Solid-State Laser Mode-Locking Near 1.25 mu m Employing a Carbon Nanotube Saturable Absorber Mirror

Abstract

We demonstrate passive mode-locking of a Cr:forsterite laser with a single-walled carbon nanotube saturable absorber mirror (SWCNT-SAM). Without compensation of intra-cavity dispersion, the self-mode-locked laser generates 11.7 ps pulses at a repetition rate of 86 MHz. The dispersion-compensated laser yields ultrashort pulses as short as 80 fs near 1.25 mu m at 78 MHz with average output powers up to 295 mW, representing the highest power ever reported for mode-locked solid-state lasers based on saturable absorption of SWCNTs in this spectral region