Demonstration of CW mode locked Cr:forsterite laser using self-shortening and transverse mode degeneracy driven mode locking.

ABSTRACT

This paper reports a nearly Fourier transform limited CW mode locked Crforsterite laser at 1282 nm, with 131 fs pulse duration, based on self-shortening and transverse mode degeneracy (TMD) driven mode locking, operating near the point of fourth-order TMD. The cavity employs a combination of instantaneous intensity driven self-shortening, and operation on the right side of the fourth-order TMD, to generate the self-amplitude modulation necessary for self-mode locking.