A laser beam shaping system which has a laser resonator configured to operate at a resonating, first wavelength range to produce an intracavity resonating beam and a laser gain material, configured to produce gain and to amplify the first wavelength range within the laser resonator. The system has at least one doped medium, which is optically transparent at the first wavelength range, which is doped with a dopant, and which is provided intracavity in the laser resonator and at least one absorbed beam input or coupling configured to generate or receive at least one absorbed beam at a second wavelength range which is different from the first wavelength range and which is directed towards the doped medium. The doped medium has a higher absorption characteristic at the second wavelength range than at the first wavelength range, causing the absorbed beam to have a higher absorption than the resonating beam in the doped medium, but which does not provide gain in the first wavelength range. Optical surfaces of the doped medium are coated to be anti-reflective at the first wavelength range and highly transmissive at the second wavelength range.

Apparatus and methods for producing ultrashort optical pulses are described. A high-power, solid-state, passively mode-locked laser can be manufactured in a compact module that can be incorporated into a portable instrument. The mode-locked laser can produce sub-50-ps optical pulses at a repetition rates between 200 MHz and 50 MHz, rates suitable for massively parallel data-acquisition. The optical pulses can be used to generate a reference clock signal for synchronizing data-acquisition and signal-processing electronics of the portable instrument.

Systems and methods are described for producing an amplitude-modulated laser pulse train. The laser pulse train can be used to cause fluorescence in materials at which the pulse trains are directed. The parameters of the laser pulse train are selected to increase fluorescence relative to a constant-amplitude laser pulse train. The amplitude-modulated laser pulse trains produced using the teachings of this invention can be used to enable detection of specific molecules in applications such as gene or protein sequencing.

A laser medium unit includes: a plate-shaped laser gain medium which includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface and generates emission light by the irradiation of excitation light from the first surface; a reflection member that is provided on the second surface so as to reflect the excitation light and the emission light; and a cooling member that cools the laser gain medium. The laser gain medium includes an irradiation area which is irradiated with the excitation light and an outer area which is located outside the irradiation area when viewed from a thickness direction intersecting the first surface and the second surface. The cooling member is thermally connected to the second surface through the reflection member so that a cooling area of the laser gain medium is formed on the second surface.

Radiation field amplifier system for a radiation field comprising an amplifying unit and a heat dissipation system with one heat spreading element or several heat spreading elements, said one heat spreading element or at least one of said several heat spreading elements of said heat dissipation system is pressed with a contact surface within a contact area against said amplifying unit and said contact surface rises starting from a geometrical reference plane in direction towards said amplifying unit and a distance d between said contact surface and said geometrical reference plane attains its largest value within a central area, which is arranged inside said contact area and said distance d is smaller outside said central area than inside said central area.

Apparatus and methods for producing ultrashort optical pulses are described. A high-power, solid-state, passively mode-locked laser can be manufactured in a compact module that can be incorporated into a portable instrument. The mode-locked laser can produce sub-50-ps optical pulses at a repetition rates between 200 MHz and 50 MHz, rates suitable for massively parallel data-acquisition. The optical pulses can be used to generate a reference clock signal for synchronizing data-acquisition and signal-processing electronics of the portable instrument.

A fiber laser device includes: a first pumping light source that outputs a first pumping light of a first wavelength; a second pumping light source that outputs a second pumping light of a second wavelength that is shorter than the first wavelength; an amplifying fiber that includes a core including an active element that is configured to be excited by the first pumping light and the second pumping light; an HR-FBG (High Reflectivity-Fiber Bragg Grating) on a side of a first end of the amplifying fiber; an OC-FBG (Output Coupler-Fiber Bragg Grating) disposed on a side of a second end of the amplifying fiber and that has a reflectance lower than a reflectance of the HR-FBG; and a first coupler that couples the first pumping light to the amplifying fiber from the side of the first end.

A laser amplifier module having an enclosure includes an input window, a mirror optically coupled to the input window and disposed in a first plane, and a first amplifier head disposed along an optical amplification path adjacent a first end of the enclosure. The laser amplifier module also includes a second amplifier head disposed along the optical amplification path adjacent a second end of the enclosure and a cavity mirror disposed along the optical amplification path.

A dynamic, thermally-adaptive cuboid laser crystal mount is provided that is suitable for use with end-pumped, conductively-cooled solid state lasers. Various embodiments may provide a mount for supporting a cuboid rod host crystal for an end-pumping solid state laser. Various embodiments may solve laser crystal stress problems typically experienced in end-pumped solid state lasers. Various embodiments may also provide access to the crystal end surfaces for pumping and enable and maintain sturdy alignment of the crystal with continuous and uniform surface contact between the mount and the crystal. Various embodiments of mounts may provide a compact conductive cooling configuration compatible with any heat sink reservoir, controlling and maintaining a stable crystal temperature, thus avoiding thermally induced mechanical stresses. Various embodiment mounts may thereby further extend the fracture threshold of the laser crystal.

Apparatus and methods for producing ultrashort optical pulses are described. A high-power, solid-state, passively mode-locked laser can be manufactured in a compact module that can be incorporated into a portable instrument. The mode-locked laser can produce sub-50-ps optical pulses at a repetition rates between 200 MHz and 50 MHz, rates suitable for massively parallel data-acquisition. The optical pulses can be used to generate a reference clock signal for synchronizing data-acquisition and signal-processing electronics of the portable instrument.