Extreme Events in Passively Mode - Locked Lasers with normal dispersion –

Status – Generation of stable pulse trains is important for numerous laser applications where ultrashort optical pulses are needed. Yet, increasing demand for pulses with more extreme characteristics has shifted the focus towards highly nonlinear, non-stationary regimes of laser operation. Of particular interest is the study of the chaotic pulses generated by passively mode-locked lasers. Being an interesting object of nonlinear chaotic dynamics, they may also have important practical applications such as for generating supercontinua without the use of special fibers [1].