An investigation into femtosecond pulse formation in a continuously-pumped passively-mode-locked CPM ring dye laser

A detailed experimental investigation of the formation of ultrashort pulses in a CW-pumped passively mode-locked CPM dye laser is described. It is found that it takes approximately 10/sup 4/ round trips for the circulating energy in the cavity to reach the level at which the passive mode-locking process is initiated, and a subsequent approximately 10/sup 3/ round trips for the ultrashort pulse evolution to reach a steady state. Sequences of autocorrelation profiles and spectra are presented showing the dynamic pulse evolution, and the influence of intracavity group velocity dispersion on pulse formation is examined.<
>