Abstract

The development of high average power ultrashort pulse lasers with variable pulse duration is pushed by real world applications. Recently 16 W of average power with pulse durations around 700 fs is obtained from a passively mode-locked Yb: YAG thin disk laser.¹ Alternatively fiber amplifier systems can be applied due to the enormous progress that has been made over the recent years in the development of high power and high energy rare-earth-doped fiber laser and amplifier systems. In many fields they offer a significant higher potential than their bulk solid-state laser counterparts. However, power and energy scaling of ultrafast single-mode fiber amplifiers is restricted due to nonlinear pulse distortions. Nevertheless, pulse energies in the mj-range at kHz repetition rate² and up to 13 W average power at higher repetition rates' has been reported. Sufficient pulse stretching in the time domain and the enlargement of the mode-field diameter of the fiber reduce the nonlinear effects such as stimulated Raman scattering and self-phase modulation and enable power and energy scaling of an ultrafast fiber amplifier.

© 2002 Optical Society of America