41-fs diode-pump Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb,Y:CaF₂-SrF₂ laser

We report on a diode-pumped Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb,Y:CaF₂-SrF₂ laser. Using soft aperture Kerr-lens mode locking, pulses as short as 41 fs were achieved at a center wavelength of 1053.9 nm with a pulse repetition rate of 97.43 MHz. The average output power amounts to 40 mW at an absorbed pump power of 397 mW, corresponding to a peak power of 8.81 kW. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first KLM Yb,Y:CaF₂-SrF₂ laser. The results indicate the potential of Yb,Y:CaF₂-SrF₂ crystals for pulse shortening via KLM technique.