We present an amplification medium for optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification that allows for ultrabroadband gain in a collinear configuration. Our approach is based on aperiodic quasi-phase-matching (QPM). For the first demonstration of this method in a mid-IR optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier, we chose a QPM grating design with a linear chirp of its associated spatial frequencies. The resulting 7.4-mm-long, aperiodically poled $\mathrm{Mg}\text{:}\mathrm{Li}\mathrm{Nb}{\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{3}}$ amplification crystal has a chirp rate of ${\kappa }^{\prime }=-250{\mathrm{cm}}^{-2}$ and provides gain over the $800\mathrm{nm}$ bandwidth centered at $3.4\mathrm{\mu m}$ . We were able to generate pulses as short as $75\mathrm{fs}$ and the pulse energy at the output of the optical parametric amplifier before compression was $1.5\mathrm{\mu J}$ . Low thermal load on the amplification medium allows for operation at a high repetition rate, $100\mathrm{kHz}$ in our case, and high average power limited only by the available pump power.

© 2010 Optical Society of America

1. G. Cerullo and S. D. Silvestri, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 74, 1 (2003). [CrossRef]
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Appl. Phys. B

• C. Erny, L. Gallmann, and U. Keller, Appl. Phys. B 96, 257 (2009). [CrossRef]
• L. Gallmann, G. Steinmeyer, G. Imeshev, J.-P. Meyn, M. M. Fejer, and U. Keller, Appl. Phys. B 74, S237 (2002). [CrossRef]

IEEE J. Quantum Electron.

• T. Suhara and H. Nishihara, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 26, 1265 (1990). [CrossRef]
• M. J. W. Rodwell, D. M. Bloom, and K. J. Weingarten, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 25, 817 (1989). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am. A

• R. Trebino and D. J. Kane, J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 10, 1101 (1993). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am. B

• M. Charbonneau-Lefort, B. Afeyan, and M. M. Fejer, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 25, 463 (2008). [CrossRef]
• M. Charbonneau-Lefort, B. Afeyan, and M. M. Fejer, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 25, 680 (2008). [CrossRef]
• M. Charbonneau-Lefort, B. Afeyan, and M. M. Fejer, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 25, 1402 (2008). [CrossRef]

Opt. Express

• C. Erny, C. Heese, M. Haag, L. Gallmann, and U. Keller, Opt. Express 17, 1340 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• O. Chalus, P. K. Bates, M. Smolarski, and J. Biegert, Opt. Express 17, 3587 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Lett.

• B. Proctor and F. Wise, Opt. Lett. 17, 1295 (1992). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• C. Erny, K. Moutzouris, J. Biegert, D. Kühlke, F. Adler, A. Leitenstorfer, and U. Keller, Opt. Lett. 32, 1138 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• M. A. Arbore, O. Marco, and M. M. Fejer, Opt. Lett. 22, 865 (1997). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• G. Imeshev, A. Galvanauskas, D. Harter, M. A. Arbore, M. Proctor, and M. M. Fejer, Opt. Lett. 23, 864 (1998). [CrossRef]
• L. Gallmann, G. Steinmeyer, U. Keller, G. Imeshev, M. M. Fejer, and J.-P. Meyn, Opt. Lett. 26, 614 (2001). [CrossRef]
• D. Artigas, D. T. Reid, M. M. Fejer, and L. Torner, Opt. Lett. 27, 442 (2002). [CrossRef]
• D. Artigas and D. T. Reid, Opt. Lett. 27, 851 (2002). [CrossRef]
• M. Charbonneau-Lefort, M. M. Fejer, and B. Afeyan, Opt. Lett. 30, 634 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Rev. Sci. Instrum.

• G. Cerullo and S. D. Silvestri, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 74, 1 (2003). [CrossRef]

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