Femtosecond thin disk laser oscillator with pulse energy beyond the 10-microjoule level

Opt Express. 2008 Apr 28;16(9):6397-407. doi: 10.1364/oe.16.006397.

Abstract

We report on a passively mode-locked Yb:YAG thin disk laser oscillator that generates 11.3-microJ pulses without the use of any additional external amplification. A repetition rate of 4 MHz is obtained using a 23.4-m-long multiple-pass cavity that extends the resonator length to a total of 37 m. The nearly transform-limited pulses at 45 W of average output power have a duration of 791 fs with a 1.56-nm-broad spectrum centered at 1030 nm. The laser is operated in a helium atmosphere to eliminate the air nonlinearity inside the resonator that previously limited the pulse energy.

MeSH terms

  • Lasers*
  • Optics and Photonics
  • Refractometry
  • Semiconductors
  • Spectrum Analysis
  • Thermodynamics
  • Time Factors