Experimental verification of soliton mode locking using only a slow saturable absorber

Journal Article · Fri Sep 15 04:00:00 EDT 1995 · Optics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.20.001892· OSTI ID:165729

Jung, I D; Kaertner, F X; Brovelli, L R; Kamp, M; Keller, U ^[1]

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1. Ultrafast Laser Physics, Institute of Quantum Electronics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Hoenggerberg---HPT, CH-8093 Zuerich (Switzerland)

We demonstrate experimentally that solid-state lasers with strong solitonlike pulse shaping can be mode locked by a slow saturable absorber only, i.e., the response time is much slower than the width of the soliton. A Ti:sapphire laser mode locked by a low-temperature-grown GaAs absorber with 10-ps recovery time generates pulses as short as 300 fs without the need for Kerr-lens mode locking and critical cavity alignment. An extrapolation of this result would predict that an {approx}100-fs recovery time of a semiconductor absorber could support pulses into the 10-fs regime. {copyright} 1995 Optical Society of America

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 165729
• Journal Information: Optics Letters, Journal Name: Optics Letters Journal Issue: 18 Vol. 20; ISSN 0146-9592; ISSN OPLEDP
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
MODE LOCKING
NEAR INFRARED RADIATION
OPTICAL FILTERS
PULSE TECHNIQUES
SOLID STATE LASERS