Abstract

A self-starting passively mode-locked diode-pumped neodymium fiber laser with a semiconductor antiresonant Fabry-Perot saturable absorber (A-FPSA) is demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge. Mode locking can be initiated and maintained by the semiconductor absorber, and pulse durations down to 260 fs are routinely obtained. Alternatively, shorter pulses (60 fs) were generated by exploition of nonlinear polarization evolution in the fiber (in combination with a stronger pump source) where the A-FPSA simply initiates the pulse-forming process.

© 1993 Optical Society of America

Self-starting and self-Q-switching dynamics of passively mode-locked Nd:YLF and Nd:YAG lasers

U. Keller, T. H. Chiu, and J. F. Ferguson
Opt. Lett. 18(3) 217-219 (1993)

Self-starting femtosecond mode-locked Nd:glass laser that uses intracavity saturable absorbers

U. Keller, T. H. Chiu, and J. F. Ferguson
Opt. Lett. 18(13) 1077-1079 (1993)

Self-starting low-noise fiber soliton laser

D. Abraham, R. Nagar, and G. Eisenstein
Opt. Lett. 18(18) 1508-1510 (1993)

Generation of pulses as short as 93 fs from self-starting femtosecond Cr:LiSrAlF₆ lasers by exploiting multiple-quantum-well absorbers

N. H. Rizvi, P. M. W. French, J. R. Taylor, P. J. Delfyett, and L. T. Florez
Opt. Lett. 18(12) 983-985 (1993)

60-fs pulses from a diode-pumped Nd:glass laser

J. Aus der Au, D. Kopf, F. Morier-Genoud, M. Moser, and U. Keller
Opt. Lett. 22(5) 307-309 (1997)