We report the first ever femtosecond supercontinuum generation in a KDP crystal using ~100 fs pulses at 790 nm irradiation. Due to the quadratic nonlinearities of the KDP crystal an enhanced bandwidth of 385–960 nm is generated. The spatial and temporal coherence of the generated white light is demonstrated using Young’s double slit interference configuration and a Michelson interferometer.

© 2005 Optical Society of America

1. R. R. Alfano and S. L. Shapiro, �??Observation of self-phase modulation and small-scale filaments in crystals and glasses,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 24, 592-594 (1970). [CrossRef]
2. R. R. Alfano, The Supercontinuum laser source, Springer�??Verlag, Berlin (1989).
3. V. P. Kandidov, O. G. Kosareva, I. S. Golubtsov, W. Liu, A. Becker, N. Akozbek, C. M. Bowden, S. L. Chin, �??Self-transformation of a powerful femtosecond laser pulse into a white-light pulse in bulk optical media (or super continuum generation),�?? Appl. Phys. B 77, 149-165 (2003). [CrossRef]
4. R. L. Fork, C. V. Shank, C. Hirlimann, R. Yen, and W. J. Tomlinson, �??Femtosecond white-light continuum pulses,�?? Opt. Lett. 8, 1-3 (1983). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
5. P. B. Corkum, C. Rolland, and T. Srinivasan Rao, �??Supercontinuum generation in gases,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 57, 2268�??2271 (1986). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
6. A. Brodeur, F. A. Ilkov, and S. L. Chin, �??Beam filamentation and the white light continuum divergence,�?? Opt. Commun. 129, 193-198 (1996). [CrossRef]
7. G. Yang and Y. R. Shen, �??Spectral broadening of ultrashort pulses in a nonlinear medium,�?? Opt. Lett. 9, 510-512 (1984). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
8. P. B. Corkum, P. P. Ho, R. R. Alfano, and J. T. Manassah, �??Generation of infrared supercontinuum covering 3 - 14 µm in dielectrics and semiconductors,�?? Opt. Lett. 10, 624-626 (1985). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
9. A. Brodeur and S. L. Chin, �??Band-gap dependence of the ultrafast white light continuum,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 4406�??4409 (1998). [CrossRef]
10. A. Brodeur and S. L. Chin, �??Ultrafast white light continuum generation and self-focusing in transparent condensed media,�?? J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 16, 637-650 (1999). [CrossRef]
11. A. K. Dharmadhikari, F. A. Rajgara, N. C. S. Reddy, A. S. Sandhu, and D. Mathur, �??Highly efficient white light generation from barium fluoride,�?? Opt. Express 12, 695-700 (2004), <a href= "http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-4-695">http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-4-695</a> [CrossRef] [PubMed]
12. J. H. Glownia, J. Misewich, and P. P. Sorokin, �??Ultrafast ultraviolet pump-probe apparatus,�?? J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 3, 1573-1579 (1986). [CrossRef]
13. T. Kobayashi, T. Saito, and H. Ohtani, �??Real-time spectroscopy of transition states in bacteriorhodopsin during retinal isomerization,�?? Nature 414, 531 - 534 (2001). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
14. S. Cussat-Blanc, A. Ivanov, D. Lupinski, and E. Freysz, �??KTiOPO4, KTiOAsO4, and KNbO3 crystals for mid-infrared femtosecond optical parametric amplifiers: analysis and comparison,�?? Appl. Phys. B 70, S247- S252 (2000). [CrossRef]
15. T. Kobayashi and A. Shirakawa, �??Tunable visible and near-infrared pulse generator in a 5 fs regime�??, App. Phys. B 70, S239-S246 (2000). [CrossRef]
16. K. R. Wilson and V. V. Yakovlev, �??Ultrafast rainbow: tunable ultrashort pulses from a solid-state kilohertz system,�?? J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 14, 444-448(1997). [CrossRef]
17. A. Baltuska and T. Kobayashi, �??Adaptive shaping of two-cycle visible pulses using a flexible mirror,�?? App. Phys. B 75, 427-443 (2002). [CrossRef]
18. Pei-Lin Hsiung, Yu Chen, Tony H. Ko, James G. Fujimoto, C. J. S. de Matos, S. V. Popov, J. R. Taylor, and V. P. Gapontsev, �??Optical coherence tomography using a continuous-wave, high-power, Raman continuum light source, �??Opt. Express 12, 5287 - 5295(2004), <a href="http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-22-5287">http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-22-5287</a> [CrossRef] [PubMed]
19. E. Hugonnot, M. Somekh, D. Villate, F. Salin, and E. Freysz, �??Optical parametric chirped pulse amplification and spectral shaping of a continuum generated in a photonic band gap fiber,�?? Opt. Express 12, 2397 �?? 2403 (2004), <a href= "http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-11-2397">http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-11-2397</a> [CrossRef] [PubMed]
20. M. Aoyama, T. Harimoto, J. Ma, Y. Akahane, and K. Yamakawa, �??Second - harmonic generation of ultrahigh intensity femtosecond pulses with a KDP crystal,�?? Opt. Express 9, 579 �?? 585 (2001), <a href= "http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-11-2397">http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-11-2397</a> [CrossRef] [PubMed]
21. A. Yariv, Quantum Electronics, John Wiley & Sons, New York, USA, 1988.
22. V. G. Dimitriev, G. G. Gurzaddyan, and D. N. Nikogosyan, Handbook of Nonlinear Optical Crystals, 2nd revised ed. (Springer, Berlin, 1977).
23. R. G. Brewer, J. R. Lifsitz, E. Garmire, R. Y. Chiao, and C. H. Townes, �??Small-scale trapped filaments in intense laser beams,�?? Phys. Rev. 166, 326�??331 (1968). [CrossRef]
24. W. Watanabe and K. Itoh, �??Spatial coherence of supercontinuum emitters from multiple filaments,�?? Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 40, 592-595 (2001). [CrossRef]
25. K. Cook, A. K. Kar, and R. A. Lamb, �??White-light supercontinuum interference of self �?? focused filaments in water,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 83, 3861-3863 (2003).

App. Phys. B

• A. Baltuska and T. Kobayashi, �??Adaptive shaping of two-cycle visible pulses using a flexible mirror,�?? App. Phys. B 75, 427-443 (2002). [CrossRef]
• T. Kobayashi and A. Shirakawa, �??Tunable visible and near-infrared pulse generator in a 5 fs regime�??, App. Phys. B 70, S239-S246 (2000). [CrossRef]

Appl. Phys. B

• S. Cussat-Blanc, A. Ivanov, D. Lupinski, and E. Freysz, �??KTiOPO4, KTiOAsO4, and KNbO3 crystals for mid-infrared femtosecond optical parametric amplifiers: analysis and comparison,�?? Appl. Phys. B 70, S247- S252 (2000). [CrossRef]
• V. P. Kandidov, O. G. Kosareva, I. S. Golubtsov, W. Liu, A. Becker, N. Akozbek, C. M. Bowden, S. L. Chin, �??Self-transformation of a powerful femtosecond laser pulse into a white-light pulse in bulk optical media (or super continuum generation),�?? Appl. Phys. B 77, 149-165 (2003). [CrossRef]

Appl. Phys. Lett.

• K. Cook, A. K. Kar, and R. A. Lamb, �??White-light supercontinuum interference of self �?? focused filaments in water,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 83, 3861-3863 (2003).

J. Appl. Phys.

• W. Watanabe and K. Itoh, �??Spatial coherence of supercontinuum emitters from multiple filaments,�?? Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 40, 592-595 (2001). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am. B

• K. R. Wilson and V. V. Yakovlev, �??Ultrafast rainbow: tunable ultrashort pulses from a solid-state kilohertz system,�?? J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 14, 444-448(1997). [CrossRef]
• A. Brodeur and S. L. Chin, �??Ultrafast white light continuum generation and self-focusing in transparent condensed media,�?? J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 16, 637-650 (1999). [CrossRef]
• J. H. Glownia, J. Misewich, and P. P. Sorokin, �??Ultrafast ultraviolet pump-probe apparatus,�?? J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 3, 1573-1579 (1986). [CrossRef]

Nature

• T. Kobayashi, T. Saito, and H. Ohtani, �??Real-time spectroscopy of transition states in bacteriorhodopsin during retinal isomerization,�?? Nature 414, 531 - 534 (2001). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Commun.

• A. Brodeur, F. A. Ilkov, and S. L. Chin, �??Beam filamentation and the white light continuum divergence,�?? Opt. Commun. 129, 193-198 (1996). [CrossRef]

Opt. Express

• A. K. Dharmadhikari, F. A. Rajgara, N. C. S. Reddy, A. S. Sandhu, and D. Mathur, �??Highly efficient white light generation from barium fluoride,�?? Opt. Express 12, 695-700 (2004), <a href= "http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-4-695">http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-4-695</a> [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• Pei-Lin Hsiung, Yu Chen, Tony H. Ko, James G. Fujimoto, C. J. S. de Matos, S. V. Popov, J. R. Taylor, and V. P. Gapontsev, �??Optical coherence tomography using a continuous-wave, high-power, Raman continuum light source, �??Opt. Express 12, 5287 - 5295(2004), <a href="http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-22-5287">http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-22-5287</a> [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• E. Hugonnot, M. Somekh, D. Villate, F. Salin, and E. Freysz, �??Optical parametric chirped pulse amplification and spectral shaping of a continuum generated in a photonic band gap fiber,�?? Opt. Express 12, 2397 �?? 2403 (2004), <a href= "http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-11-2397">http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-11-2397</a> [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• M. Aoyama, T. Harimoto, J. Ma, Y. Akahane, and K. Yamakawa, �??Second - harmonic generation of ultrahigh intensity femtosecond pulses with a KDP crystal,�?? Opt. Express 9, 579 �?? 585 (2001), <a href= "http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-11-2397">http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-11-2397</a> [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Lett.

• G. Yang and Y. R. Shen, �??Spectral broadening of ultrashort pulses in a nonlinear medium,�?? Opt. Lett. 9, 510-512 (1984). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• P. B. Corkum, P. P. Ho, R. R. Alfano, and J. T. Manassah, �??Generation of infrared supercontinuum covering 3 - 14 µm in dielectrics and semiconductors,�?? Opt. Lett. 10, 624-626 (1985). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• R. L. Fork, C. V. Shank, C. Hirlimann, R. Yen, and W. J. Tomlinson, �??Femtosecond white-light continuum pulses,�?? Opt. Lett. 8, 1-3 (1983). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Phys. Rev.

• R. G. Brewer, J. R. Lifsitz, E. Garmire, R. Y. Chiao, and C. H. Townes, �??Small-scale trapped filaments in intense laser beams,�?? Phys. Rev. 166, 326�??331 (1968). [CrossRef]

Phys. Rev. Lett.

• P. B. Corkum, C. Rolland, and T. Srinivasan Rao, �??Supercontinuum generation in gases,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 57, 2268�??2271 (1986). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• R. R. Alfano and S. L. Shapiro, �??Observation of self-phase modulation and small-scale filaments in crystals and glasses,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 24, 592-594 (1970). [CrossRef]
• A. Brodeur and S. L. Chin, �??Band-gap dependence of the ultrafast white light continuum,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 4406�??4409 (1998). [CrossRef]

Other

• R. R. Alfano, The Supercontinuum laser source, Springer�??Verlag, Berlin (1989).
• A. Yariv, Quantum Electronics, John Wiley & Sons, New York, USA, 1988.
• V. G. Dimitriev, G. G. Gurzaddyan, and D. N. Nikogosyan, Handbook of Nonlinear Optical Crystals, 2nd revised ed. (Springer, Berlin, 1977).

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