Compression of picosecond pulses from a solid-state laser using self-phase modulation in graded-index fibers

We report the compression by a factor of 7 of 2-microJ pulses of 5-psec duration from a mode-locked Nd:phosphate glass laser. The pulses were chirped and their spectrum broadened while traveling through a graded-index core fiber. After amplification to 500 microJ, they were finally compressed by traveling through a dispersive delay line, and 0.7-psec pulse widths were achieved.