Abstract

We derive an expression describing pre-compensation of pulse-distortion due to saturation effects in short pulse laser-amplifiers. The analytical solution determines the optimum input pulse-shape required to obtain any arbitrary target pulse-shape at the output of the saturated laser-amplifier. The relation is experimentally verified using an all-fiber amplifier chain that is seeded by a directly modulated laser-diode. The method will prove useful in applications of high power, high energy laser-amplifier systems that need particular pulse-shapes to be efficient, e.g. micromachining and scientific laser-matter-interactions.

© 2008 Optical Society of America

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History
Original Manuscript: June 12, 2008
Manuscript Accepted: September 21, 2008
Revised Manuscript: August 11, 2008
Published: October 17, 2008

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Author Affiliations

Francois Salin

EOLITE

Damian N. Schimpf, Clemens Ruchert, Dirk Nodop, Jens Limpert, Andreas Tünnermann

Friedrich Schiller University Jena

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