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Optics Express

Optics Express

  • Editor: C. Martijn de Sterke
  • Vol. 19, Iss. 2 — Jan. 17, 2011
  • pp: 1395–1407

Optics InfoBase > Optics Express > Volume 19 > Issue 2 > Page 1395

Pulse compression of a high-power thin disk laser using rod-type fiber amplifiers

C. J. Saraceno, O. H. Heckl, C. R. E. Baer, T. Südmeyer, and U. Keller  »View Author Affiliations


Optics Express, Vol. 19, Issue 2, pp. 1395-1407 (2011)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OE.19.001395


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Abstract

We report on two pulse compressors for a high-power thin disk laser oscillator using rod-type fiber amplifiers. Both systems are seeded by a standard SESAM modelocked thin disk laser that delivers 16 W of average power at a repetition rate of 10.6 MHz with a pulse energy of 1.5 μJ and a pulse duration of 1 ps. We discuss two results with different fiber parameters and different trade-offs in pulse duration, average power, damage and complexity. The first amplifier setup consists of a Yb-doped fiber amplifier with a 2200 μm2 core area and a length of 55 cm, resulting in a compressed average power of 55 W with 98-fs pulses at a repetition rate of 10.6 MHz. In the second system, a shorter 36-cm fiber with a larger core area of 4500 μm2 is used. In a stretcher-free configuration we obtained 34 W of compressed average power and 65-fs pulses. In both cases peak powers of > 30 MW were demonstrated at several μJ pulse energies. The power scaling limitations due to damage and self-focusing are discussed.

© 2011 OSA

OCIS Codes
(060.2320) Fiber optics and optical communications : Fiber optics amplifiers and oscillators
(140.0140) Lasers and laser optics : Lasers and laser optics
(320.5520) Ultrafast optics : Pulse compression
(320.7090) Ultrafast optics : Ultrafast lasers

ToC Category:
Ultrafast Optics

History
Original Manuscript: November 15, 2010
Revised Manuscript: December 16, 2010
Manuscript Accepted: December 20, 2010
Published: January 12, 2011

Citation
C. J. Saraceno, O. H. Heckl, C. R. E. Baer, T. Südmeyer, and U. Keller, "Pulse compression of a high-power thin disk laser using rod-type fiber amplifiers," Opt. Express 19, 1395-1407 (2011)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-19-2-1395


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