By combining multiple photonic crystal fibers with sequentially decreasing zero-dispersion wavelengths we have produced a 1.2 W average-power white-light continuum, covering the visible-near-infrared spectrum from 0.44 to 1.89 (mu)m (10 dB width), with an all-fiber picosecond ytterbium pump laser. Wavelengths as short as the ultraviolet (0.35 (mu)m), and spectral power densities of more than 2 mWm in the blue spectral region, have been generated. The process is understood in terms of optimizing four-wave mixing phase matching to enhance short-wavelength generation.
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