Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb:SrLaAlO$_4$ laser

International audienceWe report on the first Kerr-lens mode-locked laser based on the Yb 3+ -doped disordered strontium lanthanum aluminate crystal, Yb:SrLaAlO 4 (Yb:SALLO), pumped by a high-brightness Yb fiber laser at 976 nm. Nearly Fourier-limited pulses as short as 44 fs were achieved at 1051 nm with an average output power of 277 mW and a pulse repetition rate of ∼66 MHz via soft-aperture Kerr-lens mode-locking. A higher average output power of 459 mW, corresponding to an optical efficiency of 33.8%, was obtained at the expense of a slightly longer duration (52 fs)