Multi-frequency mode-locked lasers

A new theoretical model is constructed which describes the operation of multi-frequency, pulsed mode-locked laser cavities. The model, which is a combination of multi channel interactions in the canonical master mode-locking model subject to three different gain models which account for both self- and cross-saturation effects, results in mode-locking dynamics which qualitatively describe the observed experimental dual-frequency laser operation. Specifically, the combination of self- and cross-saturation in the gain allows for mode-locking at two frequencies simultaneously, which can be of significantly different energies and pulsewidths. The model gives a framework for understanding the operation and stability of the increasingly important and timely technology of dual- and multi-frequency mode-locked laser cavities. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)