Abstract

Laser sources delivering high energy, carrier-envelope phase (CEP) stable ultra-short pulses in the mid-IR spectral range (3 < λ < 8 μm) at high repetition rate and featuring excellent long-term stability are in demand for a wide range of experiments in the strong-field physics community. Several sources have been reported over the past few years meeting part of these stringent requirements. In particular laser sources operating at 2 μm wavelength – slightly below the mid-IR spectral range – have been reported delivering outputs in the mJ energy range at kHz repetition rate [1]. Another source delivering mJs of energy at 3.9 μm wavelength has been reported but operates at 20 Hz [2], a repetition rate unsuited for practical applications. Here, we present the highest average power mid-IR laser source reported to date ideally suited for the next generation of high-field physics experiment. The system delivers daily CEP stable pulses with center wavelength at 3.1 μm able to reach the 10¹⁴ W/cm² intensity range at 160 kHz.

© 2013 IEEE