GENERATION OF 200 FEMTOSECOND PULSES TUNABLE BETWEEN 2.5 AND 5.5 MICROMETER

The signal and idler output of an optical parametric oscillator are mixed in LiIO3 and AgGaS2 crystals to generate infrared pulses with a repetition rate of 82 MHz and an average power of 500 muW. The infrared pulses are tunable between 2.5 and 5.5 mum, have a duration of 200 fs and a peak-to-peak intensity fluctuation of less than 5%.