GENERATION OF 150-FS TUNABLE PULSES IN CR-LISRALF6

We report ultrashort-pulse generation in a Cr:LiSrAlF6 solid-state laser. The 15-mm crystal was pumped by 1 W of red light from a cw krypton laser and actively mode locked at an 82-MHz repetition frequency using an acousto-optic modulator. Wavelength tuning was demonstrated over the range 800-880 nm, limited by the bandwidth of the optical components. By including intracavity dispersion compensation, pulse widths of 150 fs were obtained with evidence that self-phase modulation contributes to spectral broadening and pulse shortening.