Abstract

The nonlinear phase distortion that arises from X⁽²⁾:X⁽²⁾ cascading in second-harmonic (SH) crystals¹ has recently received considerable attention since the induced self-(cross-)phase modulation can be significantly larger than that obtainable in Kerr media. This phenomenon is investigated in various contexts including, e.g., solitons and optical switching. In particular, the application to passive mode-locking of a continuous wave Nd:YAG laser has recently been experimentally demonstrated by the authors.^2-4

© 1996 Optical Society of America