Single‐walled carbon‐nanotube absorbers are experimentally demonstrated for laser mode‐locking. A saturable absorber device is used to mode‐lock three different bulk solid‐state lasers in a 500 nm‐wide wavelength interval. The devices exhibit a low saturation fluence of <10 µJ cm−2, low scattering losses, and an exceptionally rapid relaxation, with time constants reaching <100 fs. The latter two properties are explained by a decreased curling tendency and increased tube‐to‐tube interactions of the nanotubes, respectively. These properties are the result of an optimized manufacturing procedure in combination with the use of a starting material with a higher microscopic order. The decreased scattering enables universal use of these devices in bulk solid‐state lasers, which tend to be highly sensitive against non‐saturable device losses as caused by scattering. The favorable saturable absorption properties are experimentally verified by mode‐locking the three lasers, which all exhibit near transform‐limited performance with about 100 fs pulse duration. The complete and unconditional absence of Q‐switching side bands verifies the small saturation fluence of these devices.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.