High power ultrafast Yb:fiber laser frequency combs using commercially available components and basic fiber tools.
We present a detailed description of the design, construction, and performance of high power ultrafast Yb:fiber laser frequency combs in operation in our laboratory. We discuss two such laser systems: an 87 MHz, 9 W, 85 fs laser operating at 1060 nm and an 87 MHz, 80 W, 155 fs laser operating at 1035 nm. Both are constructed using low cost, commercially available components, and can be assembled using only basic tools for cleaving and splicing single mode fibers. We describe practical methods for achieving and characterizing low noise single pulse operation and long term stability from Yb:fiber oscillators based on nonlinear polarization evolution. Stabilization of the combs using a variety of transducers, including a new method for tuning the carrier envelope offset frequency, is discussed. High average power is achieved through chirped pulse amplification in simple fiber amplifiers based on double clad photonic crystal fibers. We describe the use of these combs in several applications, including ultrasensitive femtosecond time resolved spectroscopy and cavity enhanced high order harmonic generation.
The Review of scientific instruments