Optimization of sub-10 femtosecond titanium sapphire lasers

Abstract

Kerr-lens mode locked Ti:sapphire lasers are the backbone of most ultrafast and attosecond pulse generation systems. As such when building such systems the experimentalist desires an easy to use and robust system to produce femtosecond pulses for use in experiments. Towards this end I will discuss the issues involved in perfecting Kerr-lens mode locked Ti:sapphire laser technology and present experimental results on a new type of output coupler designed using chirped mirror technology. This new type of output coupler promises improved stability and improved spatial and spectral pulse qualities. In addition I will also discuss the phenomenon of Ince-Gaussian modes, which constitute a more general solution to the paraxial wave equation than the regular Hermite and Laguerre Gaussian solutions. By studying these modes, we hope to discover a relationship between the observed Ince-Gaussian mode patterns in the continuous wave beam of the laser and use this to determine the correct operating alignment for the laser cavity.