Dual-wavelength actively mode-locked laser-diode array with an external grating-loaded cavity

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Laser Physics
• Ultrafast Science

Background:

• Generating tunable, synchronized dual-wavelength laser pulses is crucial for various advanced applications, including spectroscopy and optical communications.
• Existing methods often face limitations in tunability, pulse synchronization, or complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the generation of dual-wavelength picosecond pulses from a commercial laser-diode array.
• To demonstrate tunable spectral separation and precise synchronization of these pulses.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a commercial laser-diode array within a laser cavity.
• Incorporated a folded dispersive delay line with a V-shaped double-stripe mirror for spectral control.
• Employed active mode-locking techniques to generate picosecond pulses.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated dual-wavelength picosecond pulses with a pulse width of 29 ps at each wavelength.
• Achieved tunable spectral separation of the two wavelengths, ranging from 2 to 11 nm.
• Demonstrated synchronization of the two-color pulses with an absolute timing jitter of less than 1 ps.

Conclusions:

• The developed system provides a versatile platform for generating synchronized, dual-wavelength picosecond pulses.
• The tunable spectral separation and low timing jitter make these pulses suitable for advanced optical experiments and technologies.