Octave-spanning Ti:sapphire laser with a repetition rate >1 GHz for optical frequency measurements and comparisons

We demonstrate a self-referenced, octave-spanning, mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser with a scalable repetition rate (550 MHz-1.35 GHz). We use the frequency comb output of the laser, without additional broadening in optical fiber, for simultaneous measurements against atomic optical standards at 534, 578, 563, and 657 nm and to stabilize the laser offset frequency. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.