AUTHOR=Pogorelsky Igor. V. , Polyanskiy Mikhail N. , Babzien Marcus , Simmonds Andrew , Palmer Mark A. 

TITLE=Terawatt-class femtosecond long-wave infrared laser

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physics

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physics/articles/10.3389/fphy.2024.1390225

DOI=10.3389/fphy.2024.1390225

ISSN=2296-424X

ABSTRACT=<p>We utilized a nonlinear post-compression technique to generate 675-fs, 9.2-μm CO<sub>2</sub> laser pulses with a peak power of 1.6 TW. This achievement represents the highest peak power ever attained in the femtosecond pulse format within the long-wave infrared (LWIR) spectral range. The successful implementation of this post-compression technique opens avenues for the development of few-cycle, multi-terawatt 9–10 μm lasers, crucial for applications currently relying on near-infrared solid-state lasers, and which stand to benefit from the scaling of laser wavelengths into the long-wave infrared region.</p>