18-10 μm mid-infrared supercontinuum generated in a step-index chalcogenide fiber using low peak pump power

Abstract

By pumping an 11-cm-long step-index chalcogenide fiber with ∼330 fs pulses at 4.0 μm from an optical parametric amplifier, mid-infrared supercontinuum generation spanning from ∼1.8 to ∼10 μm within a dynamic range of ±15 dB has been demonstrated at a relatively low power threshold of ∼3000 W.