Burst-mode femtosecond fiber-feedback optical parametric oscillator

Abstract

In multiphoton 3D direct laser writing and stimulated Raman scattering applications, rapid and arbitrary pulse modulation with an extremely high contrast ratio would be very beneficial. Here, we demonstrate a femtosecond fiber-feedback optical parametric oscillator (FFOPO) system in combination with pulse picking in the pump beam. This allows tunable signal output at variable burst rates from DC all the way up to 5 MHz. Furthermore, arbitrary pulse sequences can be generated. The rapid signal buildup dynamics provide individual full-power pulses with only two prepulses. This is possible without the requirement for additional injection seeding. Hereby, the intrinsically high intra-cavity losses of the FFOPO system are found to beneficial, as they enable rapid off-switching of the output as signal ring-down is efficiently suppressed. Possible applications are the reduction of the average power while maintaining a high peak power level, as well as tunable arbitrary pulse sequence generation.

Supercontinuum generation in bulk solid-state material with bursts of femtosecond laser pulses

“…Burst-mode pumping was shown beneficial for increasing the pump-to-idler conversion efficiency in long-picosecond mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator 21 . In the femtosecond regime, burst-mode operation allowed efficient average power scaling of femtosecond optical parametric oscillators 22 , 23 and amplifiers 24 , 25 , as well as optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers (OPCPA) 26 , 27 and spectral broadening-based extracavity post-compression schemes 28 , 29 , which deliver few optical cycle pulses.…”