Title :
Ultra-low-threshold, low cost, Kerr lens modelocked Ti:Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ laser
Author :
Kowalevicz, A.M., Jr. ; Schibli, T.R. ; Prasankumar, R.P. ; Kaertner, F.X. ; Fujimoto, J.G.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng. & Comput. Sci., MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
Abstract :
We report the development of an ultralow-threshold modelocked Ti:Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ laser. Since the pulse energy of a laser is given by its average power divided by its repetition rate, increasing the cavity length produces an increase in pulse energy. This increased pulse energy enables high performance KLM operation at low powers while also decreasing the spot size of the laser mode to reduce pump thresholds. We report what is, to our knowledge, the lowest threshold achieved to date for a Kerr lens mode locked Ti:Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ laser.
Keywords :
alumina; laser cavity resonators; laser mode locking; optical Kerr effect; optical pumping; solid lasers; titanium; Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/:Ti; KLM operation; Kerr lens mode locked laser; Ti:Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ laser; cavity length; incident pump power; laser mode; low powers; pulse energy; pump thresholds; repetition rate; spot size; ultralow-threshold modelocked laser; Bandwidth; Costs; Crystals; Laser modes; Laser theory; Lenses; Mirrors; Optical pulse generation; Pump lasers; Semiconductor diodes;
Conference_Titel :
Lasers and Electro-Optics, 2002. CLEO '02. Technical Digest. Summaries of Papers Presented at the
Conference_Location :
Long Beach, CA, USA
Print_ISBN :
1-55752-706-7
DOI :
10.1109/CLEO.2002.1033386
