An optical amplification device is provided for supplying pump light with different distribution ratio to a plurality of optical fiber amplifiers with high reliability. The optical amplification device includes: a plurality of optical fiber amplifiers (102, 112); and an asymmetric coupling optical system (100) configure to input a plurality of pump light beams (P1, P2) and output a plurality of branched pump light beams (P12_C, P12_D) which are supplied respectively to the plurality of optical fiber amplifiers, the asymmetric coupling optical system including at least one asymmetric coupler (100) of 2-input, 2-output type having a predetermined asymmetric branching ratio, wherein a desired intensity difference between the plurality of branched pump light beams is set by adjusting an intensity of at least one input light beam of the asymmetric coupler.

A laser apparatus includes: (A) a solid-state laser apparatus that outputs burst seed pulsed light containing a plurality of pulses; (B) an excimer amplifier that amplifies the burst seed pulsed light in a discharge space in a single occurrence of discharge and outputs the amplified light as amplified burst pulsed light; (C) an energy sensor that measures the energy of the amplified burst pulsed light; and (D) a laser controller that corrects the timing at which the solid-state laser apparatus is caused to output the burst seed pulsed light based on the relationship of the difference between the timing at which the solid-state laser apparatus outputs the burst seed pulsed light and the timing at which the discharge occurs in the discharge space with a measured value of the energy.

An apparatus includes: a magnetic switching network configured to activate an excitation mechanism in a discharge chamber. The magnetic switching network includes: an initial energy storage node configured to receive electrical current from an electrical charger; an additional energy storage node; and at least one electrical element between the initial energy storage node and the additional energy storage node. The apparatus also includes an electronic network electrically connected to the additional energy storage node, the electronic network configured to control a voltage at the additional energy storage node.

A Q switch resonator includes: an optical resonator comprising at least two mirrors, and configured to accumulate power of a continuous wave or an intermittent continuous wave incident from an outside; and a switching element provided in the optical resonator. The switching element is configured such that, when the power accumulated in the optical resonator increases to a predetermined level, the switching element outputs an optical pulse by lowering a Q factor from a first level to a second level lower than the first level.

A system includes a master oscillator configured to generate a low-power optical beam. The system also includes a planar waveguide (PWG) amplifier configured to receive the low-power optical beam and generate a high-power optical beam having a power of at least about ten kilowatts. The PWG amplifier includes a single laser gain medium configured to generate the high-power optical beam. The single laser gain medium can reside within a single amplifier beamline of the system. The master oscillator and the PWG amplifier can be coupled to an optical bench assembly, and the optical bench assembly can include optics configured to route the low-power optical beam to the PWG amplifier and to route the high-power optical beam from the PWG amplifier. The PWG amplifier could include a cartridge that contains the single laser gain medium and a pumphead housing that retains the cartridge.

Particular embodiments disclosed herein provide a surgical laser system comprising a laser source, a lens, a memory, and a processor in data communication with the memory and configured to execute instructions which cause the processor to control the laser source based on a detection signal received from a circuit. The circuit comprises a first amplifier, a second amplifier, and a switch coupled between the second amplifier and a reference potential node and whose state is based on an output of a first comparator. The circuit further comprises a second comparator coupled to the second amplifier and a logic gate coupled to the first comparator and the second comparator.

A tunable laser that includes an array of parallel optical amplifiers is described. The laser may also include an intracavity NM coupler that couples power between a cavity mirror and the array of parallel optical amplifiers. Phase adjusters in optical paths between the NM coupler and the optical amplifiers can be used to adjust an amount of power output from M1 ports of the NM coupler. A tunable wavelength filter is incorporated in the laser cavity to select a lasing wavelength.

An amplification optical fiber according to the present invention includes: a core doped with an active element, through which multi-mode light propagates; an inner cladding that surrounds the core and has a refractive index lower than that of the core; and an outer cladding that surrounds the inner cladding and has a refractive index lower than that of the inner cladding. The inner cladding has a polygonal outline in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the inner cladding has a permanent twist applied by turning around the central axis of the core.

A single-material-double-process parametric laser-wavelength converter includes a pump-laser source, a nonlinear optical material, a first optical reflective element, and a second optical reflective element. The pump-laser source is configured to emit a pump-laser pulse light. The nonlinear optical material receives the pump-laser pulse and generates a signal-laser pulse and a partially depleted pump-laser pulse through optical parametric amplification. The first optical reflective element is configured to reflect the signal-laser pulse back to the same nonlinear optical material. The second optical reflective element is configured to reflect the partially depleted pump-laser pulse back to the same nonlinear optical material. With an appropriate adjustment on the reflecting path lengths, the nonlinear optical material is configured to receive the temporally synchronized signal-laser pulse and the partially depleted pump-laser pulse to generate an idler output through difference frequency generation. Both optical parametric amplification and difference frequency generation occur in the same nonlinear optical material.

A tunable laser that includes an array of parallel optical amplifiers is described. The laser may also include an intracavity NM coupler that couples power between a cavity mirror and the array of parallel optical amplifiers. Phase adjusters in optical paths between the NM coupler and the optical amplifiers can be used to adjust an amount of power output from M-1 ports of the NM coupler. A tunable wavelength filter is incorporated in the laser cavity to select a lasing wavelength.