Nonlinear mirror modelocking of a bounce geometry laser

Abstract

We present the investigation of nonlinear mirror modelocking (NLM) of a bounce amplifier laser. This technique, a potential rival to SESAM modelocking, uses a nonlinear crystal and a dichroic mirror to passively modelock a Nd:GdVO(4) slab bounce amplifier operating at 1063nm. At 11.3W, we present the highest power achieved using the NLM technique, using type-II phase-matched KTP, with a pulse duration of 57ps. Using type-I phase-matched BiBO, modelocking was achieved with a shorter pulse duration of 5.7ps at an average power of 7.1W.

Wavelength-Tunable Nonlinear Mirror Mode-Locked Laser Based on MgO-Doped Lithium Niobate

“…M1, M2, M3, and M4 form a z-type cavity and the length of the resonant cavity is 1.3 m. The size of MgO:LN is 5 mm × 5 mm × 5 mm (w × h × l), and the phase-matching angle of MgO:LN is cut to be θ = 79.2°, φ = 90°. To date, most of the studies on NLM have focused on a particular wavelength, such as laser sources around 1, 1.3, and 2 µm [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. However, tunable picosecond lasers with output powers at the watt level are also of interest.…”

“…NLM is advantageous with its high damage threshold, large nonlinear loss modulation, and the capability of being able to work at any wavelength for which phase matching is satisfied in the nonlinear crystal's transparent range, thus ensuring a wavelength-tunable laser with high power. The nonlinear crystals for NLM are generally divided into two types: birefringence phase-matching (BPM) crystals (BBO, BiBO, LBO, KTP) [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] and quasi-phase-matching (QPM) crystals (periodically poled LN, LT, KTP) [17][18][19][20][21][22]. The peak power of the output laser is commonly at the kilowatt level while a bulk laser crystal is utilized, as shown in Figure 1.…”

High average power, diffraction-limited picosecond output from a sapphire face-cooled Nd:YVO_4 slab amplifier

“…A combination of high inversion density and a large stimulated emission cross section results in an ultrahigh single-pass gain (>100 times) [18], eliminating the need for commonly employed regenerative amplifier configurations [19,20]. Such side-pumped bounce amplifier configurations have been demonstrated successfully in the development of high average power picosecond lasers [21][22][23][24][25].…”

Highly Doped Nd:YAG Laser in Bounce Geometry Under Quasi-Continuous Diode Pumping

“…The next group of techniques involves usage of nonlinear effects of different orders. The second order nonlinearity is involved in nonlinear mirror ML (Stankov, 1988;Thomas, 2010) and the third order in Kerr-lens ML (Agnesi, 1994;Spence, 1991). In the case of saturable absorbers, the dye saturable absorber (Schafer, 1976) was widely used in the previous decades, but because of the dye long-term instability, toxicity, and difficult manipulation, it was in the last decade replaced by solid state saturable absorbers.…”