High power subpicosecond pulse generation from a synchronously pumped dye laser combined with an external compressor

A new scheme of subpicosecond pulse generation based on a dye laser is described. Output pulses of 15 ps from a rhodamine-6G laser pumped synchronously by a frequency-double mode-locked Nd: YAG laser are compressed into 0.8 ps pulses of 2 MW by two passes of saturable absorber (DODCI) and saturable amplifier (rhodamine-6G). The technique is useful for generating widely tunable, high power repetitive subpicosecond pulses.