Octavius-1G: The 1 GHz, 6 fs Ti:Sapphire Oscillator0 pages
Octavius-1G: The 1 GHz, 6 fs Ti:Sapphire Oscillator
The Fastest Commercially Available Laser
MenloSystems’Octavius-1G Ti:Sapphire laser offers the broadest spectrum commercially
available today. The spectrum allows for carrier-offset frequency stabilization without
external spectral broadening. The high repetition rate is useful for high-cycling
pump-probe experiments like Asynchronous Optical Sampling (ASOPS) and
frequency comb applications. This version of the Octavius can also be used in linear
and nonlinear biological probing and imaging applications.
Technology
The Octavius-1G laser cavity incorporates
dispersive octave-spanning mirror pairs,
which are necessary for high-precision
group-delay control over an entire octavewide
bandwidth. During the fabrication
process of these unique mirror pairs, more
than 100 individual layers are deposited on
each surface, thereby guaranteeing wellbehaved,
smooth pulse dispersion.
To create such short pulses, the spectral
bandwidth must exceed that of the gain
medium in the Ti:Sapphire laser. However,
the high intensity of the short pulses
induces self-phase modulation (SPM),
which creates additional intracavity
spectral broadening beyond that of the
gain medium in the Ti:Sapphire laser.
Thus, the uniquely engineered cavity of the
Octavius-1G exploits the interplay between
the strong SPM in the Ti:Sapphire crystal
and the dispersion generated by the mirror
pairs to generate stable, ultra-short pulses
that cannot be produced using standard
cavity designs. The spectral content (i.e.,
frequencies, amplitudes, and phases)
within one octave of bandwidth enables a
robust, long-term stable, f/2f carrierenvelope-
offset frequency beat detection
with more than 30 dB signal-to-noise ratio
in a 100 kHz bandwidth.
Features
•Octave-Spanning Spectral Bandwidth
•Unique Octave-Spanning Mirror Pair
•Robust Design with Compact Footprint
•Temperature and Environmentally
Stabilized Housing
•Optical Linear Encoder System with
1 ìm Resolution
Applications
•Phase-Sensitive Nonlinear Optics
•Amplifier Seeding, Particularly OPCPA
•Pump-Probe Experiments
•Biological Probing and Imaging
•Attosecond Pulse Generation
The unique dispersive octavespanning
mirror pairs used in the
cavity of the Octavius-1G were
developed in close collaboration with
Prof. Franz X. Kärtner at MIT.
Output Spectrum of
the Octavius-1G
600-1200 nm