A broadband light source device for creating broadband light pulses includes a hollow-core fiber and a pump laser source device. The hollow-core fiber is configured to create the broadband light pulses by an optical non-linear broadening of pump laser pulses. The hollow-core fiber includes a filling gas, an axial hollow light guiding fiber core configured to support core modes of a guided light field, and an inner fiber structure surrounding the fiber core and configured to support transverse wall modes of the guided light field. The pump laser source device is configured to create and provide the pump laser pulses at an input side of the hollow-core fiber. The transverse wall modes include a fundamental transverse wall mode and second and higher order transverse wall modes.

A supercontinuum light source can include a seed laser arranged to provide seed pulses with a pulse frequency F.sub.seed; a pulse frequency multiplier (PFM) arranged to multiply the seed pulses by converting pulses having the pulse frequency F.sub.seed to pump pulses with a pulse frequency F.sub.pump, where F.sub.pump is larger than F.sub.seed; and a non-linear element arranged to receive said pump pulses and convert said pump pulses to pulses of supercontinuum light. The PFM can further include a splitter for splitting pulses into first and second sub beams each having the same pulse frequency, where the PFM is configured such that the sub beams experience different delays; and a combiner for combining said first and second sub beams into a beam having the pulse frequency that is greater than said same pulse frequency. The splitter can have an uneven splitter ratio.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and apparatus for detecting atmospheric NO at signal levels capable of distinguishing the NO isotopologues. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and apparatus for a single photon LIF sensor that pumps a vibronic transition near 215 nm and observes the resulting red shifted fluorescence from about 255 to about 267 nm. Embodiments of the present system uses a NO-LIF measurement fiber-amplified laser apparatus capable of: generating laser linewidth that is sufficiently narrow to resolve the Doppler broadened NO spectrum at room temperature and thereby achieve high signal levels and distinguish the NO isotopologues; generating laser repetition rate sufficient to enable single-photon counting of the fluorescence signal; and having size, weight and environmental robustness allowing for integration onto airborne platforms.

A photonic chip for optical frequency conversion includes a substrate, and a planar optical waveguide disposed along a surface of the substrate. The optical waveguide has an optical core of periodically-poled thin-film ferroelectric material, the thickness of the optical core varying along the optical waveguide. The width of the optical core varies therealong in a manner correlated with variations of the thickness of the optical core along the optical waveguide, e.g. in a manner complementary to measured variations of the thickness.

A broadband light source device for creating broadband light pulses includes a hollow-core fiber and a pump laser source device. The hollow-core fiber is configured to create the broadband light pulses by an optical non-linear broadening of pump laser pulses. The hollow-core fiber includes a filling gas, an axial hollow light guiding fiber core configured to support core modes of a guided light field, and an inner fiber structure surrounding the fiber core and configured to support transverse wall modes of the guided light field. The pump laser source device is configured to create and provide the pump laser pulses at an input side of the hollow-core fiber. The transverse wall modes include a fundamental transverse wall mode and second and higher order transverse wall modes.

An apparatus includes a non-linear optical crystal configured to perform harmonic wavelength conversion. The apparatus also includes first and second heaters contacting opposite sides of the optical crystal, where the first and second heaters are configured to heat the optical crystal. The apparatus further includes first and second backing plates configured to hold the first and second heaters in contact with the optical crystal. The apparatus also includes an internal mount defining a space configured to receive at least a portion of the optical crystal. In addition, the apparatus includes an external cover around at least a portion of the internal mount.

The invention is related to a parametric light generation method and its application and belongs to the technical field of laser and nonlinear optics. The generation method comprises steps as follows: a nonlinear optical material that meets the sum-frequency phase-matched conditions, namely it shall satisfy the energy conservation condition ω.sub.p+ω.sub.i=ω.sub.s and the momentum conservation condition n.sub.pω.sub.p+n.sub.iω.sub.i=n.sub.sω.sub.s simultaneously, is provided; laser light with a wavelength of λ.sub.p is injected into the said nonlinear optical material as pump light; then, the material will output signal light with a wavelength of λ.sub.s, namely the tunable sum-frequency parametric light. With sum-frequency as the basic principle, the invention can realize frequency up-conversion and obtain visible and UV light sources through simple infrared light sources easily.

Methods and devices are described for performing an all-phase measurement of an ultra-fast laser pulse having a spectral range of greater than one octave. The ultra-fast laser pulse may be split into a first beam comprising a fundamental light with a wavelength λ.sub.0 and a second beam comprising a light with a wavelength 2λ.sub.0. The light with the wavelength 2λ.sub.0 may be frequency doubled to a light with a wavelength λ.sub.0 to generate an interference with the fundamental light. Fourier transform may be performed on an interference spectrum of the interference, and a relative envelope delay (RED) between the fundamental light and the frequency doubled light and a carrier envelope phase (CEP) may be acquired based on a result of the Fourier transform.

A device for generating laser radiation comprises a temperature-controlled optical setup comprising an optically non-linear solid state medium arranged in a resonator and an active region. The outgoing laser radiation is generated from a pump beam introduced into the optically non-linear solid state medium. A first temperature actuator and a second temperature actuator configured to independently adjust temperature values in the active region of the optically non-linear solid state medium. The first temperature actuator is configured regulate a length of the resonator by setting a first temperature value within a first portion of the active region. The second temperature actuator is configured to match phases of wavelengths generated by the outgoing laser radiation and phases of wavelengths of the pump beam radiation by setting a second temperature value within a second portion of the active region.

Apparatus and methods for improved HHG of ultrashort pulse laser beams. A HHG assembly includes a gas distribution block and a waveguide cartridge having a HHG hollow core waveguide. The waveguide cartridge is attached to the gas distribution block and may be removed and replaced, while the gas distribution block remains affixed within the apparatus. The gas distribution block is configured to maintain a pressure profile within the hollow core fiber. The system also includes two operating beam sensors and two actuatable mirrors. The operating beam sensors are fixed with respect to the HHG assembly. The system is aligned before operation by adjusting the actuatable mirrors to optimize a sample beam through the waveguide and recording the position of the beam on the operating beam sensors. In operation, the mirrors are actuated to maintain the same positions of the input beam on the operating beam sensors.