Efficient and compact source of tuneable ultrafast deep ultraviolet laser pulses at 50 kHz repetition rate

TL;DR

This paper presents a compact, efficient, and tunable deep ultraviolet ultrafast laser source operating at 50 kHz, suitable for advanced scientific and technological applications, based on resonant dispersive wave emission in hollow capillary fiber.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, small-footprint DUV laser source that combines tunability, high efficiency, and ultrafast pulse generation in a single compact system.

Findings

Generates tunable DUV pulses between 208 nm and 363 nm at 50 kHz

Achieves up to 3.6% total efficiency in DUV generation

Enables two-colour few-femtosecond DUV pulse generation

Abstract

Deep ultraviolet (DUV) laser pulses with tuneable wavelength and very short duration are a key enabling technology for next-generation technology and ultrafast science. Their generation has been the subject of extensive experimental effort, but no technique demonstrated thus far has been able to meet all requirements in one light source. Here we demonstrate a bright, efficient, and compact source of tuneable deep ultraviolet ultrafast laser pulses based on resonant dispersive wave emission in hollow capillary fibre. In a total footprint of only 120 x 75 cm, including the ytterbium-based drive laser, we generate pulses between 208 nm and 363 nm at 50 kHz repetition rate with a total efficiency of up to 3.6%. Down-scaling of the DUV generation reduces the required energy sufficiently to enable the generation of two-colour few-femtosecond DUV pulses.