Abstract
-switching instability restricts pulse shortening in Kerr-lens mode-locked lasers (KLMLs). However, -switching suppression in KLMLs has not been discussed to date because of the difficulty of treating the Kerr-lens effect theoretically. We investigated parameter ranges for stable Kerr-lens mode locking (KLM) against switching theoretically and experimentally. We found the parameters and ranges required to suppress switching in hard- and soft-aperture KLMLs. In soft-aperture KLMLs, both intracavity power and spatial mode matching between a pump beam and a cavity mode were found to be critical. These findings were verified experimentally using an Yb: KLML. Our results provide cavity design criteria for stable KLMLs against switching.
- Received 9 June 2020
- Accepted 18 September 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.102.043505
©2020 American Physical Society