Nonlinear pulse compression in double-pass multiple plate compression

We propose a new architecture, double-pass multiple-plate compression (DPMPC), for nonlinear pulse compression. The design of double optical passes avoids pushing the nonlinear phase shift to the limit (as opposed to traditional single-stage MPC). The moderately broadened spectrum in the first optical pass permits quality dispersion compensation by highly dispersive mirrors (as opposed to multi-pass cell), which is beneficial for further spectral broadening in the second optical pass. As a result, DPMPC realizes the advantages of MPC and multi-pass cell simultaneously with a simple and compact geometry.