Sub-40-fs diode-pumped ytterbium-doped mixed rare-earth calcium oxoborate laser

Identifier:  imarina:9453504

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9453504

Authors:  Zeng, HJ; Lin, ZL; Lin, HF; Loiko, P; Zhang, LZ; Lin, ZB; Liang, HC; Mateos, X; Petrov, V; Zhang, G; Chen, WD

Abstract:
We present a detailed comparative investigation of the continuous-wave and mode-locked laser performance of a mixed rare-earth calcium oxoborate crystal, Yb:(Gd,Y)Ca4O(BO3)3, abbreviated as Yb:(Gd,Y)COB, for all three principal optical polarizations. Pumped by a low-power, single-transverse-mode, fiber-coupled laser diode at 976 nm, the Yb:(Gd,Y)COB laser generated soliton pulses as short as 32 fs at 1052.4 nm via soft-aperture Kerr-lens mode-locking, delivering an average output power of 51 mW at similar to 66.2 MHz for light polarization E|| Z. For light polarization E|| Y, slightly longer (34 fs) pulses were directly generated at 1053.7 nm, with a higher average output power of 86 mW at similar to 66.7 MHz. To the best of our knowledge, these results represent the shortest pulses ever achieved from any Yb3+-doped borate crystal. (c) 2025 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement