Femtosecond mid-infrared optical parametric oscillators

Summary form only given. The development of femtosecond infrared laser sources is of considerable interest for many applications ranging from time-resolved spectroscopy of semiconductors and organic molecules to atmospheric optics. Because of the scarcity of conventional mode-locked lasers in this spectral range, the femtosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO) has been established as a versatile and practical alternative, capable of delivering high-repetition-rate ultrashort pulses with durations as short as 13 fs from the visible to the near-infrared