RESUMEN
We report the generation of ultrabroadband pulses spanning the 50-130 THz frequency range via phase-matched difference frequency mixing within the broad spectrum of sub-10 fs pulses in LiIO(3). Model calculations reproduce the octave-spanning spectra and predict few-cycle THz pulse durations less than 20 fs. The broad applicability of this scheme is demonstrated with 9-fs pulses from a Ti:sapphire oscillator and with 7-fs amplified pulses from a hollow fiber compressor as pump sources.
RESUMEN
We present phase-resolved pulse propagation measurements that allow us to fully describe the transition between several light-matter interaction regimes. The complete range from linear excitation to the breakdown of the photonic bandgap on to self-induced transmission and self-phase modulation is studied on a high-quality multiple-quantum-well Bragg structure. An improved fast-scanning cross-correlation frequency-resolved optical gating setup is applied to retrieve the pulse phase with an excellent signal-to-noise ratio. Calculations using the semiconductor Maxwell-Bloch equations show qualitative agreement with the experimental findings.
