Kerr-lens mode-locked Tm-doped sesquioxide ceramic laser

Kerr-lens mode-locked solid-state laser operation at similar to 2 mu m is investigated. Using a Tm3+-doped.Lu; Sc/O-2(3) mixed sesquioxide ceramic as a gain medium, pulses as short as 58 fs are generated at similar to 2081 nm via soft-aperture Kerrlens mode locking. The average output power amounts to 220 mW at a pulse repetition rate of 84.8 MHz. The emitted spectrum at the long-wavelength wing extends to > 2.2 mu m which is attributed to vibronic transitions of the Tm3+ ions. The latter is found to be essential for generating pulses with durations in the 50 fs range. (C) 2021 Optical Society of America.

Automated summary

This study explores Kerr-lens mode-locked solid-state laser operation at around 2 μm. By using a Tm3+-doped Lu; Sc/O-2(3) mixed sesquioxide ceramic as the gain medium, pulses as short as 58 fs are generated at around 2081 nm. The average output power reaches 220 mW with a pulse repetition rate of 84.8 MHz, and the emitted spectrum extends to > 2.2 μm, attributed to vibronic transitions of the Tm3+ ions, which are essential for generating pulses in the 50 fs range.