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 broad line red light generator is configured with a single mode (SM) pulsed ytterbium (“Yb”) fiber laser pump source outputting pump light in a fundamental mode (“FM”) at a pump wavelength which is selected from a 1030-1120 nm wavelength range. The disclosed generator further includes a SM fiber Raman converter spliced to an output of the Yb fiber laser pump source. The Raman converter induces an “n” order frequency Stokes shift of the pump light to output the pump light at a Raman-shifted wavelength within 1220 and 1300 nm wavelength range with a broad spectral line of at least 10 nm. The disclosed light generator further has a single pass second harmonic generator (“SHG”) with a lithium triborate (“LBO”) nonlinear optical crystal having a spectral acceptance linewidth which is sufficient to cover the broad spectral line of the pump light. The SHG generates a SM pulsed broad-line red light with a broad spectral line of at least 4 nm.

Compact optical frequency sources are described. The comb source may include an intra-cavity optical element having a multi-material integrated structure with an electrically controllable active region. The active region may comprise a thin film. By way of example, the thin film and an insulating dielectric material disposed between two electrodes can provide for rapid loss modulation. In some embodiments the thin film may comprise graphene. In various embodiments of a frequency comb laser, rapid modulation of the CEO frequency can be implemented via electric modulation of the transmission or reflection loss of an additional optical element, which can be the saturable absorber itself. In another embodiment, the thin film can also be used as a saturable absorber in order to facilitate passive modelocking. In some implementations the optical element may be formed on a cleaved or polished end of an optical fiber.

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.

A laser processing method of performing laser processing on a transparent material that is transparent to ultraviolet light by using a laser processing system includes: performing relative positioning of a transfer position of a transfer image and the transparent material in an optical axis direction of a pulse laser beam so that the transfer position is set at a position inside the transparent material at a predetermined depth ΔZsf from a surface of the transparent material in the optical axis direction; and irradiating the transparent material with the pulse laser beam having a pulse width of 1 ns to 100 ns inclusive and a beam diameter of 10 μm to 150 μm inclusive at the transfer position.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide an apparatus for emitting laser light and a system and method for detecting laser light returned from an object. The system includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter includes one or more laser sources, at least one of the laser sources configured to provide a respective native laser beam having a wavelength above 1,100 nm. The transmitter also includes a wavelength converter configured to receive the native laser beams provided by the laser sources and convert the native laser beams into a converted laser beam having a wavelength below 1,100 nm. The transmitter further includes a scanner configured to emit the converted laser beam to the object in a first direction. The receiver is configured to detect a returned laser beam having a wavelength below 1,100 nm and returned from the object in a second direction.

A laser light source (300), a wavelength conversion light source, a light combining light source, and a projection system. The laser light source comprises a laser element array, a focusing optical element (33), a collimation optical element (34), an integrator rod (36) for receiving and homogenizing a secondary laser beam array (382), an angular distribution control element (35) disposed on the light path between the laser element array and the integrator rod (36) for enlarging the divergence angle of the laser beam array (382) in the direction of the short axis of the light distribution, such that the rate between the divergence angle of each of the secondary laser beam that enters the integrator rod (36) in the direction of the short axis of the light distribution and the divergence angle in the direction of the long axis is greater than or equal to 0.7.

A pulsed third-harmonic laser system includes a pulsed laser, an extra-cavity nonlinear crystal, and an intracavity nonlinear crystal. The pulsed laser generates fundamental laser pulses and couples out a portion of each fundamental laser pulse out of the laser resonator to undergo second-harmonic-generation in the extra-cavity nonlinear crystal. Resulting second-harmonic laser pulses are directed back into the laser resonator and mixes with the fundamental laser pulses in the intracavity nonlinear crystal to generate third-harmonic laser pulses. The pulsed third-harmonic laser system thus maintains a non-zero output coupling efficiency regardless of the efficiency of the second-harmonic-generation stage, while the third-harmonic-generation stage benefits from the intracavity power of the fundamental laser pulses.

A tunable parametric mixer comprising a pump laser, a nonlinear waveguide, and a refractive index tuner. The pump laser is configured to generate pump photons. The nonlinear waveguide comprises a cladding and a core. The core is made of nonlinear optical material and the cladding in made of a material with a tunable index of refraction. The nonlinear waveguide is configured to convert the pump photons into signal and idler photons. The refractive index tuner is configured to change the refractive index of the cladding to dynamically tune the dispersion properties of the nonlinear waveguide in order to alter a spectral location of a gain band of the parametric mixer.