USE OF SATURABLE ABSORBER DYES FOR SELF-STARTING OPERATION OF A SELF-MODE-LOCKED TI-AL2O3 LASER

Extremely stable and self-starting operation of a self-mode-locked Ti:Al2O3 laser can be achieved by incorporating a jet of dilute saturable absorber in the laser resonator. We have demonstrated a laser which generates pulses as short as 47 fs, with 700 mW average power near 800 nm when pumped by 7W from an all-lines argon laser. A mixture of saturable absorber dyes starts the mode-locking process but does not restrict the tuning range of the laser. Pulses less than 100 fs in duration are generated at wavelengths between 700 nm and 900 nm with two sets of optics. Pulses of 100 fs from this laser have been compressed to 26 fs with standard fibre-prism techniques.