Ultra-broad bandwidth parametric amplification at degeneracy

We report on a novel approach of ultra-broad bandwidth parametric amplification around degeneracy. A bandwidth of up to 400-nm centered around 800 nm is amplified in a BBO crystal by using chirped pump pulses with a bandwitdth as broad as 10 nm. A supercontinuum signal is generated in a microstructured fiber, having to first order a quadratic chirp, which is necessary to ensure temporal overlap of the interacting waves over this broad bandwidth. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of this approach for an octave-spanning parametric amplification.