Developments of mid-infrared optical parametric oscillators for spectroscopic sensing: a review

Optical parametric generation of nearly transform-limited mid-infrared pulses in dispersion-engineered nonlinear waveguides.

Optical parametric generation in dispersion-engineered waveguides fabricated by proton exchange in periodically poled lithium niobate is numerically investigated as a means for producing widely tunable mid-infrared ultrashort pulses starting from low energy pump pulses at a 1.55 microm wavelength and with 100 fs duration, which are typical parameters of amplified Er-fiber oscillators. Numerical...

Few-cycle mid-infrared pulse generation, characterization, and coherent propagation in optically dense media

The generation of fourto five-cycle mid-infrared pulses using a single-stage potassium niobate optical parametric amplifier ~OPA! is demonstrated. The OPA is pumped by a gain-switched Ti:Sapphire regenerative amplifier and is seeded with the near-infrared portion of a white light continuum. The OPA is continuously tunable from 2700 to 4700 nm, and maintains sub-65 fs pulses that are fully chara...

High-power broadband femtosecond near- and mid-infrared sources based on optical parametric oscillators and difference frequency generation at 40 MHz repetition rates

Mid-infrared dual-comb spectroscopy with an optical parametric oscillator.

We present the first implementation of mid-infrared dual-comb spectroscopy with an optical parametric oscillator. Methane absorption spectroscopy was demonstrated with a resolution of 0.2 cm(-1) (5 GHz) at an acquisition time of ~10.4 ms over a spectral coverage at 2900-3050 cm(-1). The average power from each individual mid-infrared comb line was ~1 μW, representing a power level much greater ...

Heterogeneously integrated silicon photonics for the mid-infrared and spectroscopic sensing.

Besides being the foundational material for microelectronics, crystalline silicon has long been used for the production of infrared lenses and mirrors. More recently, silicon has become the key material to achieve large-scale integration of photonic devices for on-chip optical interconnect and signal processing. For optics, silicon has significant advantages: it offers a very high refractive in...