Intra-cavity gain shaping of mode-locked Ti:Sapphire laser oscillations

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The gain properties of an oscillator strongly affect its behavior. When the gain is homogeneous, different modes compete for gain resources in a `winner takes all' manner, whereas with inhomogeneous gain, modes can coexist if they utilize different gain resources. We demonstrate precise control over the mode competition in a mode locked Ti:sapphire oscillator by manipulation and spectral shaping of the gain properties, thus steering the competition towards a desired, otherwise inaccessible, oscillation. Specifically, by adding a small amount of spectrally shaped inhomogeneous gain to the standard homogeneous gain oscillator, we selectively enhance a desired two-color oscillation, which is inherently unstable to mode competition and could not exist in a purely homogeneous gain oscillator. By tuning the parameters of the additional inhomogeneous gain we flexibly control the center wavelengths, relative intensities and widths of the two colors.