Self-similar pulse evolution in an all-normal-dispersion laser.

Parabolic amplifier similaritons are observed inside a normal-dispersion laser. The self-similar pulse is a local nonlinear attractor in the gain segment of the oscillator. The evolution in the laser exhibits large (20 times) spectral breathing, and the pulse chirp is less than the group-velocity dispersion of the cavity. All of these features are consistent with numerical simulations. The amplifier similariton evolution also yields practical features such as parabolic output pulses with high energies, and the shortest pulses to date from a normal-dispersion laser.