The broadening of the optical parametric amplification bandwidth caused by idler wave absorption

Abstract

The amplification bandwidth of an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) defines the duration of the signal and idler pulse. Usually the OPA bandwidth is described by material dispersion and interaction geometry. The absorption of interacting waves is detrimental to the amplification process. However, even in the case of a large linear absorption of the idler wave it is still possible to get an effective amplification and a positive effect to the amplifier bandwidth. In the current work, we investigate the influence of idler wave linear losses on the OPA bandwidth.