Abstract

We describe a system for the generation of amplified continuously tunable near-IR femtosecond optical pulses and the associated white-light continuum that is ideally suited for sensitive femtosecond spectroscopic measurements. The high power tunable sub-100-fs duration Fourier transform-limited pulses are generated using copper vapor laser excited dye amplifiers and fiber/grating and fiber prism optical pulse compression techniques applied to the output of a mode-locked dye laser synchronously pumped by the frequency- doubled output of a mode-locked Nd:YAG laser.

© 1988 Optical Society of America