Direct diode pumped ti:sapphire lasers and amplifiers
Direct diode-pumped Ti:sapphire laser amplifiers use fiber-coupled laser diodes as pump beam sources. The pump beam may be polarized or non-polarized. Light at wavelengths below 527 nm may be used in cryogenic configurations. Multiple diode outputs may be polarization or spectrally combined.
1. A system for amplification of ultrafast laser pulses, comprising:
a seed source of seed light having spectral components within the Ti:sapphire gain bandwidth of 600-1080 nm;
a gain medium comprising a Ti:sapphire crystal; and
a fiber-coupled pump beam source comprising a laser emitting within the Ti:sapphire absorption bandwidth of ˜400-600 nm; and
a cooling device for cooling the Ti:sapphire crystal to below about 200 K;
wherein the fiber-coupled diode pump beam is directed into the Ti:sapphire crystal creating a population inversion;
wherein the seed source is passed through the population inversion region of the Ti:sapphire crystal to effect gain.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the fiber-coupled pump source comprises a diode coupled into a multimode fiber optic cable a numerical aperture below 0.40.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the fiber-coupled pump source comprises two diodes coupled into a multimode fiber optic cable a numerical aperture below 0.40.
4. A system for amplification of ultrafast laser pulses, comprising:
a seed source of seed light having spectral components within the Ti:sapphire gain bandwidth of 600-1080 nm;
a gain medium comprising a Ti:sapphire crystal; and
a diode pump beam source comprising a diode laser emitting within the Ti:sapphire absorption bandwidth of ˜400-600 nm; and
a cooling device for cooling the Ti:sapphire crystal to below about 200 K;
wherein the diode pump beam is directed into the Ti:sapphire crystal creating a population inversion;
wherein the seed source is passed through the population inversion region of the Ti:sapphire crystal to effect gain; and
wherein the diode pump beam source is coupled into a multimode fiber optic cable with a numerical aperture below 0.4.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein the fiber-coupled pump source comprises two diodes coupled into the multimode fiber optic cable.
6. A system for amplification of ultrafast laser pulses, comprising:
a seed source of seed light having spectral components within the Ti:sapphire gain bandwidth of 600-1080 nm;
a gain medium comprising a Ti:sapphire crystal; and
a diode pump beam source comprising a diode laser emitting within the Ti:sapphire absorption bandwidth of ˜400-600 nm; and
a cooling device for cooling the Ti:sapphire crystal to below about 200 K;
wherein the diode pump beam is directed into the Ti:sapphire crystal creating a population inversion; and
wherein the seed source is passed through the population inversion region of the Ti:sapphire crystal to effect gain; and
wherein the diode pump beam source is coupled into a multimode fiber optic cable with a numerical aperture below 0.4.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein the diode pump beam source comprises multiple diodes.