Passive mode locking of homogeneously and inhomogeneously broadened lasers

Abstract

We describe self-starting passive mode locking of a cw inhomogeneously broadened laser and compare its characteristics with those of a passively mode-locked homogeneously broadened laser using different Nd-doped glasses as the active material. Broadband gain media with homogeneously broadened transitions are found to be superior to those broadened inhomogeneously for passively mode-locked lasers.