Fiber optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification in the femtosecond regime.

We study parametric amplification in optical fibers for chirped-pulse femtosecond laser systems. Compared to conventional OPCPA operating in bulk crystals, the fiber geometry offers a greater interaction length and spatial confinement, an increased flexibility in the choice of wavelengths for signal and pump beams, and the robustness of fiber setups. As opposed to rare-earth doped fibers, parametric amplifiers potentially provide wideband amplification in arbitrary regions of the spectrum. Numerical simulations are undertaken as a proof of principle for a picosecond 1064 nm pump and femtosecond 1025 nm signal. Guidelines for phase matching engineering are given, and limitations in spectral bandwidth and achievable pulse energy are discussed.