High-power broadband laser source tunable from 3.0 um to 4.4 um based on a femtosecond Yb:fiber oscillator

TL;DR

This paper presents a high-power, broadband, tunable mid-infrared laser source spanning 3.0 to 4.4 micrometers, achieved through difference-frequency mixing of a femtosecond Yb:fiber laser, with detailed analysis of its noise and coherence.

Contribution

It introduces a novel tunable mid-infrared laser source based on difference-frequency mixing with high power and broad bandwidth, expanding capabilities for spectroscopy and sensing.

Findings

Tunable from 3.0 to 4.4 micrometers with 170 nm bandwidth

Maximum average power of 125 mW achieved

Noise and coherence properties characterized

Abstract

We describe a tunable broadband mid-infrared laser source based on difference-frequency mixing of a 100 MHz femtosecond Yb:fiber laser oscillator and a Raman-shifted soliton generated with the same laser. The resulting light is tunable over 3.0 um to 4.4 um, with a FWHM bandwidth of 170 nm and maximum average output power up to 125 mW. The noise and coherence properties of this source are also investigated and described.