615  fs pulses with 17  mJ energy generated by an Yb:thin-disk amplifier at 3  kHz repetition rate

Abstract

A combination of Er/Yb:fiber and Yb:thin-disk technology produces 615 fs pulses at 1030 nm with an average output power of 72 W. The regenerative amplifier allows variation of the repetition rate between 3 and 5 kHz with pulse energies from 13 to 17 mJ. A broadband and intense seed provided by the compact and versatile fiber front-end minimizes gain narrowing. The resulting sub-ps performance is ideal for nonlinear frequency conversion and pulse compression. Operating in the upper branch of a bifurcated pulse train, the system exhibits exceptional noise performance and stability.