Simplified cavity designs for efficient and compact femtosecond Cr: LiSAF lasers

B. Agate, A. Kemp, C.T.A. Brown, W. Sibbett

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

40 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We describe efficient, compact femtosecond Cr:LiSAF lasers with a reduced component count that combine greater simplicity with improved performance. We observe transform-limited pulses as short as 136 fs centered on 859 nm at a 470 MHz repetition rate. 20 mW of average output power has been achieved for less than 100 mW of incident diode-laser pump power - an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of over 20%. We have demonstrated an entirely portable, self-contained, battery-powered version of this laser on a 22x28cm2 breadboard, with an electrical-to-optical efficiency of almost 4%. Using four pump laser diodes, we have also achieved operational regimes providing either gigahertz repetition rates or kilowatt peak powers.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)207-213
Number of pages6
JournalOptics Communications
Volume205
Issue number1-3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2002

Keywords

  • lasers
  • optics
  • optical conversion

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