A new femtosecond UV source based on Nd:YAG

Summary form only given. Current techniques to generate millijoules of femtosecond radiation are rather complex and expensive. The most common system consists of a femtosecond Ti:sapphire oscillator, stretcher, amplifier and compressor elements together with Argon ion (high power systems) and YAG or YLF pump sources. Aside from the terribly low wall-plug efficiency, it is clear that there is a need for simpler and more efficient high-power femtosecond sources. We report on a new system which is based on a single flashlamp pumped active/passive modelocked Nd:YAG laser stabilized by passive negative feedback. The picosecond output from this laser is compressed in the second harmonic (SHG) down to the femtosecond regime leading to an ideal source for pumping of amplifier stages by synchronously pumped (femtosecond) parametric oscillators.