Ultrashort pulse propagation in visible semiconductor diode laser amplifiers

Ultrafast gain recovery dynamics of a diode laser are explored when a picosecond pulse propagates through a semiconductor amplifying medium. Theoretical modelling employs a set of nonlinear dynamical equations to predict the temporal dependence of the population difference and the diode laser output intensity in the wake of an applied signal pulse. Experimentally, this system of study is a cw-pumped 670 nm InGaAlP diode laser probed by a tunable train of 10 psec pulses emitted from a synchronously pumped mode-locked pyridine 1 dye laser. In addition to discussing the details of the gain, the authors also report the phase locking of the diode laser to the applied signal over a broad range of wavelengths.

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