Sub-100-fs Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb:YAG ring-cavity thin-disk oscillator

Opt Lett. 2023 Jun 1;48(11):3031-3034. doi: 10.1364/OL.492992.

Abstract

Ultrafast ring-cavity thin-disk oscillators combine high output power with the flexibility of generating output either unidirectionally or bidirectionally. Here, we report a Kerr-lens mode-locked ring-cavity Yb:YAG thin-disk oscillator delivering unidirectional 89-fs pulses by inducing additional spectral broadening with nonlinear plates. This is the shortest pulse duration for a ring-cavity mode-locked thin-disk oscillator. Bidirectional mode-locking was also realized. These results lay the foundation for the more efficient generation of high-order harmonics at MHz repetition rates and high-power dual frequency combs.