Approaching microjoule-level pulse energy with mode-locked femtosecond fiber lasers

We report on the generation of high-energy ultrashort pulses from a mode-locked Yb-doped large-mode-area fiber laser operating in the all-normal dispersion regime. The self-starting fiber laser emits 9 W of average output power at a pulse repetition rate of 9.7 MHz, corresponding to a pulse energy of 927 nJ. The laser produces positively chirped 8 ps output pulses, which are then compressed down to 711 fs. These compressed pulses exhibit megawatt-level peak powers. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a mode-locked fiber oscillator has generated ferntosecond pulses with Pulse energies approaching the microjoule level in combination with high average output power. Numerical simulations show excellent agreement with experimental results and reveal further scaling potential, which is discussed. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America