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Siddiqui AM, Hong KH, Moses J, Kärtner FX. Bandwidth extension and conversion efficiency improvements beyond phase matching limitations using cavity-enhanced OPCPA. OPTICS EXPRESS 2021; 29:9907-9926. [PMID: 33820155 DOI: 10.1364/oe.415765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The conversion efficiency and phase matching bandwidth of ultrafast optical parametric amplification (OPA) are constrained by the dispersion and nonlinear coefficient of the employed crystal as well as pulse shaping effects. In our work we show that an enhancement cavity resonant with the pump seeded at the full repetition rate of the pump laser can automatically reshape the small-signal gain in optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) to achieve close-to-optimal operation. This new method termed cavity-enhanced OPCPA or C-OPCPA significantly increases both the gain bandwidth and the conversion efficiency, in addition to boosting gain for high-repetition-rate amplification. The goal in C-OPCPA is to arrive at a condition of impedance matching at all temporal coordinates, such that, in the absence of linear losses, all the incident pump power is dissipated in the nonlinear loss element, i.e., converted to signal and idler. The use of a low finesse enhancement cavity resonant with a low average power (<1W) and a high repetition rate (78MHz) pump source is shown to achieve more than 50% conversion efficiency into signal and idler from the coupled pump in an optical parametric process, whereas an equivalent amount of pump power in a single-pass configuration leads to negligible conversion. Additionally, the gain bandwidth is extended by a factor of 3-4 beyond the phase-matching limit. Our empirical observations are corroborated by a numerical analysis of depletion optimizing the single-pass case, which assesses the underlying impedance matching that is responsible for the observed performance improvements.
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2
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Graumann IJ, Saltarelli F, Lang L, Wittwer VJ, Südmeyer T, Phillips CR, Keller U. Power-scaling of nonlinear-mirror modelocked thin-disk lasers. OPTICS EXPRESS 2019; 27:37349-37363. [PMID: 31878517 DOI: 10.1364/oe.27.037349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We present a first power-scaled nonlinear-mirror (NLM) modelocked thin-disk laser based on an Yb-doped gain material. The laser oscillator delivers average output powers up to 87 W and peak powers up to 14.7 MW with sub-600-femtosecond pulses at ≈9-MHz repetition rate. We demonstrate a threefold improvement in average output power and sixfold improvement in pulse energy compared to previous NLM-modelocking results. We obtain peak powers in excess of 10 MW for the first time from an NLM-modelocked laser oscillator. In our laser, the NLM is assisted by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) to reliably initiate pulsed operation. We validate the high-power suitability of the NLM modelocking technique using low-absorption χ(2) crystals and optimized dichroic-mirror coating designs. Furthermore, we discuss stability against Q-switching and study how the tuning of the nonlinear mirror affects the laser performance.
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3
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Mateos X, Loiko P, Lamrini S, Scholle K, Fuhrberg P, Suomalainen S, Härkönen A, Guina M, Vatnik S, Vedin I, Aguiló M, Díaz F, Wang Y, Griebner U, Petrov V. Ho:KY(WO 4) 2 thin-disk laser passively Q-switched by a GaSb-based SESAM. OPTICS EXPRESS 2018; 26:9011-9016. [PMID: 29715859 DOI: 10.1364/oe.26.009011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A Holmium thin-disk laser based on a 3 at.% Ho:KY(WO4)2 / KY(WO4)2 epitaxy and single-bounce pumping by a 1960 nm Tm-fiber laser is passively Q-switched with a GaSb-based quantum-well semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. It generates an average output power of 551 mW at 2056 nm with a slope efficiency of 44% (with respect to the absorbed pump power). The best pulse characteristics (energy and duration) are 4.1 μJ / 201 ns at a repetition rate of 135 kHz and the conversion efficiency with respect to the continuous-wave regime is as high as 93%.
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4
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Furch FJ, Giree A, Morales F, Anderson A, Wang Y, Schulz CP, Vrakking MJJ. Close to transform-limited, few-cycle 12 µJ pulses at 400 kHz for applications in ultrafast spectroscopy. OPTICS EXPRESS 2016; 24:19293-19310. [PMID: 27557209 DOI: 10.1364/oe.24.019293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Non-collinear optical parametric amplification has become the leading technology for amplifying few-cycle carrier-envelope phase (CEP) stable pulses to high energy at extreme repetition rates. In this work, a parametric amplifier system devoted to ultrafast photoionization experiments with coincidence detection is reported. The amplifier delivers CEP-stable few-cycle pulses with an average power of 5 W, and operates at repetition rates between 400 and 800 kHz. Close to transform-limited compression of the few-cycle pulses is achieved with minimized spatio-temporal distortions. Potential limitations introduced by spatio-temporal couplings to applications in attosecond science are analyzed. In particular, it is shown that pulse front tilt resulting from non-collinear amplification can considerably reduce the asymmetry in stereo above threshold ionization (stereo-ATI) experiments.
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5
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Braggio C, Borghesani AF. A contactless microwave-based diagnostic tool for high repetition rate laser systems. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2014; 85:023105. [PMID: 24593347 DOI: 10.1063/1.4865717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We report on a novel electro-optic device for the diagnostics of high repetition rate laser systems. It is composed of a microwave receiver and of a second order nonlinear crystal, whose irradiation with a train of short laser pulses produces a time-dependent polarization in the crystal itself as a consequence of optical rectification. This process gives rise to the emission of microwave radiation that is detected by a receiver and is analyzed to infer the repetition rate and intensity of the pulses. We believe that this new method may overcome some of the limitations of photodetection techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Braggio
- Dip. di Fisica e Astronomia and INFN sez. di Padova, Via F. Marzolo 8, I-35131 Padova, Italy
| | - A F Borghesani
- CNISM unit, Dip. di Fisica e Astronomia and INFN sez. di Padova, Via F. Marzolo 8, I-35131 Padova, Italy
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6
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Furch FJ, Birkner S, Kelkensberg F, Giree A, Anderson A, Schulz CP, Vrakking MJJ. Carrier-envelope phase stable few-cycle pulses at 400 kHz for electron-ion coincidence experiments. OPTICS EXPRESS 2013; 21:22671-22682. [PMID: 24104154 DOI: 10.1364/oe.21.022671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Coincident electron-ion detection after photoionization in a "reaction microscope" is a very powerful tool to study atomic and molecular dynamics. However, the implementation of this tool in the field of attosecond science has so far been rather limited, due to the lack of high repetition rate laser sources capable of delivering few-cycle pulses with sufficient energy per pulse. In this article, the development of a Non-collinear Optical Parametric Amplifier (NOPA) capable of delivering Carrier-Envelope Phase (CEP) stable pulses with sub-6 fs duration and pulse energies in the few-µJ range is presented. The potential of combining the high repetition rate source and a reaction microscope operating at this high frequency is demonstrated in a proof-of-principle experiment on strong field ionization of Ar atoms.
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8
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Zhou H, Li W, Yang K, Lin N, Jiang B, Pan Y, Zeng H. Hybrid ultra-short Yb:YAG ceramic master-oscillator high-power fiber amplifier. OPTICS EXPRESS 2012; 20 Suppl 4:A489-A495. [PMID: 22828617 DOI: 10.1364/oe.20.00a489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrated a hybrid ceramic master-oscillator high-power fiber amplifier with a diode-pumped Yb:YAG ceramic laser as the seeding oscillator, which was passively mode-locked at 103.29 MHz repetition rate around 1031 nm by using a semiconductor saturable absorption mirror, and a two-stage double-clad photonic crystal fiber amplifier, which power-scaled the ceramic laser oscillator up to an average power of 303 W. The amplified pulses were further compressed to 237 and 418 fs at 50 and 150 W output powers, respectively. The compressed pulses exhibited about 0.05% deviation from the Gaussian fit, implying that the high-power fiber amplification induced neither observable temporal and spectral distortion nor significant nonlinear de-chirping of the chirped pulses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
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9
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Bauer D, Zawischa I, Sutter DH, Killi A, Dekorsy T. Mode-locked Yb:YAG thin-disk oscillator with 41 µJ pulse energy at 145 W average infrared power and high power frequency conversion. OPTICS EXPRESS 2012; 20:9698-9704. [PMID: 22535061 DOI: 10.1364/oe.20.009698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate the generation of 1.1 ps pulses containing more than 41 µJ of energy directly out of an Yb:YAG thin-disk without any additional amplification stages. The laser oscillator operates in ambient atmosphere with a 3.5 MHz repetition rate and 145 W of average output power at a fundamental wavelength of 1030 nm. An average output power of 91.5 W at 515 nm was obtained by frequency doubling with a conversion efficiency exceeding 65%. Third harmonic generation resulted in 34 W at 343 nm at 34% efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Bauer
- Department of Physics and Center of Applied Photonics, University of Konstanz, 78465 Konstanz, Germany.
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10
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Baer CRE, Heckl OH, Saraceno CJ, Schriber C, Kränkel C, Südmeyer T, Keller U. Frontiers in passively mode-locked high-power thin disk laser oscillators. OPTICS EXPRESS 2012; 20:7054-7065. [PMID: 22453386 DOI: 10.1364/oe.20.007054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) mode-locked thin disk lasers define the state-of-the-art performance for high average power and high pulse energy femtosecond laser oscillators. To date pulse energies above 30 µJ and average powers above 140 W have been demonstrated. In this paper we review the achievements of mode-locked thin disk lasers in terms of average power and pulse energy. Stable mode locking requires single transverse mode operation even at the highest average power, which is challenging and therefore addressed in more detail. We then summarize our expectations on the main challenges and limitiations for the next generation of mode-locked thin disk laser oscillators with an average power above 500 W and pulse energies in excess of 100 µJ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyrill R E Baer
- Department of Physics, Institute of Quantum Electronics, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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11
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Saraceno CJ, Heckl OH, Baer CRE, Golling M, Südmeyer T, Beil K, Kränkel C, Petermann K, Huber G, Keller U. SESAMs for high-power femtosecond modelocking: power scaling of an Yb:LuScO₃ thin disk laser to 23 W and 235 fs. OPTICS EXPRESS 2011; 19:20288-20300. [PMID: 21997040 DOI: 10.1364/oe.19.020288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We report on power scaling of a modelocked thin disk laser based on the broadband mixed sesquioxide material Yb:LuScO₃. One of the key elements to achieve this result was an improved SESAM design with reduced two-photon-absorption (TPA) and high damage threshold. In a first experiment, using a standard antiresonant SESAM with no topcoating, we could demonstrate record short pulse durations of 195 fs at a moderate average power of 9.5 W. Furthermore, we were able to power scale our thin disk laser while keeping the pulses short reaching 23 W at a pulse duration of 235 fs. This was made possible by designing a new SESAM with multiple quantum wells (QW) and a suitable dielectric topcoating. We will present SESAM optimization guidelines for short pulse generation from high-power modelocked oscillators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara J Saraceno
- Department of Physics, Institute for Quantum Electronics, ETH Zürich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 16, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
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12
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Siddiqui A, Hong KH, Moses J, Chen J, Ilday FÖ, Kärtner FX. Demonstration of a cavity-enhanced optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification system. OPTICS LETTERS 2011; 36:1206-1208. [PMID: 21479031 DOI: 10.1364/ol.36.001206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The use of a low finesse enhancement cavity resonant with a low average power (<1 W) and a high repetition rate (78 MHz) pump source is shown to achieve 55% conversion efficiency into signal and idler from the coupled pump in an optical parametric process, whereas an equivalent amount of pump power in a single-pass configuration leads to negligible conversion. Careful comparison of the intracavity conversion process to the single-pass case is performed to assess the underlying impedance matching that yields the high conversion results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleem Siddiqui
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
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13
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Iliev H, Chuchumishev D, Buchvarov I, Petrov V. Passive mode-locking of a diode-pumped Nd:YVO(4) laser by intracavity SHG in PPKTP. OPTICS EXPRESS 2010; 18:5754-5762. [PMID: 20389592 DOI: 10.1364/oe.18.005754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Experimental results on passive mode-locking of a Nd:YVO(4) laser using intracavity frequency doubling in periodically poled KTP (PPKTP) crystal are reported. Both, negative cascaded chi((2)) lensing and frequency doubling nonlinear mirror (FDNLM) are exploited for the laser mode-locking. The FDNLM based on intensity dependent reflection in the laser cavity ensures self-starting and self-sustaining mode-locking while the cascaded chi((2)) lens process contributes to substantial pulse shortening. This hybrid technique enables generation of stable trains of pulses at high-average output power with several picoseconds pulse width. The pulse repetition rate of the laser is 117 MHz with average output power ranging from 0.5 to 3.1 W and pulse duration from 2.9 to 5.2 ps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hristo Iliev
- Department of Quantum Electronics, Faculty of Physics, Sofia University, 5 James Bourchier Blvd.,BG-1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
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14
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Eidam T, Hanf S, Seise E, Andersen TV, Gabler T, Wirth C, Schreiber T, Limpert J, Tünnermann A. Femtosecond fiber CPA system emitting 830 W average output power. OPTICS LETTERS 2010; 35:94-96. [PMID: 20081932 DOI: 10.1364/ol.35.000094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
In this Letter we report on the generation of 830 W compressed average power from a femtosecond fiber chirped pulse amplification (CPA) system. In the high-power operation we achieved a compressor throughput of about 90% by using high-efficiency dielectric gratings. The output pulse duration of 640 fs at 78 MHz repetition rate results in a peak power of 12 MW. Additionally, we discuss further a scaling potential toward and beyond the kilowatt level by overcoming the current scaling limitations imposed by the transversal spatial hole burning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tino Eidam
- Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Institute of Applied Physics, Albert-Einstein-Str. 15, 07745 Jena, Germany.
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15
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Deposition of Polymer and Organic Thin Films Using Tunable, Ultrashort-Pulse Mid-Infrared Lasers. LASER-SURFACE INTERACTIONS FOR NEW MATERIALS PRODUCTION 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-03307-0_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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16
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Lecaplain C, Ortaç B, Hideur A. High-energy femtosecond pulses from a dissipative soliton fiber laser. OPTICS LETTERS 2009; 34:3731-3733. [PMID: 19953177 DOI: 10.1364/ol.34.003731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
We report the generation of sub-150 fs pulses from a passively mode-locked laser featuring a large-mode-area microstructure fiber. Reliable self-starting mode-locking is achieved using a fast semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. The laser generates 63 nJ chirped pulses at 22 MHz repetition rate for an average power of 1.4 W. The 2.2 ps output pulses are compressed outside the cavity to 150 fs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Lecaplain
- CNRS UMR 6614 CORIA, Université de Rouen, Avenue de l'Université, BP 12,76801 Saint Etienne du Rouvray, France.
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17
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Baer CRE, Kränkel C, Saraceno CJ, Heckl OH, Golling M, Südmeyer T, Peters R, Petermann K, Huber G, Keller U. Femtosecond Yb:Lu(2)O(3) thin disk laser with 63 W of average power. OPTICS LETTERS 2009; 34:2823-2825. [PMID: 19756117 DOI: 10.1364/ol.34.002823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
We present successful power-scaling of an Yb:Lu(2)O(3) thin disk laser to record high-power levels both in cw and mode-locked operation. In a simple multimode resonator we achieved 149 W of output power in cw operation with 73% optical-to-optical efficiency (eta(opt)). Building an 81 MHz fundamental transverse mode resonator with dispersion compensation and a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) for passive mode locking we achieved 63 W of average power in 535 fs pulses (eta(opt)=35%). The output beam is nearly diffraction limited (M(2)<1.2). The 0.78 microJ pulses with a peak power of 1.28 MW had a central wavelength of 1034 nm and were close to the Fourier transform limit. With an SESAM with a larger modulation depth we obtained pulses as short as 329 fs at 40 W average power corresponding to a pulse energy of 0.49 microJ and a peak power of 1.32 MW.
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Affiliation(s)
- C R E Baer
- Department of Physics, Institute of Quantum Electronics, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 16,8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
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18
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Tokurakawa M, Shirakawa A, Ueda KI, Yagi H, Noriyuki M, Yanagitani T, Kaminskii AA. Diode-pumped ultrashort-pulse generation based on Yb(3+):Sc(2)O(3) and Yb(3+):Y(2)O(3) ceramic multi-gain-media oscillator. OPTICS EXPRESS 2009; 17:3353-3361. [PMID: 19259172 DOI: 10.1364/oe.17.003353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Diode-pumped mode-locked laser operation based on Yb(3+):Sc(2)O(3) and Yb(3+):Y(2)O(3) multi-gain-media oscillator has been demonstrated. 66-fs pulse duration with an average power of 1.5 W and 53-fs pulse duration with an average power of 1 W under 8-W laser diode pumping were achieved. The optical-to-optical efficiency was 18.8%. Additionally, 68-fs pulse duration with an average power of 540 mW from Yb(3+):Y(2)O(3) ceramic was also obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaki Tokurakawa
- Institute for Laser Science, University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Choufu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan.
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MAJOR Z, A. TRUSHIN S, AHMAD I, SIEBOLD M, WANDT C, KLINGEBIEL S, WANG TJ, FÜ LOP JA, HENIG A, KRUBER S, WEINGARTNER R, POPP A, OSTERHOFF J, HÖRLEIN R, HEIN J, PERVAK V, APOLONSKI A, KRAUSZ F, KARSCH S. Basic Concepts and Current Status of the Petawatt Field Synthesizer-A New Approach to Ultrahigh Field Generation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.2184/lsj.37.431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zsuzsanna MAJOR
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Department für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Am Coulombwall 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Sergei A. TRUSHIN
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Izhar AHMAD
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Mathias SIEBOLD
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Christoph WANDT
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Sandro KLINGEBIEL
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Tie-Jun WANG
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - József András FÜ LOP
- Department of Experimental Physics, University of Pécs, Ifjúság u. 6., H-7624 Pécs, Hungary
| | - Andreas HENIG
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Department für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Am Coulombwall 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Sebastian KRUBER
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Raphael WEINGARTNER
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Department für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Am Coulombwall 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Antonia POPP
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Jens OSTERHOFF
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Rainer HÖRLEIN
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Department für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Am Coulombwall 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Joachim HEIN
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, D-07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Vladimir PERVAK
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Department für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Am Coulombwall 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Alexander APOLONSKI
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Department für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Am Coulombwall 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Institute of Automation and Electrometry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Ferenc KRAUSZ
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Department für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Am Coulombwall 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Stefan KARSCH
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Department für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Am Coulombwall 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
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20
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Neuhaus J, Bauer D, Zhang J, Killi A, Kleinbauer J, Kumkar M, Weiler S, Guina M, Sutter DH, Dekorsy T. Subpicosecond thin-disk laser oscillator with pulse energies of up to 25.9 microjoules by use of an active multipass geometry. OPTICS EXPRESS 2008; 16:20530-20539. [PMID: 19065192 DOI: 10.1364/oe.16.020530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The pulse shaping dynamics of a diode-pumped laser oscillator with active multipass cell was studied experimentally and numerically. We demonstrate the generation of high energy subpicosecond pulses with a pulse energy of up to 25.9 microJ at a pulse duration of 928 fs directly from a thin-disk laser oscillator. These results are achieved by employing a selfimaging active multipass geometry operated in ambient atmosphere. Stable single pulse operation has been obtained with an average output power in excess of 76 W and at a repetition rate of 2.93 MHz. Self starting passive mode locking was accomplished using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. The experimental results are compared with numerical simulations, showing good agreement including the appearance of Kelly sidebands. Furthermore, a modified soliton-area theorem for approximating the pulse duration is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joerg Neuhaus
- Department of Physics and Center of Applied Photonics, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany.
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21
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Kisel VE, Kurilchik SV, Yasukevich AS, Grigoriev SV, Smirnova SA, Kuleshov NV. Spectroscopy and femtosecond laser performance of Yb3+:YAlO3 crystal. OPTICS LETTERS 2008; 33:2194-2196. [PMID: 18830349 DOI: 10.1364/ol.33.002194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
We report what we believe to be the first demonstration of cw and passively mode-locked Yb(3+):YAlO(3) (Yb:YAP) laser operation under diode pumping. Spectroscopic properties of a 0.6 at.%Yb(3+)-doped YAP single crystal were investigated. Output power up to 1.2 W with slope efficiency of 64.5% in the cw regime and 225 fs pulse duration with average power of 0.8 W from a mode-locked Yb:YAP laser were demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor E Kisel
- Institute for Optical Materials and Technologies, Belarusian National Technical University, Minsk, Belarus
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22
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Neuhaus J, Kleinbauer J, Killi A, Weiler S, Sutter D, Dekorsy T. Passively mode-locked Yb:YAG thin-disk laser with pulse energies exceeding 13 microJ by use of an active multipass geometry. OPTICS LETTERS 2008; 33:726-728. [PMID: 18382531 DOI: 10.1364/ol.33.000726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate the generation of high-energy picosecond pulses directly from a thin-disk laser oscillator by employing a self-imaging active multipass geometry. Stable single-pulse operation has been obtained with an average output power in excess of 50 W, excluding a cw background of 8%, at a repetition rate of 3.8 MHz. Self-starting passive mode locking was accomplished using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. The maximum pulse energy was 13.4 microJ at a pulse duration of 1.36 ps with a time-bandwidth product of 0.34. Single-pass external frequency doubling with a conversion efficiency of 60% yielded >28 W of average power at 515 nm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joerg Neuhaus
- TRUMPF-Laser GmbH + Company KG, Aichhalder Strasse 39, 78713 Schramberg, Germany.
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23
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Marchese SV, Südmeyer T, Golling M, Grange R, Keller U. Pulse energy scaling to 5 microJ from a femtosecond thin disk laser. OPTICS LETTERS 2006; 31:2728-30. [PMID: 16936872 DOI: 10.1364/ol.31.002728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
We report an increase in pulse energy to 5.1 microJ obtained directly from a femtosecond diode-pumped Yb:YAG thin disk laser without external amplification. Stable passive mode locking was obtained with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). The laser delivers 63 W of average output power in a nearly diffraction-limited beam (M2=1.1) at a center wavelength of 1030 nm. The pulse repetition rate is 12.3 MHz, and the pulses have a duration of 800 fs, which results in a peak power of 5.6 MW. The laser was operated in a box flooded with helium because the nonlinearity of air was found to be a limiting factor for the stability of the pulse formation at increasing pulse energies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio V Marchese
- Department of Physics, Institute of Quantum Electronics, Zurich, Switzerland
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Holtom GR. Mode-locked Yb:KGW laser longitudinally pumped by polarization-coupled diode bars. OPTICS LETTERS 2006; 31:2719-21. [PMID: 16936869 DOI: 10.1364/ol.31.002719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Mode-locked operation of a simple Yb:KGW (potassium gadolinium tungstate) oscillator is described, providing 10 W at 1039 nm with a 290 fs pulse width. A polarization-coupled scheme is used for efficient longitudinal pumping by a pair of reshaped laser diode bars. With changes in cavity dispersion, the pulse width is adjustable from 134 to 433 fs, in a high-quality circular mode. A saturable absorber mirror provides self-starting operation, and the cavity is stabilized by the Kerr-lens effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary R Holtom
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA.
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Bourdet GL. Numerical simulation of the amplification of a short laser pulse by a ytterbium doped amplifier longitudinally pumped by short pump pulses. APPLIED OPTICS 2006; 45:4695-700. [PMID: 16799684 DOI: 10.1364/ao.45.004695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
A simple and original derivation making it possible to analytically compute the performances achievable with an end pumped ytterbium (Yb) amplifier pumped by a pump pulse and seeded by a laser pulse both shorter than the upper-level lifetime is presented. This may be useful when amplifiers or lasers are pumped by a Ti:sapphire laser. The case of a Yb:YAG amplifier is numerically investigated and it is shown that, in these conditions, the resulting efficiency can reach quantum efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilbert L Bourdet
- Laboratoire pour Utilisation des Lasers Intenses, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris, France.
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Kisel VE, Troshin AE, Shcherbitsky VG, Kuleshov NV, Matrosov VN, Matrosova TA, Kupchenko MI, Brunner F, Paschotta R, Morier-Genoud F, Keller U. Femtosecond pulse generation with a diode-pumped Yb3+:YVO4 laser. OPTICS LETTERS 2005; 30:1150-2. [PMID: 15943296 DOI: 10.1364/ol.30.001150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
A diode-pumped Yb:YVO4 laser has been passively mode locked for the first time, to our knowledge. 120 fs pulses with an average output power of 300 mW and a peak power as high as 14.5 kW are obtained by use of a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror for passive mode locking. The optical spectrum has a 10 nm bandwidth (full width at half-maximum) and is centered at 1021 nm.
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Affiliation(s)
- V E Kisel
- International Laser Center, Belarus National Technical University, 65 F. Scoriny Avenue, Building 17, Minsk, Belarus.
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Druon F, Chénais S, Balembois F, Georges P, Gaumé R, Viana B. Diode-pumped continuous-wave and femtosecond laser operations of a heterocomposite crystal Yb3+: SrY4(SiO4)3O parallel Y2Al5O12. OPTICS LETTERS 2005; 30:857-9. [PMID: 15865378 DOI: 10.1364/ol.30.000857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
We report cw and femtosecond laser operations under diode pumping of a diffusion-bonding heterocomposite Yb-doped crystal: Yb3+:SrY4(SiO4)3O parallel Y2Al5O12(YAG paralell SYS:Yb). To show the advantages of this heterocomposite crystal over classical Yb:SYS crystal, we first investigate the high-power cw regime. A cw power of 4.3 W is demonstrated. The femtosecond regime is also investigated, and 1-W-average-power, 130-fs pulses at 1070 nm are produced, which represents, to our knowledge, the first demonstration of an Yb-doped heterocomposite mode-locked laser.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Druon
- Laboratoire Charles Fabry de l'Institut d'Optique, Ecole Supérieure d'Optique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8501 du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Universitaire d'Orsay, Bâtiment 503, 91403 Orsay, France.
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Bourdet GL. Numerical simulation of a high-average-power diode-pumped ytterbium-doped YAG laser with an unstable cavity and a super-Gaussian mirror. APPLIED OPTICS 2005; 44:1018-1027. [PMID: 15751693 DOI: 10.1364/ao.44.001018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
A numerical technique with which to compute the output characteristics of a solid-state laser with an unstable cavity and a super-Gaussian coupling mirror is proposed. This technique is applied to an Yb:YAG actively Q-switched laser. With this formalism, the mode formation for the fundamental mode is analyzed and the performance achievable by such a laser for various cavity parameters is determined. Then the results obtained with such a cavity are compared with those given for a stable cavity with graded phase output mirror that is also used for obtaining super-Gaussian mode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilbert L Bourdet
- Laboratoire pour Utilisation des Lasers Intenses, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique, Ecole Polytechnique, Université Paris VI, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France.
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Lucca A, Debourg G, Jacquemet M, Druon F, Balembois F, Georges P, Camy P, Doualan JL, Moncorgé R. High-power diode-pumped Yb3+:CaF2 femtosecond laser. OPTICS LETTERS 2004; 29:2767-2769. [PMID: 15605499 DOI: 10.1364/ol.29.002767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
We report what is believed to be the first demonstration of a high-power passively mode-locked diode-pumped femtosecond laser based on an Yb3+:CaF2 single crystal, directly pumped by a 15-W fiber-coupled laser diode. With a 5-at. % Yb3+ -doped sample and prisms for dispersion compensation we obtained pulses as short as 150 fs, with 880 mW of average power and up to 1.4-W average output power, with a pulse duration of 220 fs, centered at 1049 nm. The laser wavelength could be tuned from 1040 to 1053 nm in the femtosecond regime. Using chirped mirrors for dispersion compensation, the oscillator provided up to 1.74 W of average power, with a pulse duration of 230 fs, corresponding to a pulse energy of 20 nJ and a peak power of 85 kW.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Lucca
- Laboratoire Charles Fabry de l'Institut d'Optique, du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et de l'Université Paris-Sud, Centre Universitaire, Batiment 503, 91403 Orsay Cedex, France.
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30
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Brunner F, Innerhofer E, Marchese SV, Südmeyer T, Paschotta R, Usami T, Ito H, Kurimura S, Kitamura K, Arisholm G, Keller U. Powerful red-green-blue laser source pumped with a mode-locked thin disk laser. OPTICS LETTERS 2004; 29:1921-1923. [PMID: 15357360 DOI: 10.1364/ol.29.001921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
We present a red-green-blue laser source with average powers of 8 W in the red, 23 W in the green, and 10.1 W in the blue. The entire pump power for the nonlinear conversion stages is provided by a single laser oscillator without any amplifier stages. Our system does not require any synchronized cavities, and all nonlinear crystals except one are critically phase matched at room temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Brunner
- Institute of Quantum Electronics, Department of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich Hönggerberg, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 16, 8093 Birch, Switzerland.
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31
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Südmeyer T, Innerhofer E, Brunner F, Paschotta R, Usami T, Ito H, Kurimura S, Kitamura K, Hanna DC, Keller U. High-power femtosecond fiber-feedback optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled stoichiometric LiTaO3. OPTICS LETTERS 2004; 29:1111-1113. [PMID: 15182002 DOI: 10.1364/ol.29.001111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate a synchronously pumped high-gain optical parametric oscillator with feedback through a fiber, using a passively mode-locked Yb:YAG thin-disk laser as a pump source. We obtain as much as 19-W average signal power at a wavelength of 1.45 microm in 840-fs pulses and 7.8 W of idler power at 3.57 microm. The repetition rate of the pulses is 56 MHz, and the transverse beam quality of the generated signal is M2 < 1.6.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Südmeyer
- Ultrafast Laser Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Hönggerberg-HPT, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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Klopp P, Petrov V, Griebner U, Petermann K, Peters V, Erbert G. Highly efficient mode-locked Yb:Sc2O3 laser. OPTICS LETTERS 2004; 29:391-393. [PMID: 14971763 DOI: 10.1364/ol.29.000391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Passive mode locking of the Yb:Sc2O3 laser is demonstrated. We investigate the laser performance with Ti:sapphire and diode-laser pumping. The laser is mode locked by use of a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror and emits as much as 0.8 W of power in the picosecond range with a pump efficiency as high as 47%. With dispersion compensation, pulses as short as 230 fs for an average power of 0.54 W are obtained at 1044 nm. This is, to our knowledge, the first femtosecond oscillator based on an Yb-doped sesquioxide crystal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Klopp
- Max-Born-Institut, Max-Born-Strasse 2a, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
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Kawanaka J, Yamakawa K, Nishioka H, Ueda KI. 30-mJ, diode-pumped, chirped-pulse Yb:YLF regenerative amplifier. OPTICS LETTERS 2003; 28:2121-2123. [PMID: 14587835 DOI: 10.1364/ol.28.002121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
A diode-pumped chirped-pulse regenerative amplifier with a cooled Yb:YLF crystal has been developed. The output pulse energy is 30 mJ at 20-Hz repetition rate. A high effective extraction efficiency of 68% is obtained, which is attributed to reduced saturation fluence at low temperature and to a high effective pulse energy fluence during regenerative amplification. After pulse compression by use of a parallel grating pair, 18-mJ pulse energy and 795-fs pulse duration are obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junji Kawanaka
- Advanced Photon Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, 8-1 Umemidai, Kizu-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto 619-0215, Japan.
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Südmeyer T, Brunner F, Innerhofer E, Paschotta R, Furusawa K, Baggett JC, Monro TM, Richardson DJ, Keller U. Nonlinear femtosecond pulse compression at high average power levels by use of a large-mode-area holey fiber. OPTICS LETTERS 2003; 28:1951-3. [PMID: 14587786 DOI: 10.1364/ol.28.001951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate that nonlinear fiber compression is possible at unprecedented average power levels by use of a large-mode-area holey (microstructured) fiber and a passively mode-locked thin disk Yb:YAG laser operating at 1030 nm. We broaden the optical spectrum of the 810-fs pump pulses by nonlinear propagation in the fiber and remove the resultant chirp with a dispersive prism pair to achieve 18 W of average power in 33-fs pulses with a peak power of 12 MW and a repetition rate of 34 MHz. The output beam is nearly diffraction limited and is linearly polarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Südmeyer
- Ultrafast Laser Physics, Institute of Quantum Electronics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Hönggerberg HPT, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
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Limpert J, Clausnitzer T, Liem A, Schreiber T, Fuchs HJ, Zellmer H, Kley EB, Tünnermann A. High-average-power femtosecond fiber chirped-pulse amplification system. OPTICS LETTERS 2003; 28:1984-1986. [PMID: 14587797 DOI: 10.1364/ol.28.001984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Efficient generation of 76-W average power of 400-fs pulses at 75-MHz repetition rate by use of a diode-pumped ytterbium-doped double-clad fiber-based chirped-pulse amplification system is demonstrated. The key element in the system is a diffraction grating compressor consisting of highly efficient transmission gratings in fused silica, allowing recompression at this high power level.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Limpert
- Institute of Applied Physics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, D-07743 Jena, Germany.
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Abstract
Ultrafast lasers, which generate optical pulses in the picosecond and femtosecond range, have progressed over the past decade from complicated and specialized laboratory systems to compact, reliable instruments. Semiconductor lasers for optical pumping and fast optical saturable absorbers, based on either semiconductor devices or the optical nonlinear Kerr effect, have dramatically improved these lasers and opened up new frontiers for applications with extremely short temporal resolution (much smaller than 10 fs), extremely high peak optical intensities (greater than 10 TW/cm2) and extremely fast pulse repetition rates (greater than 100 GHz).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ursula Keller
- Physics Department, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zürich, Switzerland.
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