Source: https://www.osapublishing.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-20-27-28947
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 08:38:11+00:00

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We report self-starting femtosecond operation of a 180-MHz SESAM-controlled prismless Cr:ZnS laser around 2400 nm at open air and room temperature. Dispersion compensation was achieved by a combination of bulk materials and chirped mirrors. Both soliton- and chirped-pulse operation regimes have been demonstrated with 130 fs (630 fs) pulse duration at 130 (205) mW average output power, respectively. The output power was about 30% higher than for a comparable Cr:ZnSe sample in the same cavity.
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Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of the Cr:ZnS mode-locked laser and its characterization in continuous-wave operation without SESAM.
Fig. 2 Reflection spectra (a) and dispersion (b,c) of intracavity elements per round-trip. The dispersion data are calculated from known coating parameters and Sellmeier equations. The blue line and circles on graph (b) show the designed and measured dispersion of the chirped mirror, respectively, which agree within the measurement uncertainty in the wavelength range of 22502550 nm. OC: output coupler. HR: all high reflectors combined.
Fig. 3 Experimental spectra of Cr:ZnS and Cr:ZnSe lasers, operating in the anomalous (soliton) dispersion regime (a,c) and in the normal (chirped-pulse) dispersion regime (b,d). The insets show the corresponding autocorrelation traces, and the blue curves in the lower part show the corresponding round-trip dispersion, calculated by adding the dispersion data in Fig. 2(b,c) as listed in the subscripts. The uncertainty in the dispersion data originates mostly from the chirped mirror (Fig. 2(b)) and can be estimated as ±250 fs2 for the curves (a) and (b).
Fig. 4 The pulse train at the TPA photodiode from the mode-locked Cr:ZnS laser, operating in the anomalous (soliton) dispersion regime.

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