Generation of 8-fs and 13-nJ pulse from a Yb-fiber system with nonlinear-pulse-compression

Area of Science:

• Ultrafast optics
• Laser physics
• Nonlinear optics

Background:

• Mode-locked fiber lasers are crucial for generating ultrashort optical pulses.
• Nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM) and gain management nonlinear (GMN) amplifiers are advanced laser technologies.
• Dispersion management is critical for achieving few-cycle pulse durations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a compact and stable few-cycle pulse generation system.
• To achieve ultra-short pulse durations with high peak power.
• To explore the potential of integrated optical components for pulse generation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a mode-locked fiber laser oscillator based on nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM).
• Employed gain management nonlinear (GMN) amplifier with pre-chirp management using chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG).
• Incorporated hollow-core photonic bandgap (HC-PBG) fiber for dispersion compensation and ultra-high numerical aperture (UHNA) fiber for spectral broadening, followed by prism-pair compression.

Main Results:

• Generated few-cycle pulses with a duration of 8.2 fs and energy of 13.1 nJ.
• Achieved a peak power of 1.59 MW.
• The system has a compact footprint (<0.1 m²).
• Broadened spectral range from 800 to 1400 nm.

Conclusions:

• The developed system successfully generates high-peak-power, few-cycle pulses in a compact form factor.
• The combination of NALM, GMN amplifier, HC-PBG fiber, and UHNA fiber is effective for pulse compression and spectral broadening.
• The system's compactness and stability make it highly attractive for diverse scientific and technological applications.