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We demonstrate spectral broadening and compression of amplified pulses from a titanium sapphire laser system using an argon-filled stretched, hollow-core fiber and an acousto-optic modulator based pulse-shaper. We characterize the pulses using pulse-shaper assisted collinear frequency resolved optical gating, pulse-shaper assisted D-scans, and D-scans using a variable path length water cell. The different compression and characterization approaches consistently compress the pulses down to < 6 fs, less than ∼1 fs from the transform limit. We discuss prospects for pulse shape spectroscopy with these broadband pulses, given our control over the spectral amplitude and phase. 

High-harmonic generation (HHG) provides short-wavelength light that is useful for precision spectroscopy and probing ultrafast dynamics. We report efficient, phase-coherent harmonic generation up to the ninth order (333 nm) in chirped periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides driven by phase-stable $\le <\#comment/>12\mathrm{n}\mathrm{J}$, 100 fs pulses at 3 µm with 100 MHz repetition rate. A mid-infrared to ultraviolet-visible conversion efficiency as high as 10% is observed, among an overall 23% conversion of the fundamental to all harmonics. We verify the coherence of the harmonic frequency combs despite the complex highly nonlinear process. Accommodating the extreme spectral bandwidth, numerical simulations based on a single broadband envelope equation with only quadratic nonlinearity give estimates for the conversion efficiency within approximately 1 order of magnitude over a wide range of experimental parameters. From this comparison between theory and experiment, we identify a dimensionless parameter capturing the competition between three-wave mixing and group-velocity walk-off of the harmonics that governs the cascaded HHG physics. We also gain insights into spectral optimization via tuning the waveguide poling profile and pump pulse parameters. These results can inform cascaded HHG in a range of different platforms. 

We report on the development of a high-power mid-infrared frequency comb with 100 MHz repetition rate and 100 fs pulse duration. Difference frequency generation is realized between two branches derived from an Er:fiber comb, amplified separately in Yb:fiber and Er:fiber amplifiers. Average powers of 6.7 W and 14.9 W are generated in the 2.9 µm idler and 1.6 µm signal, respectively. With high average power, excellent beam quality, and passive carrier-envelope phase stabilization, this light source is a promising platform for generating broadband frequency combs in the far infrared, visible, and deep ultraviolet.