title: Mode-locked deep ultraviolet Ce:LiCAF laser.
abstract: We report mode-locked operation of a synchronously pumped Ce:LiCAF oscillator. The laser operated in the deep UV with output radiation centered at 291 nm and a pulse duration of 6 ps. The maximum output power measured was 52 mW, with 13% slope efficiency. The Ce:LiCAF crystal has a gain bandwidth capable of supporting few-femtosecond pulses, and so our results demonstrate the potential to form a new class of ultrafast lasers operating directly at deep UV wavelengths.
authors.affiliation: MQ Photonics Research Centre, Department of Physics, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia. granados@ics.mq.edu.au
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Granados
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Coutts
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Spence