System for generating short optical pulses of a duration shorter than the period of the optical carrier using the principle of parametric amplification

System for generating short optical pulses of a duration shorter than the period of the optical carrier using the principle of the parametric amplification, which comprises:

• a first generator of optical pulses (P, B1) outputting pulses with a wavelength substantially equal to λ/2 and a spectral width less than λ/3;
• a second generator of optical pulses (B2) outputting pulses of a duration less than 10 picoseconds at a wavelength substantially equal to λ/3;
• a device (R1) for collinearly recombining the pulses from the first and second optical pulse generators;
• a first parametric amplification device (OPA1) receiving the output of said recombination device (R1) as input;
• a filter (F2) extracting from the output of the first parametric amplification device (OPA1) a band centred about a wavelength substantially equal to λ;
• a second harmonic generator (SH) receiving the output of said filter (F2) as input and generating a band centred about a wavelength substantially equal to λ/2;
• a programmable device for controlling the delay and the spectral phase (DCDP2) making it possible to temporally adjust the pulses corresponding to said bands, in such a way as to allow for the generation, by constructive interference, of a pulse with a wavelength substantially equal to λ/3 and of a duration less than the period of the optical cycle.