Kerr-Lens Self-Mode-Locked Laser Characteristics of Yb:Lu₂SiO₅ Crystal

A diode-pumped Kerr-lens self-mode-locked laser is achieved by using Yb: Lu₂SiO5 (Yb:LSO) crystal without additional components. Under the incident pump power of 14.44 W, a self-mode-locked output power of 2.98 W is obtained in the five-mirror cavity, corresponding to an optical-optical efficiency of 20.6%. Pulses as short as 8.2 ps are realized at 1059 nm, with the corresponding pulse energy and peak power of 28.9 nJ and 3.5 kW, respectively. A pair of SF10 prisms are inserted into the laser cavity to compensate for the group velocity dispersion. The pulse width is compressed to 2.2 ps with an average output power of 1.25 W.