High-power, efficient, semiconductor saturable absorber mode-locked Yb:KGW bulk laser.

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Diode-pumped solid-state lasers are crucial for various applications.
• Semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors (SESAMs) enable mode-locking for ultrashort pulse generation.
• Ytterbium-doped crystals like Yb:KGW offer efficient laser operation in the near-infrared spectrum.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a high-power, diode-pumped, mode-locked Yb:KGW bulk laser.
• To investigate the laser's performance in terms of output power, pulse characteristics, and optical-to-optical efficiency.
• To explore the influence of polarization on laser performance.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a diode-pumped Yb:KGW bulk laser.
• Employed a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) for mode-locking.
• Characterized laser output for both Nm and Np polarizations.
• Measured average output power, pulse duration, pulse energy, and pulse repetition frequency.

Main Results:

• Achieved high optical-to-optical efficiency of 37.5% for Nm-polarized output.
• Generated average output power up to 8.8 W with 162 fs pulse duration and 142 nJ pulse energy at 62 MHz.
• Obtained 8.6 W average output power for Np polarization with 143 fs pulses and 139 nJ pulse energy.
• Demonstrated high efficiency and stable ultrashort pulse generation.

Conclusions:

• The demonstrated diode-pumped Yb:KGW bulk laser is a high-performance system for generating high-power ultrashort pulses.
• The laser exhibits high optical-to-optical efficiency, making it suitable for demanding applications.
• The results highlight the potential of Yb:KGW lasers for efficient ultrashort pulse generation.