This invention provides a device for improving laser wavelength conversion efficiency and a laser system configured to provide high-power multi-wavelength femtosecond laser pulses using the device. The device for improving laser wavelength conversion efficiency comprises a wavelength conversion member photonic crystal fiber (PCF), wherein the device for improving laser wavelength conversion efficiency improves wavelength conversion efficiency by shortening the length of the PCF. The device provided in this invention not only reduces the attenuation and dispersion caused by the optical fiber, but also improves the energy conversion efficiency within a specific wavelength range. The use of the technique not only increases the energy of light pulse, but also greatly reduces the amount of fiber used, and can maximize the energy of the desired wavelength according to experimental requirements when using laser input sources of different wavelengths.

An optical parametric oscillator and method for generating coherent signal light involve a resonant optical cavity for coherent signal light, and in the cavity a non-parametric gain element for amplifying the coherent signal light to only partially compensate for passive optical roundtrip losses, thereby obtaining lower effective roundtrip losses. A parametric gain element is arranged in the cavity, for converting coherent pump light into coherent signal light through an instantaneous nonlinear optical interaction. The parametric oscillator has means for adjusting an intracavity optical power of the coherent pump light above a threshold value, where the parametric gain is balancing the effective roundtrip losses, thus inducing sustained oscillations of the signal light in the optical cavity. The non-parametric gain element is configured to have a limited non-parametric gain over a gain bandwidth of the parametric gain element, which is less than the passive optical roundtrip losses in the gain bandwidth.

An optical parametric oscillator and method for generating coherent signal light involve a resonant optical cavity for coherent signal light, and in the cavity a non-parametric gain element for amplifying the coherent signal light to only partially compensate for passive optical roundtrip losses, thereby obtaining lower effective roundtrip losses. A parametric gain element is arranged in the cavity, for converting coherent pump light into coherent signal light through an instantaneous nonlinear optical interaction. The parametric oscillator has means for adjusting an intracavity optical power of the coherent pump light above a threshold value, where the parametric gain is balancing the effective roundtrip losses, thus inducing sustained oscillations of the signal light in the optical cavity. The non-parametric gain element is configured to have a limited non-parametric gain over a gain bandwidth of the parametric gain element, which is less than the passive optical roundtrip losses in the gain bandwidth.

An optical component for a broadband radiation source device, the optical component configured for generating a broadband output upon receiving pump radiation and including: a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF); and a gas mixture filling the HC-PCF, wherein the gas mixture includes a mixture of at least one first gas configured for the generation of the broadband radiation and at least one second gas including or consisting of helium.

This invention provides a device for improving laser wavelength conversion efficiency and a laser system configured to provide high-power multi-wavelength femtosecond laser pulses using the device. The device for improving laser wavelength conversion efficiency comprises a wavelength conversion member photonic crystal fiber (PCF), wherein the device for improving laser wavelength conversion efficiency improves wavelength conversion efficiency by shortening the length of the PCF. The device provided in this invention not only reduces the attenuation and dispersion caused by the optical fiber, but also improves the energy conversion efficiency within a specific wavelength range. The use of the technique not only increases the energy of light pulse, but also greatly reduces the amount of fiber used, and can maximize the energy of the desired wavelength according to experimental requirements when using laser input sources of different wavelengths.

This invention provides a device for improving laser wavelength conversion efficiency and a laser system configured to provide high-power multi-wavelength femtosecond laser pulses using the device. The device for improving laser wavelength conversion efficiency comprises a wavelength conversion member photonic crystal fiber (PCF), wherein the device for improving laser wavelength conversion efficiency improves wavelength conversion efficiency by shortening the length of the PCF. The device provided in this invention not only reduces the attenuation and dispersion caused by the optical fiber, but also improves the energy conversion efficiency within a specific wavelength range. The use of the technique not only increases the energy of light pulse, but also greatly reduces the amount of fiber used, and can maximize the energy of the desired wavelength according to experimental requirements when using laser input sources of different wavelengths.

A shaping encoder capable of improving the performance of PCS in nonlinear optical channels by performing the shaping in two or more stages. In an example embodiment, a first stage employs a shaping code of a relatively short block length, which is typically beneficial for nonlinear optical channels but may cause a significant penalty in the energy efficiency. A second stage then employs a shaping code of a much larger block length, which significantly reduces or erases the penalty associated with the short block length of the first stage while providing an additional benefit of good performance in substantially linear optical channels. In at least some embodiments, the shaping encoder may have relatively low circuit-implementation complexity and/or relatively low cost and provide relatively high energy efficiency and relatively high shaping gain for a variety of optical channels, including but not limited to the legacy dispersion-managed fiber-optic links.

A shaping encoder capable of improving the performance of PCS in nonlinear optical channels by performing the shaping in two or more stages. In an example embodiment, a first stage employs a shaping code of a relatively short block length, which is typically beneficial for nonlinear optical channels but may cause a significant penalty in the energy efficiency. A second stage then employs a shaping code of a much larger block length, which significantly reduces or erases the penalty associated with the short block length of the first stage while providing an additional benefit of good performance in substantially linear optical channels. In at least some embodiments, the shaping encoder may have relatively low circuit-implementation complexity and/or relatively low cost and provide relatively high energy efficiency and relatively high shaping gain for a variety of optical channels, including but not limited to the legacy dispersion-managed fiber-optic links.

The invention can include an optical pulse source apparatus that includes the nonlinear generation of wavelengths, wherein the optical pulse source can comprise an oscillator for producing optical pulses, the optical pulses having a first wavelength; an optical fiber amplifier for amplifying optical pulses having the first wavelength; a nonlinear optical fiber receiving amplified optical pulses having the first wavelength to nonlinearly produce optical pulses that include wavelengths that are different than the first wavelength; and wherein the optical pulse source is configured so as to be operable to reduce the optical pulse frequency of the nonlinearly produced optical pulses.

The invention can include an optical pulse source apparatus that includes the nonlinear generation of wavelengths, wherein the optical pulse source can comprise an oscillator for producing optical pulses, the optical pulses having a first wavelength; an optical fiber amplifier for amplifying optical pulses having the first wavelength; a nonlinear optical fiber receiving amplified optical pulses having the first wavelength to nonlinearly produce optical pulses that include wavelengths that are different than the first wavelength; and wherein the optical pulse source is configured so as to be operable to reduce the optical pulse frequency of the nonlinearly produced optical pulses.