Hybrid CO2-Ti:sapphire laser with tunable pulse duration for mid-infrared-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy
Abstract
We describe a mid-infrared pump - terahertz-probe setup based on a CO2 laser seeded with 10.6 μm wavelength pulses from an optical parametric amplifier, itself pumped by a Ti:Al2O3 laser. The output of the seeded CO2 laser produces high power pulses of nanosecond duration, which are synchronized to the femtosecond laser. These pulses can be tuned in pulse duration by slicing their front and back edges with semiconductor-plasma mirrors irradiated by replicas of the femtosecond seed laser pulses. Variable pulse lengths from 5 ps to 1.3 ns are achieved, and used in mid-infrared pump, terahertz-probe experiments with probe pulses generated and electro-optically sampled by the femtosecond laser.
- Publication:
-
Optics Express
- Pub Date:
- February 2021
- DOI:
- 10.1364/OE.415140
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2011.11448
- Bibcode:
- 2021OExpr..29.3575B
- Keywords:
-
- Physics - Optics
- E-Print:
- doi:10.1364/OE.415140