Spatial and temporal modeling of few-cycle Ti:Sapphire lasers

In few-cycle Kerr-lens mode-locked Ti:sapphire lasers, the laser crystal is exposed to extremely high intensities which can result in crystal damage and performance degradation with time. Modeling of the intracavity pulse dynamics can deepen the understanding of the different phenomena contributing to possible damage and of how to best optimize the laser performance. We present a one-dimensional laser model based on dispersion managed mode-locking that accurately captures the temporal and spectral intracavity dynamics and reproduces the output characteristics of these lasers in great detail. In addition, a spatiotemporal model is demonstrated. We find that the ultra-high intensities in the crystal induce plasma formation that shapes the spatial beam propagation in agreement with experimental observations.