Calibration of high-accuracy spectrometers using stabilized 11-GHz femtosecond semiconductor laser.

We demonstrate for the first time the calibration of the wavelength scale of high-performance spectrometers using a fully stabilized optical frequency comb from an ultrafast optically pumped semiconductor disk laser (SDL) as a traceable reference. The SDL is a modelocked integrated external-cavity surface-emitting laser (MIXSEL) with the gain and saturable absorber layers fully integrated into one wafer chip, which forms one end mirror of the simple straight cavity with a pulse repetition rate of 11 GHz. This MIXSEL comb is actively stabilized and opens new possibilities for easier and more accurate frequency calibrations of standard laboratory instruments.

An unstabilized femtosecond semiconductor laser for dual-comb spectroscopy of acetylene.

Dual-comb systems based on two optical frequency combs of slightly different line spacing emerge as powerful tools in spectroscopy and interferometry. Semiconductor lasers have a high impact in continuous-wave tunable laser spectroscopy. Here we demonstrate the first dual-comb interferometer based on a single femtosecond semiconductor laser: a dual-comb modelocked optically pumped external-cavity surface-emitting laser (MIXSEL) ideally suited for a 1 to 10 GHz comb spacing.

Multipulse instabilities of a femtosecond SESAM-modelocked VECSEL.

Optically pumped passively modelocked vertical external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs) can generate pulses as short as 100 fs with an intracavity semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). Very stable soliton modelocking can be obtained, however, the high-Q-cavity, the short gain lifetime, and the kinetic-hole burning can also support rather complex multipulse instabilities which we analyze in more details here. This onset of multipulse operation limits the maximum average output power with fundamental modelocking and occurs at the roll-over of the cavity round trip reflectivity.

Coherent beam combining and noise analysis of a colliding pulse modelocked VECSEL.

Optically-pumped SESAM-modelocked semiconductor disk lasers have become interesting ultrafast lasers with gigahertz pulse repetition rates, high average power and adjustable lasing wavelength. It is well established that colliding pulse modelocking (CPM) can generate both shorter pulses and improved stability. These improvements however typically come at the expense of a more complex ring cavity and two output beams.

High-power amplification of a femtosecond vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser in an Yb:YAG waveguide.

We present the amplification of a mode-locked vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) using an Yb:YAG crystalline waveguide as gain medium. The VECSEL seed laser operates at a center wavelength of 1030 nm and generates 300-fs pulses at a repetition rate of 1.77 GHz.

Multiphoton in vivo imaging with a femtosecond semiconductor disk laser.

We use an ultrafast diode-pumped semiconductor disk laser (SDL) to demonstrate several applications in multiphoton microscopy. The ultrafast SDL is based on an optically pumped Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VECSEL) passively mode-locked with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) and generates 170-fs pulses at a center wavelength of 1027 nm with a repetition rate of 1.63 GHz.

First investigation of the noise and modulation properties of the carrier-envelope offset in a modelocked semiconductor laser.

We present the first characterization of the noise properties and modulation response of the carrier-envelope offset (CEO) frequency in a semiconductor modelocked laser. The CEO beat of an optically-pumped vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) at 1030 nm was characterized without standard f-to-2f interferometry. Instead, we used an appropriate combination of signals obtained from the modelocked oscillator and an auxiliary continuous-wave laser to extract information about the CEO signal.