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Low-cost Custom Fabrication and Mode-locked Operation of an All-normal-dispersion Femtosecond Fiber Laser for Multiphoton Microscopy
Published on: November 22, 2019
Low-threshold femtosecond Nd:glass laser
Antonio Agnesi1, Federico Pirzio, Giancarlo Reali
1Dipartimento di Elettronica dell'Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy. antonio.agnesi@unipv.it
Optics Express
|May 26, 2009
Summary
A new compact neodymium-doped phosphate (Nd:phosphate) laser was developed using an 802 nm laser diode. This efficient laser achieves low threshold power and ultrashort pulse generation for specialized applications.
Area of Science:
- Laser Physics
- Quantum Optics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Neodymium-doped phosphate (Nd:phosphate) lasers are crucial for various scientific and industrial applications.
- Efficient pumping methods are essential for optimizing laser performance and reducing operational costs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a compact and efficient Nd:phosphate laser system.
- To investigate its performance under continuous-wave (cw) and passive mode-locking operations.
- To assess its suitability for low-power applications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a 150-mW single-transverse-mode laser diode at 802 nm for pumping the Nd:phosphate laser.
- Implemented a prismless dispersion-compensated cavity and a single-prism setup for mode-locking.
- Optimized pump coupling to achieve low threshold power.
Main Results:
- Achieved efficient continuous-wave (cw) operation with a 40% slope efficiency and a low pump threshold of 12 mW.
- Obtained a maximum output power of 53 mW in cw operation.
- Generated nearly Fourier-limited 270-fs pulses in a dispersion-compensated cavity and 173-fs pulses with a single-prism setup under passive mode-locking.
Conclusions:
- The developed compact Nd:phosphate laser demonstrates high efficiency and ultrashort pulse generation capabilities.
- Its low power requirements and performance make it ideal for seeding amplifiers and biodiagnostics.
- This laser represents a significant advancement for low-power, high-performance laser applications.
