Abstract

A sequence of four quartz prisms can be used to obtain large negative group-velocity dispersion with reasonable prism spacings and a small residual cubic phase. For a given value of the second-order dispersion and assuming minimal prism insertion, the third-order dispersion is 20% less than that of prism pairs that have been used in Ti:Al₂O₃ lasers. A mode-locked Ti:Al₂O₃ laser that includes the prism sequence generates pulses with intensity autocorrelations as short as 33 fs. Spectral bandwidths as large as 80 nm can also be obtained. A measurement of the dispersion of the laser shows that the cubic phase is approximately that of the prism sequence and the laser rod.

© 1992 Optical Society of America

Femtosecond pulse generation in a Ti:Al₂O₃ laser by using second- and third-order intracavity dispersion

J. M. Jacobson, K. Naganuma, H. A. Haus, J. G. Fujimoto, and A. G. Jacobson
Opt. Lett. 17(22) 1608-1610 (1992)

17-fs pulses from a self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser

Chung-Po Huang, Melanie T. Asaki, Sterling Backus, Margaret M. Murnane, Henry C. Kapteyn, and Howard Nathel
Opt. Lett. 17(18) 1289-1291 (1992)

Generation of transform-limited 32-fs pulses from a self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser

Chung-Po Huang, Henry C. Kapteyn, John W. Mclntosh, and Margaret M. Murnane
Opt. Lett. 17(2) 139-141 (1992)

Generation of high-peak-power 20-fs pulses from a regeneratively initiated, self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser

B. E. Lemoff and C. P. J. Barty
Opt. Lett. 17(19) 1367-1369 (1992)

External frequency conversion of cw mode-locked Ti:Al₂O₃ laser radiation

A. Nebel and R. Beigang
Opt. Lett. 16(22) 1729-1731 (1991)