A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system includes a LIDAR measurement unit, a reference measurement unit, and a phase cancellation unit. The LIDAR measurement unit estimates a time for which a laser beam travels. The reference measurement unit determines a phase of a laser source. The phase cancellation unit identifies phase noise and cancels the phase noise from the laser beam, at least partially based on the phase of the laser source and the time for which the laser beam travels. The denoised signal is used to determine the range between a laser source and a target.

A spectral feature selection apparatus includes a dispersive optical element arranged to interact with a pulsed light beam; three or more refractive optical elements arranged in a path of the pulsed light beam between the dispersive optical element and a pulsed optical source; and one or more actuation systems, each actuation system associated with a refractive optical element and configured to rotate the associated refractive optical element to thereby adjust a spectral feature of the pulsed light beam. At least one of the actuation systems is a rapid actuation system that includes a rapid actuator configured to rotate its associated refractive optical element about a rotation axis. The rapid actuator includes a rotary stepper motor having a rotation shaft that rotates about a shaft axis that is parallel with the rotation axis of the associated refractive optical element.

A laser shutter unit includes an acousto-optic element configured to switch an emission direction of incident laser light between a first direction and a second direction, and a multiple reflective optical element configured to reflect first light that is the laser light emitted from the acousto-optic element in the first direction and second light that is the laser light emitted from the acousto-optic element in the second direction, and further reflect at least one of the first light and the second light.

The present invention discloses a grating enhanced distributed vibration demodulation system based on three-pulse shearing interference, comprising: a laser device, a pulse optical modulator, a three-pulse generation polarization-maintaining structure, a first erbium-doped fiber amplifier, a first optical circulator, a fiber grating array, a second erbium-doped fiber amplifier, a second optical circulator, a three-in-three optical coupler, a first Faraday rotator mirror, a second Faraday rotator mirror, and a four-channel data acquisition card, On the basis of a distributed fiber grating vibration sensing system, three-pulse dislocation interference and three-in-three optical coupler digital phase demodulation technologies are adopted, XX and XY pulses are utilized to complement interference visibility, and demodulation is performed by selecting a better path, so that polarization fading resistance and interference signal high visibility in the distributed fiber grating vibration sensing system are realized.

A system and method for tuning and infrared source laser in the Mid-IR wavelength range. The system and method comprising, at least, a plurality of individually tunable emitters, each emitter emitting a beam having a unique wavelength, a grating, a mirror positioned after the grating to receive at least one refracted order of light of at least one beam and to redirect the beam back towards the grating, and a micro-electro-mechanical systems device containing a plurality of adjustable micro-mirrors.

A method, apparatus and system for performing optical positioning. The apparatus comprises a laser transmitter configured to transmit a laser beam toward a retroreflector, where the location of retroreflector is known and the retroreflector reflects the laser beam and imparts modulation onto the laser beam. An optical receiver receives the reflected laser beam reflected from the retroreflector and a processor extracts a code from the modulation, determines the location of the retroreflector and calculates the distance from the apparatus to the retroreflector and uses the code and distance to determine a position of the apparatus.

A radiation source arrangement causes interaction between pump radiation (340) and a gaseous medium (406) to generate EUV or soft x-ray radiation by higher harmonic generation (HHG). The operating condition of the radiation source arrangement is monitored by detecting (420/430) third radiation (422) resulting from an interaction between condition sensing radiation and the medium. The condition sensing radiation (740) may be the same as the first radiation or it may be separately applied. The third radiation may be for example a portion of the condition sensing radiation that is reflected or scattered by a vacuum-gas boundary, or it may be lower harmonics of the HHG process, or fluorescence, or scattered. The sensor may include one or more image detectors so that spatial distribution of intensity and/or the angular distribution of the third radiation may be analyzed. Feedback control based on the determined operating condition stabilizes operation of the HHG source.

Systems and methods for temporal amplitude modulation of an optical beam. An exemplary system may include a birefringent fiber positioned between two polarizers, or between a polarized input light source and an output polarizer. Light may enter the birefringent fiber as linearly polarized. Depending on birefringence and orientation of the birefringent fiber, the polarization state changes as the light propagates through the birefringent fiber. This changed polarization state then enters the output polarizer, for which transmission is a function of the polarization state and the relative orientation of the polarization axis. The polarization state emerging from the birefringent fiber may be changed by modulating the fiber birefringence, for example through application of an external stress. Net transmittance of the system may be varied according to a magnitude of an external force (e.g., pressure) to some or all of the birefringent fiber.

An acousto-optic modulator (AOM) laser frequency shifter system includes a laser configured to generate an incident beam, a first optical splitter optically coupled to the laser and configured to split the incident beam into at least one portion of the incident beam, at least one phase-shift channel optically coupled to the first optical splitter and configured to generate at least one frequency-shifted beam with an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) from the at least one portion of the incident beam received from the first optical splitter, and a second optical splitter configured to receive the at least one frequency-shifted beam from the at least one phase-shift channel and configured to direct the at least one frequency-shifted beam to an interferometer configured to acquire an interferogram of a sample with the at least one frequency-shifted beam.

A dual-comb measuring system is provided. The dual comb measuring system may include a bi-directional mode-locked femtosecond laser, a high-speed rotation stage, and a fiber coupler. The high-speed rotation stage may be coupled to a pump diode.