Generation of 25-fs pulses from a self-mode-locked Cr:forsterite laser with optimized group-delay dispersion.

25-fs pulses with energies of 4 nJ are generated from a self-mode-locked Cr:forsterite laser with optimized cavity dispersion. The duration of the shortest pulses is limited by the gain bandwidth of Cr:forsterite. Using a model based on a solitonlike pulse formation, we infer a value of 2 × 10−16 cm2/W for the nonlinear refractive index of forsterite at 1.3 μm.