Production of picosecond pulses by mode locking an Nd:glass laser with dye # 5

An Nd:phosphate glass laser was mode locked with Kodak heptamethine pyrylium dye #5. The emission from the laser consisted of a train of approximately 100 pulses. The pulse duration of a single pulse selected from different parts of the train was consistently less than 4.5 ps. The smallest pulse duration measured was 2.4 ps.