8-fs pulses from a compact Er:fiber system: quantitative modeling and experimental implementation.

We demonstrate an all-fiber turnkey source of extremely stable 2-cycle pulses at a center wavelength of 1.17 microm. Taylor-cut highly nonlinear germano-silica bulk fibers (HNFs) provide smooth supercontinua with a bandwidth of 560 nm and a spectral shape precisely controlled by the dispersion of the fiber and the phase of the 1.