Generation of multiterawatt vortex laser beams.

We report the fabrication of large-area phase masks on thin fused-silica substrates that are suitable for shaping multiterawatt femtosecond laser beams. We apply these phase masks for the generation of intense femtosecond optical vortices. We further quantify distortions of the vortex beam patterns that result from several common types of mask defects.

Supercontinuum generation with femtosecond self-healing Airy pulses.

We report experiments and numerical simulations on supercontinuum generation with femtosecond Airy pulses in a highly nonlinear optical fiber. The ability of the Airy waveform to regenerate its dominant intensity peak results in the generation of distinct spectral features. Airy pulses and other self-healing temporal waveforms may be useful for the generation of spectra with desired properties.