Pulse fluctuations and chirp compensation in colliding-pulse mode-locked dye lasers

Abstract We have measured the pulse fluctuations of a colliding-pulse passively mode-locked dye laser. A combination of a four-prism sequence and a Gires-Tournois interferometer is used for chirp compensation. The pulse fluctuations are strongly affected by the intracavity group velocity dispersion. Our results suggest that the fluctuations are minimal when the group velocity dispersion is adjusted to be constant over the frequency bandwidth of the pulses.