Abstract

We investigate the passive self-starting technique of additive-pulse mode locking of a diode-laser-pumped Nd:YLF laser. Pulses of 1.5-psec duration at a repetition rate of 123 MHz have been obtained, using only a single-mode optical fiber in an external feedback cavity to achieve pulse formation. The sech² pulses are approximately transform limited and to our knowledge the shortest that have been produced by a Nd:YLF laser. The laser was pumped by two 1-W laser-diode arrays and had usable output power of 20 mW, corresponding to a peak power of 108 W.

© 1990 Optical Society of America

Self-starting additive-pulse mode-locked diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser

J. Goodberlet, J. Jacobson, J. G. Fujimoto, P. A. Schulz, and T. Y. Fan
Opt. Lett. 15(9) 504-506 (1990)

Pulsed diode-pumped additive-pulse mode-locked high-peak-power Nd:YLF laser

P. Heinz and A. Seilmeier
Opt. Lett. 21(1) 54-56 (1996)

Self-starting additive-pulse mode locking of a Nd:glass laser

F. Krausz, Ch. Spielmann, T. Brabec, E. Wintner, and A. J. Schmidt
Opt. Lett. 15(19) 1082-1084 (1990)

Efficient short-pulse generation from a diode-pumped Nd:YLF laser with a piezoelectrically induced diffraction modulator

T. Juhasz, S. T. Lai, and M. A. Pessot
Opt. Lett. 15(24) 1458-1460 (1990)

Resonant frequency quadrupling of a mode-locked diode-pumped Nd:YLF laser

G. P. A. Malcolm, M. A. Persaud, and A. I. Ferguson
Opt. Lett. 16(13) 983-985 (1991)