Multi-kilowatt transform-limited picosecond pulses from a cavity-dumped synchronously-pumped dye laser using “self-stabilisation”

Abstract A simple self-stabilisation technique is described for use with a cavity-dumped synchronously-pumped dye laser. Multi-kilowatt Fourier-transform-limited picosecond pulses are produced that exhibit a high degree of phase coherence into the far wings. It is shown experimentally that the underlying mechanism is an automatic self-phase locking process.