Directly diode-pumped, Kerr-lens mode-locked, few-cycle Cr:ZnSe\n oscillator Article Swipe
YOU?
·
· 2019
· Open Access
·
· DOI: https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.27.024445
· OA: W2967408205
Lasers based on Cr$^{2+}$-doped II-VI material, often known as the\nTi:Sapphire of the mid-infrared, can directly provide few-cycle pulses with\nsuper-octave-spanning spectra, and serve as efficient drivers for generating\nbroadband mid-infrared radiation. It is expected that the wider adoption of\nthis technology benefits from more compact and cost-effective embodiments.\nHere, we report the first directly diode-pumped, Kerr-lens mode-locked\nCr$^{2+}$-doped II-VI oscillator pumped by a single InP diode, providing\naverage powers of over 500 mW and pulse durations of 45 fs - shorter than six\noptical cycles at 2.4 $\\mu$m. These correspond to a sixty-fold increase in peak\npower compared to the previous diode-pumped record, and are at similar levels\nwith respect to more mature fiber-pumped oscillators. The diode-pumped\nfemtosecond oscillator presented here constitutes a key step towards a more\naccessible alternative to synchrotron-like infrared radiation, and is expected\nto accelerate research in laser spectroscopy and ultrafast infrared optics.\n
