Mode-locked laser

{
  "id": "MLC-T-CHM-007447",
  "term": "Mode-locked laser",
  "field": "Chemistry",
  "definition": "A laser that generates extremely short optical pulses of light, on the order of picoseconds or femtoseconds. Mode-locking is achieved by forcing the longitudinal modes of the laser's optical cavity to oscillate with a fixed phase relationship, causing them to interfere constructively. This process produces a train of ultrashort pulses at a repetition rate determined by the cavity round-trip time.",
  "subject": "Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry",
  "see_also": [
    "absorber",
    "chemical induction",
    "free-running laser",
    "laser"
  ],
  "references": [
    "PAC, 1996, 68, 2223. 'Glossary of terms used in photochemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1996)' on page 2254 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199668122223)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/chemistry/mode-locked-laser/"
}