Regenerative amplification of femtosecond pulses: Design and construction of a sub-100fs, (mu)J laser system

摘要

Femtosecond lasers are a powerful tool for a wealth of applications in physics, chemistry and biology. In most cases, however, their use is fundamentally restricted to a rather narrow spectral range. This thesis deals with the construction and characterization of a femtosecond light source for spectroscopic applications which overcomes that restriction. It is demonstrated how the output of a continuously pumped Ti:sapphire femtosecond oscillator is amplified to the (mu)J level, while the pulse duration remains below 100fs. A combination of continuous pumping, acousto-optic switching and Ti:Al(sub 2)O(sub 3) as a gain medium allows amplification at high repetition rates. By focusing the high energy pulses into a sapphire crystal, a broad-band continuum can be generated, extended in wavelengths over several hundred nanometers. To accomplish amplification of three orders of magnitude while maintaining the pulse length, a regenerative multipass amplifier system was built. The thesis describes theoretical design, realization and characterization of the system. Theoretical calculations and preliminary measurements were carried out and allow a critical evaluation of the final performance.