Self-dispersion-managed adiabatic frequency conversion

TL;DR

This paper introduces a dispersion-managed adiabatic frequency conversion technique that efficiently converts ultrafast pulses across an octave bandwidth without complex dispersion compensation, advancing ultrafast optics.

Contribution

It presents a novel adiabatic frequency converter design that maintains constant group delay, simplifying dispersion management in ultrafast pulse conversion.

Findings

Achieved efficient downconversion from 11.1 fs to 11.6 fs pulses.

Enabled broadband frequency conversion spanning 2-4 μm.

Introduced a new dispersion engineering mechanism via position-dependent conversion.

Abstract

Dispersion management of few-cycle pulses is crucial for ultrafast optics and photonics. Often, nontrivial dispersion is compensated using complex optical systems or minimized through careful design of waveguides. Here, we present dispersion-managed adiabatic frequency conversion enabling efficient downconversion of an 11.1-fs near-IR pulse to an 11.6-fs mid-IR pulse spanning an octave of bandwidth from 2-4 $\mu$m. The adiabatic frequency converter is designed to impart a constant group delay over the entire bandwidth, eliminating the need for complex dispersion management and opening a new avenue for dispersion engineering in ultrafast optics and photonics. Notably, dispersion engineering through the position-dependent conversion position of an adiabatic conversion device constitutes an additional mechanism for dispersion control in ultrafast optics and photonics while maintaining high conversion efficiency for broadband pulses.