| abstract |
A pulse laser apparatus ( 100 ) for creating laser pulses ( 1 ), in particular soliton laser pulses ( 1 ), based on Kerr lens mode locking of a circulating light field in an oscillator cavity ( 10 ), comprises at least two resonator mirrors ( 11, 12, . . . ) spanning a resonator beam path ( 2 ) of the oscillator cavity ( 10 ), at least one Kerr-medium ( 21, 22, 23 ) for introducing self-phase modulation and self-focusing to the circulating light field in the oscillator cavity ( 10 ), at least one gain-medium ( 31 ) for amplifying the circulating light field in the oscillator cavity ( 10 ), and a tuning device ( 40 ) for setting a first mode-locking condition and a second mode-locking condition of the oscillator cavity ( 10 ) such that an intra-cavity threshold-power for mode-locking at the first mode-locking condition is lower than that at the second mode-locking condition, wherein the first mode-locking condition is adapted for starting or shutting-down of the Kerr lens mode locking and the second mode-locking condition is adapted for continuous Kerr lens mode locking and a resonator-internal peak-power of the circulating light field is higher at the second mode-locking condition than at the first mode-locking condition. Furthermore, a method of operating a pulse laser apparatus is described. |