Abstract

It was reported Independently in Refs. 1 and 2 that, when high-power subpicosecond pulses are focused into high-pressure gases such as H₂ or Ar, supercontinuum generation occurs. Figure 1 displays the spectrum of the energetic UV supercontinuum beam that emerges from a high-pressure Ar cell when hlgh-power subpicosecond UV (308-nm) pulses are focused into the cell. These supercontinuum pulses have the potential to be used in ultrafast time-resolved absorption spectroscopy experiments in the visible and near-UV regions.

© 1988 Optical Society of America