Intracavity KTP-based OPO pumped by a dual-loss modulated, simultaneously Q-switched and mode-locked Nd:GGG laser

An intracavity KTiOPO(4) (KTP) optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped by a simultaneously Q-switched and mode-locked (QML) Nd:Gd(3)Ga(5)O(12) (Nd:GGG) laser with an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) and a Cr(4+):YAG saturable absorber is presented. A minimum mode-locking pulse duration underneath the Q-switched envelope was evaluated to be about 290 ps. A maximum QML output power of 82 mW at the signal wavelength of 1570 nm was achieved, corresponding to a maximum mode-locked pulse energy of about 5.12 μJ. The M(2) values were measured to be about 1.3 and 1.5 for tangential and sagittal directions using knife-edge technique.