Resonators for Kerr-lens mode-locked femtosecond Ti:sapphire lasers

Resonators for Kerr-lens mode-locked lasers are studied with the help of an analytical model, and a new design procedure is presented. The experiments performed with a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser demonstrate that this model permits an effective resonator design and offers reliable guidelines for the final experimental optimization. With a suitable resonator configuration, self-starting of the Kerr-lens mode-locking regime has been achieved.