The invention relates to a microstructured optical fiber for generating incoherent supercontinuum light upon feeding of pump light. The microstructured optical fiber has a first section and a second section. A cross-section through the second section perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the fiber has a second relative size of microstructure elements and preferably a second pitch that is smaller than a blue edge pitch for the second relative size of microstructure elements. The invention also relates to an incoherent supercontinuum source comprising a microstructured optical fiber according to the invention.

Disclosed is a system for generating wavelength-tunable, ultra-short light pulses within the visible or infrared light spectrum. The system includes an injection module including a light source and a wavelength-tunable spectral filter. The light source is suitable for generating short light pulses, having a duration measured in nanoseconds, within an emission spectrum having a spectral width of several tens of nanometers to several hundred nanometers. The spectral filter has a spectral width between 250 pm and 3 nm and is suitable for spectrally and temporally filtering the short light pulses such that the injection module generates wavelength-tunable, spectrally filtered, ultra-short light pulses. The system also includes at least one optical amplifier suitable for generating wavelength-tunable, ultra-short, amplified pulses based on the wavelength of the spectral filter.

The invention concerns a Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) a method of its production and a supercontinuum light source comprising such PCF. The PCF has a longitudinal axis and comprises a core extending along the length of said longitudinal axis and a cladding region surrounding the core. At least the cladding region comprises a plurality of microstructures in the form of inclusions extending along the longitudinal axis of the PCF in at least a microstructured length section. In at least a degradation resistant length section of the microstructured length section the PCF comprises hydrogen and/or deuterium. In at least the degradation resistant length section the PCF further comprises a main coating surrounding the cladding region, which main coating is hermetic for the hydrogen and/or deuterium at a temperature below Th, wherein Th is at least about 50° C., preferably 50° C.<Th<250° C.

A coherent anti-stokes Raman scattering apparatus for imaging a sample includes an optical output; an optical source arranged to generate a first optical signal at a first wavelength; and a nonlinear element arranged to receive the first optical signal, where the nonlinear element is arranged to cause the first optical signal to undergo four-wave mixing on transmission through the nonlinear element such that a second optical signal at a second wavelength and a third optical signal at a third wavelength are generated, wherein an optical signal pair including two of the first, second and third optical signals is provided to the optical output for imaging the sample.

A stretching fiber module that stretches a pulse width of the broadband pulsed light from a broadband pulsed light source such that a time and a wavelength in a pulse correspond to each other on a one-to-one basis includes a multicore fiber and single-core compensation fibers coupled to cores of the multicore fiber. The compensation fibers compensate for a variation in wavelength dispersion characteristic between the cores of the multicore fiber and are temperature-controlled by a temperature adjuster.

A micro-structured optical fiber suitable for supercontinuum generation, a preform therefor, and a method of production thereof and a supercontinuum light source. The optical fiber includes a core microstructured length section L.sub.cm, which includes a micro-structured core region having at least a first region forming a central part of the core region and a second region surrounding the first region; and a cladding surrounding the core region; wherein the first and second regions are of a first and second silica material, respectively, which differs with respect to composition, and wherein the core region in at least a length part of the core microstructured length section L.sub.cm has a cross sectional diameter D.sub.cm perpendicular to the longitudinal axis which is about 8 μm or less.

An apparatus (100) for receiving input radiation (108) and broadening a frequency range of the input radiation so as to provide broadband output radiation (110). The apparatus comprises a fiber (102), wherein the fiber (102) may comprise a hollow core (104) for guiding radiation propagating through the fiber (102). The apparatus (100) further comprises an apparatus for providing a gas mixture (106) within the hollow core (104). The gas mixture (106) comprises a hydrogen component, and a working component, wherein the working component is for broadening a frequency range of a received input radiation (108) so as to provide the broadband output radiation (110). The apparatus may be included in a radiation source.

Some embodiments relate to a generation device that includes: a pulsed laser source generating primary photons having at least one wavelength within pulses having time dissymmetry, a forming device(s) controlling the primary photons so as to generate a selective-polarization, focused input beam, and an optical fiber wherein the primary photons induce secondary photons having different wavelengths resulting from a raman conversion cascade and forming a wide-spectrum output beam having substantially constant energy.

The invention relates to a device comprising: a laser source emitting a first beam with a central wavelength λ.sub.1 lying between 1010 nm and 1050 nm, a spectral supercontinuum generator downstream of the laser source, generating a second beam with a central wavelength λ.sub.2 lying between 1670 nm and 1730 nm from a part of the first beam, an optical parametric amplification system downstream of the spectral supercontinuum generator, generating a third beam with a central wavelength λ.sub.3 lying between 2540 nm and 2690 nm from at least a part of the second beam and a part of the first beam, and a second harmonic generator downstream of the optical parametric amplification system, the second harmonic generator generating a fourth beam with a central wavelength λ.sub.4 lying between 1270 nm and 1345 nm from at least a part of the third beam.

A device for the generation of supercontinuum in infrared fiber with a pump light comprising a microchip laser operating with a wavelength of 1.0 μm or greater that can be wavelength shifted though a nonlinear element to a wavelength beyond the two-photon absorption of the infrared fiber and launched into infrared fiber whereby the spectrum is broadened in the infrared fiber through various nonlinear processes to generate a supercontinuum within the mid-IR from 2 to 14 μm.