Optical frequency combs are used for a wide range of applications, some of which require precise control of the amplitude and phase of individual comb teeth. A technique is provided for tooth-level optical frequency comb control. A frequency comb may include a plurality of comb teeth that are separated from one another by a comb frequency spacing. This technique includes generating a train of control pulses, each of the control pulses being frequency-locked to a corresponding tooth of an optical frequency comb to be controlled. The tooth-level control of the frequency comb is enabled via stimulated Brillouin scattering using the train of control pulses.

A system has fiber amplifiers that amplify a seed signal into a high power signal. Control circuity drives the fiber amplifiers. An auxiliary broad-linewidth signal can be selectively introduced to mitigate the onset of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) when the primary input seed source does not meet the requirements of power and/or linewidth. To determine whether to mitigate SBS, an input photodiode can detect the seed signal, and the control circuity can detect an operational parameter associated with a detected signal indicative of an onset of SBS on the optical path. In response to the detection, the control circuitry introduces an auxiliary broad-linewidth signal from a broad-linewidth source, which can mitigate the onset of SBS on the optical path.

A system includes: an optical source including a plurality of optical oscillators; a spectral analysis apparatus; and a controller. Each optical oscillator is configured to produce a light beam. The controller is configured to: determine, based on data from the spectral analysis apparatus, whether the spectral property of the light beam of one of the optical oscillators is different than the spectral property of the light beam of at least another of the plurality of optical oscillators. If the spectral property of the light beam of the first one of the optical oscillators is different than the spectral property of the light beam of another of the optical oscillators, the controller is configured to adjust the spectral property of the light beam of the first one of the optical oscillators or of the light beam of at least one other of the optical oscillators.

A medical laser system for outputting laser pulses includes at least one laser cavity configured to generate at least one laser pulse, a rotating mirror configured to receive and reflect the at least one laser pulse, a beam splitter configured to receive and reflect a portion of the at least one laser pulse received from the rotating mirror, an energy-sensing device configured to detect the portion of the at least one laser pulse, an energy measurement assembly configured to generate a feedback signal based on the portion of the at least one laser pulse detected by the energy-sensing device, and a controller configured to generate an electronic control pulse based on the feedback signal received from the energy measurement assembly to generate at least one adjusted laser pulse.

Incoherently combining light from different lasers while maintaining high brightness is challenging using conventional fiber bundling techniques, where fibers from different lasers are bundled adjacently in a tight-packed arrangement. The brightness can be increased by tapering the tips of the bundled fibers to match a single, multi-mode output fiber, e.g., one whose core that is just wide enough to fit the input cores. This increases the brightness of the beam combining. In addition, reducing the outer diameters of the signal fiber claddings allows the signal fibers to be bundled closer together, making it possible to couple more signal fiber cores to the core of a multi-mode output fiber. Similarly, reducing the outer diameter of the pump fiber cladding and/or etching away corresponding portions of the signal fiber cladding in a pump/signal combiner makes it possible to couple more pump light into the signal fiber cladding, again increasing brightness.

An apparatus for combining a plurality of coherent laser beams includes a splitting device for splitting an input laser beam into the plurality of coherent laser beams, a plurality of phase setting devices for adjusting a respective phase of one of the coherent laser beams, and a beam combining device for combining the coherent laser beams, which emanate from a plurality of grid positions of a grid arrangement, to form at least one combined laser beam. The beam combining device has a microlens arrangement with exactly one microlens array for forming the at least one combined laser beam.

A medical laser system for outputting laser pulses includes at least one laser cavity configured to generate at least one laser pulse, a rotating mirror configured to receive and reflect the at least one laser pulse, a beam splitter configured to receive and reflect a portion of the at least one laser pulse received from the rotating mirror, an energy-sensing device configured to detect the portion of the at least one laser pulse, an energy measurement assembly configured to generate a measurement signal based on the portion of the at least one laser pulse detected by the energy-sensing device, and a controller. The controller may include a calibration module. The calibration module may be configured to generate at least one categorized calibration table, determine calibration parameters, interpolate the calibration parameters, and cause the at least one laser cavity to generate at least one calibrated laser pulse.

A medical laser system for outputting laser pulses includes at least one laser cavity, a rotating mirror, a user interface, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive at least one laser parameter associated with a laser pulse output by the system. The controller is configured to determine an average power level of the laser pulse based on the at least one laser parameter associated with the laser pulse. The controller is configured to determine a pulse width modulation (PWM) control signal based on at least one laser parameter. The controller is configured to generate the laser pulse based on the average power level and the PWM control signal, the laser pulse comprising at least one of a first shape, a second shape, or a third shape. Each of the first shape, the second shape, and the third shape of the laser pulse includes different pulse widths.

An electrodeless laser-driven light source includes a laser that generates a CW sustaining light. A pump laser generates pump light. A Q-switched laser crystal receives the pump light generated by the pump laser and generates pulsed laser light at an output in response to the generated pump light. A first optical element projects the pulsed laser light along a first axis to a breakdown region in a gas-filled bulb comprising an ionizing gas. A second optical element projects the CW sustaining light along a second axis to a CW plasma region in the gas-filled bulb comprising the ionizing gas. A detector detects plasma light generated by a CW plasma and generates a detection signal at an output. A controller generates control signals that control the pump light to the Q-switched laser crystal so as to extinguish the pulsed laser light within a time delay after the detection signal exceeds a threshold level.

A control system for frequency control of a laser module, comprising at least one laser module for generating laser radiation, at least one control device coupled or configured to couple to the laser module, and at least one optical resonator coupled or configured to couple to the control device, wherein the control device comprises a semiconductor substrate, a first Pound-Drever-Hall system arranged on the semiconductor substrate and at least one second Pound-Drever-Hall system arranged on the semiconductor substrate, wherein the laser module is coupled to the first Pound-Drever-Hall system of the control device and is configured to couple to the at least second Pound-Drever-Hall system of the control device, wherein the first Pound-Drever-Hall system is coupled to the optical resonator and wherein the second Pound-Drever-Hall system is configured to couple to the optical resonator, and wherein the number of Pound-Drever-Hall systems is greater than the number of laser modules or optical resonators.