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arXiv · 1905.12979

Directly diode-pumped, Kerr-lens mode-locked, few-cycle Cr:ZnSe oscillator

Nathalie Nagl·Sebastian Gröbmeyer·Vladimir Pervak·Ferenc Krausz·Oleg Pronin·Ka Fai Mak
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Abstract

Lasers based on Cr$^{2+}$-doped II-VI material, often known as the Ti:Sapphire of the mid-infrared, can directly provide few-cycle pulses with super-octave-spanning spectra, and serve as efficient drivers for generating broadband mid-infrared radiation. It is expected that the wider adoption of this technology benefits from more compact and cost-effective embodiments. Here, we report the first directly diode-pumped, Kerr-lens mode-locked Cr$^{2+}$-doped II-VI oscillator pumped by a single InP diode, providing average powers of over 500 mW and pulse durations of 45 fs - shorter than six optical cycles at 2.4 $μ$m. These correspond to a sixty-fold increase in peak power compared to the previous diode-pumped record, and are at similar levels with respect to more mature fiber-pumped oscillators. The diode-pumped femtosecond oscillator presented here constitutes a key step towards a more accessible alternative to synchrotron-like infrared radiation, and is expected to accelerate research in laser spectroscopy and ultrafast infrared optics.

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Nathalie Nagl, Sebastian Gröbmeyer, Vladimir Pervak, Ferenc Krausz, Oleg Pronin, Ka Fai Mak. 2019-05-30. Directly diode-pumped, Kerr-lens mode-locked, few-cycle Cr:ZnSe oscillator. https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.27.024445

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