2023/05/12 by Martin, Ines, Pertot, Yoann, Albert, Olivier +14
#Applied Physics (physics.app-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Optics (physics.optics)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2305.07357
We present a 40-MHz ultrafast optical parametric amplifier (OPA), tunable from 0.8 to 1 μm, with a relative intensity noise (RIN) matching the shot-noise floor (-160 dB/Hz) above 2 MHz. The OPA is pumped by a 20-W Kerr-lens mode-locked Ytterbium laser and seeded by a a supercontinuum generated in an all-normal-dispersion (ANDi) fiber. With an average output power >1.5 W, this compact and simple scheme is an attractive alternative to synchronously-pumped optical parametric oscillators, especially within the context of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) imaging. To illustrate the latter, we perform chemical imaging of vinegar droplets in oil by SRS microscopy.