Abstract
Recent advances in ultrashort-pulse Ti:sapphire laser technology1-6 have made it possible to routinely generate optical pulses of ~10 fs duration using stable, reliable, and easy-to-use lasers. The Kerr-lens modulation mechanism for mode-locking in these lasers has been identified,7 and the effect of high-order dispersion on the pulse duration has also been demonstrated.1-4 However, a comprehensive theory covering the operation of these lasers has not been developed, and the ultimate limit of the obtainable pulse-duration is still unclear. We have made measurements demonstrating that sub 10-fs pulses can be produced from a mode-locked laser. We have also compared spectral measurements from the laser with calculations of the dispersion of the laser, and have concluded that even in the case of an 8-9 fs pulse, the primary limitation on even shorter pulse duration is dispersion, and not nonlinear effects. Thus, there remains the prospect of generating even shorter-duration pulses from a Ti:sapphire laser. We have also made measurements of the time-duration and chirp of the optical pulse at various points within the laser cavity. These measurements are also consistent with linear dispersion.
© 1994 Optical Society of America
PDF ArticleMore Like This
Lin Xu, Christian Spielmann, Ferenc Krausz, and Robert Szipöcs
CFF2 The European Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO/Europe) 1996
M.T. Asaki, S. Backus, C. Shi, M.M. Murnane, and H.C. Kapteyn
ThD.14 International Conference on Ultrafast Phenomena (UP) 1994
Christian Spielmann, Lin Xu, Robert Szipöcs, and Ferenc Krausz
CME3 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO:S&I) 1996