Extreme ultrafast laser sources enabled by high-energy soliton dynamics

Ultrafast laser pulses are some of the most important and versatile tools in modern photonics. Progress in both fundamental and applied optical science depends on the development of ultrafast sources with ever shorter pulse duration, wider spectral coverage, and higher power. Wavelength-tuneable laser pulses are particularly sought after, but conventional approaches based on frequency conversion in nonlinear crystals cannot reach two of the most important and demanding regimes of operation: short wavelengths (deep and vacuum ultraviolet) and short pulses (few-femtosecond duration). At another extreme, the development of sub-cycle field transients has enabled entirely new science at the cost of immense experimental complexity. I will present our work on the use of optical soliton dynamics in gas-filled hollow capillary fibres to create new light sources with unprecedented capabilities. Soliton self-compression can reduce the duration of femtosecond pulses to the sub-cycle regime in both the visible and infrared with peak powers approaching the terawatt regime. In addition, through the process of resonant dispersive wave emission we can generate widely tuneable few-femtosecond pulses from the vacuum ultraviolet to the near infrared. These tools have enabled new scientific applications both in our laboratory and in those of collaborators worldwide.