Multi-watt 1 GHz single-cycle frequency combs

Abstract

Single-cycle optical pulses offer a strong carrier-envelope-offset (CEO) dependent electric field and the highest peak intensity for a given pulse energy. Absence of demonstrated GHz single-cycle lasers constrains exploration of single/sub-cycle dynamics at this repetition rate. By leveraging fiber soliton effects and suppressing higher-order dispersion, we achieve single-cycle pulse generation at a 1 GHz repetition rate in an all-fiber format. The laser produces 7.1 fs (1.1-cycle) pulses with 1.8 W average power, centered around 1970 nm. Temporal characterization shows 60% of the pulse energy is concentrated in the pulse center, yielding a peak power of 110 kW. The seed laser demonstrates a 43 dB signal-to-noise ratio for the CEO frequency, facilitating comb stabilization and CEO control. Our model, which matches experimental observations, identifies conditions for achieving single-cycle duration and predicts scalability to a 2 GHz repetition rate. This work presents the first GHz single-cycle source. We envision these advances will drive studies in single/sub-cycle light-matter interaction, spectroscopy, microscopy, and CEO-sensitive nonlinear optics.