Passive mode locking in wideband cw solid-state lasers

We have investigated the oscillation dynamics of a wideband cw solid-state laser with a passive saturable absorber (an electrooptic shutter) by numerical simulation. In the parameter plane of the pump intensity and the absorption cross section of the electrooptic shutter, the region corresponding to steady-state ultrashort-pulse generation is closed. We investigate the behavior of this region and the laser output characteristics as a function of the parameters of the laser structure. It is possible to mode-lock a solid-state laser by using an absorber with a relaxation time considerably longer than the time required for a single circuit through the resonator.