High-energy ultrashort pulses at novel wavelengths through fiber parametric chirp-matched amplification

Optical spectroscopy, such as deep-tissue imaging, requires fiber-based sources of high energy ultrashort pulses at wavelengths that do not have an associated efficient broadband laser gain medium. While fiber optical parametric amplification in principle could fulfil this need, the challenging requirement of optimal phase matching between broadband pulses has to date resulted in either low energies, low efficiencies or long pulses. Here, by satisfying phase matching at every point in time across chirped pump and seed pulses, record energies and conversion efficiencies are obtained in the 1300nm spectral band, through Fiber Parametric Chirp-Matched Amplification (FPCMA).