Four-wave-mixing-based optical parametric oscillator delivering energetic, tunable, chirped femtosecond pulses for non-linear biomedical applications

A novel concept for an optical parametric oscillator based on four-wave mixing (FOPO) in an optical fiber is presented. This setup has the ability of generating highly chirped signal and idler pulses with compressed pulse durations below 600 fs and pulse energies of up to 250 nJ. At a fixed pump wavelength of 1040 nm, the emerging signal and idler wavelengths can be easily tuned between 867 to 918 nm and 1200 to 1300 nm, respectively, only by altering the cavity length. With compressed peak powers >100 kW and a repetition rate of only 785 kHz, this source provides tunable intense ultra-short pulses at moderate average powers. This setup constitutes a stable, simple and in many ways superior alternative to bulk state-of-the-art OPO light converters for demanding biomedical applications and non-linear microspectroscopy.