Highly efficient, ultra-broadband mid infrared generation driven by a Tm-doped fiber laser system

We present on the nonlinear downconversion of a post-compressed Tm-doped fiber laser system via intrapulse difference frequency generation. In a preliminary experiment, with sampled 15 fs driving pulses and a 3 mm Gallium Selenide crystal, we achieved an octave spanning spectrum (5-16 μm) with a conversion efficiency of 3.6%. Utilizing the full 100 W driving laser power, we believe that this approach can pave the way towards W-class emission in the molecular fingerprint region enabling unprecedented sensitivity and precision in future spectroscopic applications.