title: Stable mode-locked operation of a low repetition rate diode-pumped Nd:GdVO4 laser by combining quadratic polarisation switching and a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror.
abstract: In this paper, we present the mode-locked operation of an ultra-robustly stabilised Nd:GdVO(4) laser with low repetition rate by combining quadratic polarisation switching and a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). In addition, similar experiment was also done with Nd:YVO(4). For Nd:GdVO(4), 16-ps pulses at 1063 nm with a repetition rate of 3.95 MHz have been obtained for a laser average output power of 1.4 W. For Nd:YVO(4), the performance was 2.5 W of average power for 15-ps pulses at 1064 nm. Moreover, we demonstrate experimentally the advantage of combining these two passive mode locking techniques in terms of stability ranges. We show how the dual mode-locking technique is crucial to obtain a stable and long-term mode-locked regime in our case of a diode-pumped Nd:GdVO(4) laser operating at low repetition rate and more generally how this dual mode-locking technique improves the stability range of the mode-locked operation giving more flexibility on different parameters.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Charles Fabry de l'Institut d'Optique du CNRS et de l'Université Paris-Sud, Centre Universitaire, Bat 503, 91403 Orsay Cedex, France. christoph.gerhard@iota.u-psud.fr
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gerhard
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Druon
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Georges
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Couderc
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leproux
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004867:Equipment Design; D054023:Lasers, Semiconductor; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State; D009354:Neodymium; D012031:Refractometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation
chemical_list: D009354:Neodymium