GHz-bursts and ultrafast external modulation of femtosecond fiber lasers with kW average power levels

State-of-the-art ultrafast materials processing applications impose strong requirements on the driving laser systems. For novel ablation schemes GHz-bursts are necessary to operate ideally [1,2]. Additionally, fast modulation and control of these pulse trains is required allowing for both high-power operation (kW of average powers and mJ pulse energies) and, ideally, pulse-to-pulse amplitude control. Here we present novel solutions to address these demands based on fiber-laser technology and coherent beam combination.