Factor Hundred Compression of Multi-mJ 1.2 ps Pulses at 1030 nm to Few Cycles using Multi-Pass Cells

Multi-pass cells (MPCs) enable the accumulation of a large amount of B-integral while preserving the spatial mode of a laser beam and ensuring a uniform spectral distribution [1], [2]. In addition, MPCs used for post-compression allow achieving very large compression factors, without considerable degradation in temporal quality [3]. These qualities of MPCs, in combination with the high average power and pulse energy that Ytterbium-based lasers can deliver, open up the generation of ultrashort laser pulses with unprecedented properties [4].