The role of cavity dispersion in CW mode-locked lasers
Abstract
It is pointed out that picosecond and subpicosecond optical pulses generated by mode-locked lasers are playing an increasingly important role in fundamental studies related to physics, biochemistry, high-speed electronics, and optical communication systems. Pulses of 90 fs duration were first generated in a passive mode-locked (ML) ring cavity by the colliding pulse technique. The present investigation has the objective to evaluate the contribution to dispersion of the different elements of the ML laser cavity and to clarify the role of cavity dispersion on the generation of femtosecond pulses. The considered elements include transparent materials, absorber and amplifier, and lambda/4 multilayer dielectric mirrors. The dispersion is expected to broaden the mode-locked laser pulses and to introduce a frequency chirp. The per-pass chirp arising from the self-phase modulation within the saturable absorber is also evaluated and compared with that resulting from the dispersive components.
- Publication:
-
IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics
- Pub Date:
- May 1984
- DOI:
- 10.1109/JQE.1984.1072432
- Bibcode:
- 1984IJQE...20..533D
- Keywords:
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- Continuous Wave Lasers;
- Dye Lasers;
- Laser Cavities;
- Laser Mode Locking;
- Ultrashort Pulsed Lasers;
- Optical Communication;
- Optical Reflection;
- Phase Modulation;
- Pulse Duration;
- Lasers and Masers