Additive-pulse mode locking of a thin-disk Yb:YAG laser

The additive-pulse mode-locked thin-disk Yb:YAG lasers delivering 2.5 W of average output power in pulses as short as 1.9 ps and 2.7 W in 4.7 ps pulses have been constructed. We experimentally demonstrate that, despite the deleterious effect of spatial hole burning, the use of an effective fast saturable absorber in a thin-disk laser can lead to stable mode locking even in the net positive intracavity dispersion regime.