The quadratic electro-optical effect is exploited in a variant of this technique named for its use of a Kerr lens as an absorbing medium; that variant usually employs two focusing mirrors and two flat mirrors to compensate for astigmatism.
The frequency-modulated version of this technique usually uses lithium niobate as a medium and one of the dangers of a variant of this technique is catastrophic self-focusing, in which the formation of filaments leads to power loss. The quadratic electro-optical effect is exploited in a variant of this technique named for its use of a Kerr lens as an absorbing medium; that variant usually employs two focusing mirrors and two flat mirrors to compensate for astigmatism. The use of a saturable absorber (*) such as a SESAM is characteristic of the passive variant of this technique, while the active variant employs an optical modulator. This technique is employed to overcome the limitations of Q-switching and cavity dumping in order to create pulse widths in the pico and femtosecond regimes, with titanium-doped sapphire often being used for the latter. For 10 points, identify this technique in laser physics in which a constant phase is enforced between laser modes in a cavity.
The frequency-modulated version of this technique usually uses lithium niobate as a medium and one of the dangers of a variant of this technique is catastrophic self-focusing, in which the formation of filaments leads to power loss.
mode locking