Patent ID: 8116340

Claim:
A method for compressing optical pulses comprising the steps of: providing an optical pulsed laser beam comprised of a plurality of optical pulses, each of said optical pulses having a selected initial duration and fundamental wavelength; providing a quadratic nonlinear crystal having a known group velocity mismatch (GVM) and a known wavevector mismatch at said fundamental wavelength for inducing temporal self-defocusing and self-compression of said optical pulses; calculating a maximum value of perturbation to nonlinear Schrödinger-type soliton compression due to GVM that can be imparted to said optical pulses by said crystal without distorting said optical pulses beyond a predetermined limit, said maximum value of perturbation being calculated as a function of soliton order of said optical pulses, said selected initial duration of said optical pulses, and said GVM and said wavevector mismatch of said quadratic nonlinear crystal at said fundamental wavelength; determining a value N of soliton order of said optical pulsed laser beam that provides a perturbation value that equals said maximum value of perturbation; adjusting an intensity of said optical pulsed laser beam to adjust the soliton order of said optical pulsed laser beam to N; and passing said optical pulsed laser beam through said quadratic nonlinear crystal to induce temporal self-defocusing and self-compression of said optical pulses.