Octave-Spanning Mid-Infrared Intrapulse Difference Frequency Generation with a Few-Cycle Cr: ZnS Laser

We generate longwave mid-IR transients between 4 and 18 μm via optical rectification of 5.9-W 78-MHz 20-fs laser pulses centered at 2.5 μ $m$. We achieve 0.15 W (0.014 W)average power in ZGP (GaSe)crystals. © 2019 The Author(s)