Theoretical investigation of pulse-to-pulse instabilities in a synchronously pumped femtosecond optical parametric oscillator

A singly resonant synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator (SPOPO) based on the experimental setup of J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 36 , 131 ( 2019 ) JOBPDE 0740-3224 10.1364/JOSAB.36.000131 is studied theoretically. Stable, oscillatory, and chaotic operation modes of the SPOPO are investigated. The need of the self- and cross-phase modulation terms in the theoretical model for the explanation of the instabilities is demonstrated. The theoretical values of the wavelengths of the signal spectrum maxima are found. The evidence of chaos by the calculation of the Lyapunov exponent is provided. The possibilities to avoid the instabilities are discussed.