Ultra low-noise ytterbium optical oscillator for next-generation free electron lasers

We report on a commercial, industrial-grade, sub-200 fs Yb-doped oscillator at 1041.3 nm central wavelength with an output power of 152 mW at 71.4 MHz repetition rate. The compact laser oscillator combines ultra-low amplitude and time jitter noise and it is well suited for seeding high-energy Yb-based amplifier systems. This technology developed for optical clocks and extended to this wavelength range will fill the gap at X-ray Free Electron Laser facilities [1] for an optical low-noise frequency-quadrupled photocathode drive laser source with excellent long-term performance and sub-ps pulse durations.