Broadband nondegenerate optical parametric amplification in the mid infrared with periodically poled KTiOPO_4

Abstract

We theoretically and experimentally demonstrate that the bandwidth in a nondegenerate optical parametric amplifier can be substantially increased by noncollinear interaction in a quasi-phase-matched single-periodicity structure. Broadband amplification of signals between 1540 and 1720 nm was realized in periodically poled KTiOPO4. The achieved signal bandwidth of 6.9 THz at 1680 nm is large enough to accommodate sub-100 fs optical pulses.