Sub-50 fs diode-pumped SESAM mode-locked Yb:SrF₂ laser

Identifier:  imarina:9296829

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9296829

Authors:  Loiko, Pavel; Benayad, Abdelmjid; Normani, Simone; Camy, Patrice; Mateos, Xavier; Petrov, Valentin; Wang, Li; Chen, Weidong

Abstract:
We report on sub-50 fs pulse generation from a passively mode-locked Yb:SrF2 laser pumped with a spatially single-mode, fiber-coupled laser diode at 976?nm. In the continuous-wave regime, the Yb:SrF2 laser generated a maximum output power of 704?mW at 1048?nm with a threshold of 64?mW and a slope efficiency of 77.2%. A continuous wavelength tuning across 89?nm (1006 – 1095?nm) was achieved with a Lyot filter. By implementing a SEmiconductor Saturable Absorber Mirror (SESAM) for initiating and sustaining the mode-locked operation, soliton pulses as short as 49 fs were generated at 1057?nm with an average output power of 117?mW at a pulse repetition rate of ?75.9?MHz. The maximum average output power of the mode-locked Yb:SrF2 laser was scaled up to 313?mW for slightly longer pulses of 70 fs at 1049.4?nm, corresponding to a peak power of 51.9?kW and an optical efficiency of 34.7%.