Passively mode-locked and cavity-dumped Yb:KY(WO_4)_2 oscillator with positive dispersion

Abstract

We demonstrate, what is to our knowledge the first passively mode-locked Ytterbium based solid state high energy laser oscillator operated in the positive dispersion regime. Compared to solitary mode-locking the pulse energy can be increased with even broader spectral bandwidth. With high speed cavity dumping the laser generates 2 muJ-pulses at a 1 MHz repetition rate. The chirped output pulses are compressible down to 420 fs.