ABSTRACT
A short-pulse source based on optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) technology has been developed with properties that make it a suitable seed for a high-energy OPCPA system. This source generated a diffraction-limited pulse at 910 nm with a full bandwidth of > 165 nm and a spectrum having a transform-limited pulse duration of less than 15 fs. The technique has potential for generating bandwidths > 200 nm and pulse durations < 10 fs.
ABSTRACT
Carrier wave shocking is studied using the pseudospectral spatial-domain (PSSD) technique. We describe the shock detection diagnostics necessary for this numerical study and verify them against theoretical shocking predictions for the dispersionless case. These predictions show a carrier envelope phase and pulse bandwidth sensitivity in the single-cycle regime. The flexible dispersion management offered by the PSSD enables us to independently control the linear and nonlinear dispersion. Customized dispersion profiles allow us to analyze the development of both carrier self-steepening and shocks. The results exhibit a marked asymmetry between normal and anomalous dispersion, both in the limits of the shocking regime and in the (near) shocked pulse wave forms. Combining these insights, we offer some suggestions on how carrier shocking (or at least extreme self-steepening) might be realized experimentally.
