Experimentally verified pulse formation model for high-power femtosecond VECSELs

Optically pumped vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (OP-VECSELs), passively modelocked with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM), have generated the highest average output power from any sub-picosecond semiconductor laser. Many applications, including frequency comb synthesis and coherent supercontinuum generation, require pulses in the sub-300-fs regime. A quantitative understanding of the pulse formation mechanism is required in order to reach this regime while maintaining stable, high-average-power performance. We present a numerical model with which we have obtained excellent quantitative agreement with two recent experiments in the femtosecond regime, and we have been able to correctly predict both the observed pulse duration and the output power for the first time. Our numerical model not only confirms the soliton-like pulse formation in the femtosecond regime, but also allows us to develop several clear guidelines to scale the performance toward shorter pulses and higher average output power. In particular, we show that a key VECSEL design parameter is a high gain saturation fluence. By optimizing this parameter, 200-fs pulses with an average output power of more than 1 W should be possible

Experimentally verified pulse formation model for high-power femtosecond VECSELs

Optically pumped vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (OP-VECSELs), passively modelocked with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM), have generated the highest average output power from any sub-picosecond semiconductor laser. Many applications, including frequency comb synthesis and coherent supercontinuum generation, require pulses in the sub-300-fs regime. A quantitative understanding of the pulse formation mechanism is required in order to reach this regime while maintaining stable, high-average-power performance. We present a numerical model with which we have obtained excellent quantitative agreement with two recent experiments in the femtosecond regime, and we have been able to correctly predict both the observed pulse duration and the output power for the first time. Our numerical model not only confirms the soliton-like pulse formation in the femtosecond regime, but also allows us to develop several clear guidelines to scale the performance toward shorter pulses and higher average output power. In particular, we show that a key VECSEL design parameter is a high gain saturation fluence. By optimizing this parameter, 200-fs pulses with an average output power of more than 1W should be possibl

Maculopathy following exposure to visible and infrared radiation from a laser pointer: a clinical case study

PURPOSE: Laser pointer devices have become increasingly available in recent years, and their misuse has caused a number of ocular injuries. Online distribution channels permit trade in devices which may not conform to international standards in terms of their output power and spectral content. We present a case study of ocular injury caused by one such device. METHODS: The patient was examined approximately 9 months following laser exposure using full-field and multifocal electroretinography (ERG and MF-ERG), electrooculography (EOG), and optical coherence tomography (OCT), in addition to a full ophthalmological examination. MF-ERG, OCT, and the ophthalmological examination were repeated 7 months after the first examination. The output of the laser pointer was measured. RESULTS: Despite severe focal damage to the central retina visible fundoscopically and with OCT, all electrophysiological examinations were quantitatively normal; however, qualitatively the central responses of the MF-ERG appeared slightly reduced. When the MF-ERG was repeated 7 months later, all findings were normal. The laser pointer was found to emit both visible and infrared radiation in dangerous amounts. CONCLUSION: Loss of retinal function following laser pointer injury may not always be detectable using standard electrophysiological tests. Exposure to non-visible radiation should be considered as a possible aggravating factor when assessing cases of alleged laser pointer injury