Compact supercontinuum source for the visible using gain-switched Ti:Sapphire laser as pump

We demonstrate the use of a miniature gain-switched Ti:Sapphire laser for efficient generation of visible supercontinuum light in a highly nonlinear microstructured optical fiber. This allows for a compact setup that puts out nanosecond pulses of light covering the spectral range from 410 to 1300 nm. The source offers a low- cost alternative to the mode-locked-laser-pumped systems in the generation of visible supercontinuum light. [DOI:10.2971/jeos.2006.06012]