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Abstract

Filamentation is a promising method for achieving few-cycle ultrashort laserpulses. It has the potential to overtake gas lled hollow bers as the standard technique for compressing intense laser pulses. This diploma thesis describes the development and construction of a novel setup for lamentation and a tool for adaptive pulse compression. The initial pulses with a duration of 25 fs and a single pulse energy of about 1 mJ, are produced by a commercially available laser system. A detailled study of the parameter dependence of the lamentation process was conducted. In the course of this study the optimum parameters both, for focal length and operating mode were determined. A strong dependence on the beam pro le was observerd to nally limit the broadening of the pulses' spectral bandwidth. The spectra obtained supported pulses with a duration of 10.4 fs, but methods for improvement are suggested. Of particular interest is a discovery that was made concerning a dependence of lamentation on the repetition rate of the laser system. Such a dependence has till now not been published and could pose a limitation to the use of lamentation in combination with high repetition rates. Several potential explanations are provided. Furthermore, a procedure for aligning, calibrating and future development of the adaptive pulse compressor is included within this thesis.