Abstract: An optical parametric amplification device and method. The method includes providing a pump pulse having a pump pulse duration, providing a chirped seed pulse having a seed pulse duration, sequentially passing the pump and seed pulses through amplification stages, wherein the pump and seed pulses are coupled into the amplification stages with varying mutual temporal overlap and the seed pulse is amplified at each amplification stage, an amplified signal pulse is provided by the seed pulse after amplification in a last amplification stage, the seed pulse duration is longer than the pump pulse duration, the mutual temporal overlap of the pump and seed pulses is varied with different temporal ranges of the seed pulse amplified at each amplification stage. Compared with the seed pulse, the signal pulse has an increased energy in the spectral regions determined by the temporal overlap of the seed pulse with the pump pulse.

Abstract: An optical parametric amplification device and method. The method includes providing a pump pulse having a pump pulse duration, providing a chirped seed pulse having a seed pulse duration, sequentially passing the pump and seed pulses through amplification stages, wherein the pump and seed pulses are coupled into the amplification stages with varying mutual temporal overlap and the seed pulse is amplified at each amplification stage, an amplified signal pulse is provided by the seed pulse after amplification in a last ampli-fication stage, the seed pulse duration is longer than the pump pulse duration, the mutual temporal overlap of the pump and seed pulses is varied with different temporal ranges of the seed pulse amplified at each amplification stage. Compared with the seed pulse, the signal pulse has an increased energy in the spectral regions determined by the temporal overlap of the seed pulse with the pump.