Fully-tunable femtosecond laser source in the ultraviolet spectral range

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a fully tunable femtosecond ultraviolet laser source using high-order harmonic generation driven by a near-infrared laser, enabling broad spectral coverage and high photon flux for scientific applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method for achieving full tunability in the ultraviolet femtosecond laser spectrum via high-order harmonic generation with a tunable near-infrared laser.

Findings

Achieved tunability from 1100 to 1900 nm in the drive laser.

Generated intense harmonics in the ultraviolet range.

Measured photon flux of approximately 10^7 photons per shot.

Abstract

We demonstrate experimentally the full tunability of a coherent femtosecond source in the whole ultraviolet spectral region. The experiment relies on the technique of high-order harmonic generation driven by a near-infrared parametric laser source in krypton gas. By tuning the drive wavelength in the range between 1100 to 1900 nm, we generated intense harmonics from near to extreme ultraviolet. A number of photons per shot of the order of 10^7 has been measured for the first harmonic orders. Many novel scientific prospects are expected to benefit from the use of such a table-top tunable source.