Cubic-phase-free dispersion compensation in solid-state ultrashort-pulse lasers

We show that intracavity group-velocity dispersion compensation with the use of prisms composed of conventional optical materials can be accomplished while simultaneously eliminating the round-trip cavity cubic phase. The ability to compensate perfectly both second- and third-order dispersion exists for pulses whose central wavelengths lie within a range that depends on the prism and laser rod materials as well as on the prism angles. In the case of Ti:sapphire and Cr:LiSrAlF(6) lasers, Brewster prisms composed of readily available materials can be used to compensate for both group-velocity dispersion and cubic phase over much of the respective tuning rangers.