GENERATION OF SYNCHRONIZED FEMTOSECOND PULSES INDEPENDENTLY TUNABLE IN THE MIDINFRARED

The broad-band output of a femtosecond travelling wave dye laser and amplified pulses from a colliding-pulse mode-locked dye laser are mixed in LiIO3 Crystals to generate infrared pulses of subpicosecond duration. Two stable pulses independently tunable in the wavelength range from 2.5 to 5 mum are produced with a duration of 300 fs and a relative temporal jitter of less than 100 fs. Infrared energies of up to 10 nJ per pulse are achieved. First pump-probe experiments with lead salt semiconductors demonstrate the favorable properties of this novel infrared source.