Optical pulse compression of ultrashort laser pulses in an argon-filled planar waveguide

We investigate the possibility of optical pulse compression of high energy ultrashort laser pulses in an argon-filled planar waveguide, based on two level coupled mode theory and the full 3D nonlinear Schrödinger equation. We derive general expressions for controlling the spatial beam profile and the extent of the spectral broadening. The analysis and simulations suggest that the proposed method should be appropriate for optical pulse compression of ultrashort laser pulses with energies as high as 600 mJ.