Octavius-1G: The 1 GHz, 6 fs Ti:Sapphire Oscillator - Menlo Systems - #1

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Octavius-1G: The 1 GHz, 6 fs Ti:Sapphire Oscillator The Fastest Commercially Available Laser MenloSystems’Octavius-1G Ti:Sapphire laser offers the broadest spectrum commercially available today. The spectrum allows for carrier-offset frequency stabilization without external spectral broadening. The high repetition rate is useful for high-cycling pump-probe experiments like Asynchronous Optical Sampling (ASOPS) and frequency comb applications. This version of the Octavius can also be used in linear and nonlinear biological probing and imaging applications. Technology The Octavius-1G laser cavity incorporates dispersive octave-spanning mirror pairs, which are necessary for high-precision group-delay control over an entire octavewide bandwidth. During the fabrication process of these unique mirror pairs, more than 100 individual layers are deposited on each surface, thereby guaranteeing wellbehaved, smooth pulse dispersion. To create such short pulses, the spectral bandwidth must exceed that of the gain medium in the Ti:Sapphire laser. However, the high intensity of the short pulses induces self-phase modulation (SPM), which creates additional intracavity spectral broadening beyond that of the gain medium in the Ti:Sapphire laser. Thus, the uniquely engineered cavity of the Octavius-1G exploits the interplay between the strong SPM in the Ti:Sapphire crystal and the dispersion generated by the mirror pairs to generate stable, ultra-short pulses that cannot be produced using standard cavity designs. The spectral content (i.e., frequencies, amplitudes, and phases) within one octave of bandwidth enables a robust, long-term stable, f/2f carrierenvelope- offset frequency beat detection with more than 30 dB signal-to-noise ratio in a 100 kHz bandwidth. Features •Octave-Spanning Spectral Bandwidth •Unique Octave-Spanning Mirror Pair •Robust Design with Compact Footprint •Temperature and Environmentally Stabilized Housing •Optical Linear Encoder System with 1 ìm Resolution Applications •Phase-Sensitive Nonlinear Optics •Amplifier Seeding, Particularly OPCPA •Pump-Probe Experiments •Biological Probing and Imaging •Attosecond Pulse Generation The unique dispersive octavespanning mirror pairs used in the cavity of the Octavius-1G were developed in close collaboration with Prof. Franz X. Kärtner at MIT. Output Spectrum of the Octavius-1G 600-1200 nm