A gigahertz multimode-diode-pumped Yb:KGW enables a strong frequency comb offset beat signal.

A high-power gigahertz SESAM modelocked Yb:KGW laser is pumped with a commercial multimode diode laser and enables a strong frequency comb offset beat signal without additional amplification or pulse compression. The ultrafast Yb:KGW solid-state laser oscillator generates 125-fs pulses at an average power of 3.4 W and a repetition rate of 1.06 GHz with a record-high peak power of 22.7 kW. An octave-spanning frequency comb was generated with a 1-m long highly nonlinear photonic crystal fiber (PCF) launching only 900 mW of the total average power with a PCF coupling efficiency of 70%. The frequency comb offset was successfully detected with a carrier-envelope offset (CEO) frequency beat signal of 30-dB signal-to-noise ratio for a resolution bandwidth of 100 kHz. The robust and simple pumping scheme based on a commercially available multimode diode laser makes this laser attractive for future frequency comb metrology applications.