compared to the theoretical predictions.

Intense self-compressed carrier-envelope phase-locked few-cycle pulses at 2 µm

We demonstrate filamentation at 2 mum using carrier-envelope phase (CEP) stabilized 55 fs, 330 mui pulses from an OPA. The ultra-broadband output is self-compressed below 3-optical cycles with 270 muJ and preserves the CEP offset.

Direct measurement of plasma evolution during supercontinuum generation in a solid

Summary form only given. We have performed, to our knowledge, the first direct measurement of plasma growth during the process of supercontinuum generation in a bulk material. We describe experimental and numerical results for sapphire and fused silica.