Abstract
The passively code locked c.w. dye laser has long been established as a highly desirable source of femtosecond optical pulses. As well as producing the shortest pulses to be directly generated from a laser [1], the high (and /or variable) pulse repetition rate, low interpulse jitter and non-critical adjustment of cavity length generally make it a more attractive option than a synchronously pumped dye laser. Until 1986 the chief disadvantage of c.w. passively mode locked dye lasers was the limited tunabllity which necessitated the use of synchronously or hybridly mode locked dye lasers in spectral regions other than a narrow band around 620nm. Some of the problems associated with synchronously pumped systems are outlined succinctly in reference [2] where it is reiterated that passively mode locked lasers are, when available, superior. Even with synchronous pumping, the potential tuning ranges are restricted to those spectral regions for which there are appropriate mode locked pump lasers, in practice this means dye laser wavelengths longer than ~550nm.
© 1988 Optical Society of America
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