Low-threshold supercontinuum generation in a homogeneous bulk material at 76 MHz pulse repetition rate
Vaida Marčiulionytė, Jonas Banys, Julius Vengelis, Robertas Grigutis, G. Tamošauskas, A. Dubietis
Abstract
We report on high average power, low threshold supercontinuum generation in a homogeneous bulk material at 76 MHz pulse repetition rate with amplified as well as unamplified pulses from a Yb:KGW oscillator. An octave-spanning supercontinuum was produced in undoped potassium gadolinium tungstate (KGW), which demonstrated robust, damage-free long-term performance with a total average pump power of 6.4 W. The supercontinuum generation was unambiguously attested by the distinctive features of the phenomenon: beam filamentation visualized via filament-induced luminescence; conical emission and its characteristic angular distribution captured by angle-resolved spectral measurements; and pulse splitting that produced the sub-pulses with well-behaved phases, as retrieved from the measurements employing a second harmonic frequency-resolved optical gating technique.