Generation of femotsecond pulses by a pulsed laser system

A new concept of fs pulse generation is introduced using a synchronously coupled dye laser under non-cw conditions. Microsecond pulse trains derived from a specially designed mode-locked Nd:glass laser with ≈ 200 pulses of 2-3 ps duration serve as pump radiation. Superior dye laser performance is achieved with drastically lowered stability requirements and increased power level. For Rhodamin 6G intense pulses of energies of 100 nJ and durations of as short as 90 fs are generated at 572 nm in a simple four-mirror cavity. A single-step dye amplifier operated by the synchronized pulses of the same pump laser produces single pulses of 150 fs duration and 10 μJ energy. For hybrid mode-locking, the amplified pulses have been compressed to 68 fs by the help of a conventional grating pair.