We report the first portable, high average power laser system capable of producing pulses less than a picosecond in duration. Pulses generated by a modelocked semiconductor laser are stretched, amplified, and then compressed in an extreme version of the well-known chirped pulse amplification (CPA) technique. The 10 MHz pulse train with 200 nJ per pulse is delivered via a multimode optical fiber and handheld focusing element (7 µm spot size), and the entire system fits inside a carry-on suitcase.

Topics
Optical fibers, Chirped pulse amplification, Semiconductor lasers
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© 2004 Laser Institute of America.
2004
Laser Institute of America
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