Abstract
We present a detailed description of the design, construction, and performance of high-power ultrafast Yb:fiber laser frequency combs in operation in our laboratory. We discuss two such laser systems: an 87 MHz, 9 W, 85 fs laser operating at 1060 nm and an 87 MHz, 80 W, 155 fs laser operating at 1035 nm. Both are constructed using low-cost, commercially available components, and can be assembled using only basic tools for cleaving and splicing single-mode fibers. We describe practical methods for achieving and characterizing low-noise single-pulse operation and long-term stability from Yb:fiber oscillators based on nonlinear polarization evolution. Stabilization of the combs using a variety of transducers, including a new method for tuning the carrier-envelope offset frequency, is discussed. High average power is achieved through chirped-pulse amplification in simple fiber amplifiers based on double-clad photonic crystal fibers. We describe the use of these combs in several applications, including ultrasensitive femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopy and cavity-enhanced high-order harmonic generation.
Highlights
Intended for the precise measurement of optical frequencies, femtosecond optical frequency combs have since found many other applications outside of their original purpose.1,2 They are used for the calibration of astronomical spectrographs,3 laser ranging,4 high-order harmonic generation,5 attosecond physics,6,7 and direct frequency comb spectroscopy,8,9 among other things
We present a detailed description of the design, construction, and performance of high-power ultrafast Yb:fiber laser frequency combs in operation in our laboratory
We describe the use of these combs in several applications, including ultrasensitive femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopy and cavity-enhanced high-order harmonic generation
Summary
Intended for the precise measurement of optical frequencies, femtosecond optical frequency combs have since found many other applications outside of their original purpose. They are used for the calibration of astronomical spectrographs, laser ranging, high-order harmonic generation, attosecond physics, and direct frequency comb spectroscopy, among other things. For a frequency comb with a useful repetition rate and comb spacing, high average power is needed. The literature regarding this development has been confined to conference proceedings and specialty optics journals, and it requires quite a bit of know-how to go from this literature to a working femtosecond fiber laser. We present a detailed account of the design, construction, and operation of two high-power Yb:fiber laser frequency combs that we built in our laboratory over the past three years. Both amplifiers use fiber-based pulse stretching with anomalous third order dispersion fibers, which require careful initial design, but dramatically simplify the mechanical design of the laser system. Detailed lists of all components appear in the supplementary material
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