Picosecond light pulses passing through a saturable absorber show considerable pulse shortening. For instance, under special favorable conditions the pulse duration was found to be reduced from 8 to 2. 6 psec in a single transit. Using a multiple‐absorber‐amplifier system, light pulses were shortened from 8 to 0.7 psec in five transits. The shortest pulse seen in our experiments had a duration of less than 0.5 psec. Calculations based on a two‐level approximation of the absorbing medium agreed well with the experimental results.