Megawatt peak power from a Mamyshev oscillator

TL;DR

This paper presents a Mamyshev oscillator fiber laser that achieves record peak power and ultrashort pulses by supporting parabolic pulse formation, enabling high nonlinear phase management and promising near 10 MW peak power after compression.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the highest performance ultrafast fiber oscillator to date, utilizing parabolic pulse support for enhanced nonlinear phase management and potential for extremely high peak power.

Findings

Produced 50-nJ, 40-fs pulses with high peak power

Achieved an order of magnitude higher peak power than similar fiber lasers

Numerical simulations suggest potential for near 10 MW peak power after external compression

Abstract

We demonstrate a fiber source with the best performance from an ultrafast fiber oscillator to date. The ring-cavity Mamyshev oscillator produces 50-nJ and 40-fs pulses. The peak power is an order of magnitude higher than that of previous lasers with similar fiber mode area. This performance is achieved by designing the oscillator to support parabolic pulse formation which enables the management of unprecedented nonlinear phase shifts. Experimental results are limited by available pump power. Numerical simulations reveal key aspects of the pulse evolution, and realistically suggest that (after external compression) peak powers that approach 10 MW are possible from ordinary single-mode fiber. The combination of practical features such as environmental stability, established previously, with the performance described here make the Mamyshev oscillator extremely attractive for applications.