Abstract

Cr:forsterite is a vibronic laser source tunable in the near-infrared spectral region filling the void in the range 1.15–1.35 μm.¹ In the past, Cnforsterite lasers have been operated in pulsed, cw and femtosecond mode-locked modes. In this paper, we report for the first time, to our knowledge, on the operation of a regenerative amplifier system based upon Cr: forsterite. Self-mode-locked Cnforsterite lasers have generated pulses as short as 25 fs;² theoretically the large bandwidth of the Cnforsterite laser emission can support sub-20-fs pulses. To minimize optical damage in the amplifier rod we have utilized the technique of chirped pulse amplification (CPA).³ CPA when used together with regenerative amplification has proved to be a successful technique for generating micro- and millijoule ultrashort pulses from systems based on solid-state laser crystals such as Ti:sapphire and Cr:LiSAF.

© 1996 Optical Society of America