Prism-pair dispersive delay lines in optical pulse compression

We have compressed the output of a synchronously pumped cavity-dumped dye laser with a fiber-prism pulse compressor. The prism pair consisted of two dense flint glass prisms, which were used at a grazing exit angle to increase the dispersive power. We present the results of several experiments in which we have demonstrated 85% throughput, high compression ratios, and compressed pulses as short as 50 fsec.