Photonics Research, 2019, 7 (4): 04000452, Published Online: May. 7, 2019
High power, microjoule-level diffraction-limited picosecond oscillator based on Nd:GdVO4 bulk crystal
Abstract
1.2 μJ pulses with average power of 9 W were directly generated from a passively mode-locked picosecond oscillator based on a Nd:GdVO4 bulk crystal. Short cavity operation in continuous wave and mode-locking regimes was conducted first to confirm the resonator performance and proper alignment. With a carefully calibrated q-preserving multi-pass cell inserted into the laser cavity, the cavity length of the original short cavity was extended while the mode-matching condition was maintained fairly well. Compared with the short cavity, nearly fivefold energy enhancement was achieved while the diffraction-limited beam quality was undisturbed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest output power ever produced from a mode-locked oscillator based on a single bulk crystal at a repetition rate below 10 MHz without cavity dumping.
Jie Guo, Wei Wang, Hua Lin, Xiaoyan Liang. High power, microjoule-level diffraction-limited picosecond oscillator based on Nd:GdVO4 bulk crystal[J]. Photonics Research, 2019, 7(4): 04000452.