Development of Ultrafast Raman Lasers

Ultrafast lasers underpin an increasing variety of technologies, including the rapidly growing field of biophotonics. However, range of applications is constrained by spectral and temporal characteristics of available commercial lasers. This work is aimed in addressing this bottleneck by using Raman frequency conversion to expand the wavelength capabilities of ultrafast laser sources. We report three Raman laser systems which extend the wavelength reach of a continuous-wave mode-locked picosecond laser using diamond and lithium niobate crystals. The findings presented in this work would contribute towards the development of wavelength flexible laser sources with shorter pulses for a wide range of applications.