Hybrid and Passive Mode Locking in Coupled-Cavity Lasers

The idea of exploiting a coupled-cavity configuration for improved active mode-locking was first reported for linear external cavities (1–3). With the low-gain He-Ne lasers involved there was an obvious practical advantage in minimising insertion loss by siting the relevant modulator in the external cavity. The alternative concept of exploiting an optical nonlinearity in an external coupled cavity was first described by Mollenauer and co-workers in respect of the soliton laser (4,5). Subsequent experimental (6–10) and theoretical (11) studies then showed that the generation of bright optical solitons was not necessary to achieve enhanced mode-locking using nonlinear coupled cavities.

[1]  W. Sibbett,et al.  Coupled-cavity mode locking of a KCl:Tl laser using an erbium-doped optical fiber. , 1989, Optics letters.

[2]  P. A. Schulz,et al.  Femtosecond passively mode-locked Ti:Al(2)O(3) laser with a nonlinear external cavity. , 1989, Optics letters.

[3]  K L Hall,et al.  Femtosecond pulse generation in a laser with a nonlinear external resonator. , 1989, Optics letters.

[4]  F. Ouellette,et al.  Passive mode locking with a nonlinear Michelson interferometer: transient and steady-state characteristics , 1988 .

[5]  Keith J. Blow,et al.  Mode-locked lasers with nonlinear external cavities , 1988 .

[6]  M. Piché,et al.  Interferential mode locking: Gaussian pulse analysis. , 1989, Optics letters.

[7]  W. Sibbett,et al.  Femtosecond pulse generation in the 900–950 nm region from a passively modelocked LiF:F+2 colour centre laser , 1989 .

[8]  S. Kelly,et al.  Mode-locking dynamics of a laser coupled to an empty external cavity , 1989 .

[9]  C. Burton Crumly,et al.  LASER MODE LOCKING BY AN EXTERNAL DOPPLER CELL , 1965 .

[10]  R. R. Rice,et al.  TWO CAVITY MODE‐LOCKING OF A He–Ne LASER , 1969 .

[11]  Alan W. Miller,et al.  A Perspective on Ultrafast Phenomena , 1988 .

[12]  M. DiDomenico,et al.  LOCKING OF He–Ne LASER MODES BY INTRACAVITY ACOUSTIC MODULATION IN COUPLED INTERFEROMETERS , 1965 .

[13]  K. Blow,et al.  Improved mode locking of an F-center laser with a nonlinear nonsoliton external cavity. , 1988, Optics letters.

[14]  W. Sibbett,et al.  Spectral and temporal characterizations of coupled-cavity mode locking in a KCl:Tl color center laser , 1989 .

[15]  D. W. Hughes,et al.  Coupled cavity modelocking of a Nd:YAG laser using second-harmonic generation , 1989 .

[16]  R. Stolen,et al.  The soliton laser. , 1984, Optics letters.

[17]  H. Haus,et al.  Self-starting condition for additive-pulse mode-locked lasers. , 1990, Optics letters.