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Published on: November 22, 2019
Carbon-nanotube-assisted self-starting dispersion-managed Kerr-lens mode-locked Cr:ZnS laser delivering 0.7-MW peak
Abstract:
Self-starting operation is highly desirable for practical Kerr-lens mode-locked oscillators, but it is difficult to combine with high-energy few-cycle performance. Here, we demonstrate a self-starting dispersion-managed Kerr-lens mode-locked Cr:ZnS oscillator at 2.3 µm and 25.6 MHz using a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) saturable absorber. The SWCNT enables reliable self-starting while preserving Kerr-lens-driven spectral broadening, yielding 30-fs pulses. Dispersion-managed operation reduces nonlinear phase accumulation in the gain crystal and increases the maximum pulse energy to above 20 nJ. After external dispersion compensation, the oscillator delivers peak powers of∼0.7 MW. The output further drives octave-spanning spectral broadening in rutile, establishing a practical self-starting Cr:ZnS platform toward mid-infrared laser science.
