A laser device for laser resonance ionization includes a wavelength variable grating-type titanium-doped sapphire laser and includes a titanium (Ti) doped titanium sapphire crystal disposed within a resonator. The titanium sapphire crystal is fixedly disposed on a stage. The titanium-doped sapphire crystal can be moved in the optical axis direction by the stage, thereby changing the position of the titanium-doped sapphire crystal. The switching between the wideband mode and the high-output mode can be performed by changing the position of the titanium-doped sapphire crystal.

Apparatus for and methods of controlling wavelength in a system for producing laser radiation at more than one wavelength (color) in which one or more actuators control wavelength in response to being supplied with a waveform. The characteristics of the waveform, and/or of a controller for controlling the waveform, are determined based on a current repetition rate of the laser. A current repetition rate is determined and if it is new then a new waveform is commanded. Also disclosed is a system in which a correction depending on repetition rate is applied to an ILC algorithm determining a wavelength.

A passively, Q-switched laser operating at an eye safe wavelength of between 1.2 and 1.4 microns is described. The laser may operate at a lasing wavelength of 1.34 microns and use a gain element of Nd:YVO.sub.4 and a saturable absorber element of V:YAG. The position of the resonator axial mode spectrum relative to a gain peak of the gain element is controlled to yield desired characteristics in the laser output.

A solid-state laser system includes: a first solid-state laser device configured to output a first pulse laser beam; a second solid-state laser device configured to output a second pulse laser beam; a first non-linear crystal disposed on a first optical path and configured to convert the first and second pulse laser beams into a third pulse laser beam and output the third pulse laser beam; and a second non-linear crystal disposed on a second optical path and configured to convert the second and third pulse laser beams into a fourth pulse laser beam and output the fourth pulse laser beam. The second pulse laser beam is incident on the second non-linear crystal at a first timing before the first non-linear crystal. Residual light of the second pulse laser beam is incident on the first non-linear crystal at a second timing later than the first timing.

A laser source for emitting a group of pulses, includes a primary laser source suitable for emitting at least one primary laser pulse; at least one interferometer suitable for forming, from the primary laser pulse, a plurality of secondary laser pulses, each interferometer comprising at least one delay line allowing two secondary laser pulses to be temporally separated, by a delay comprised between 50 ps and 10 ns; and a single-mode amplifying optical fiber intended to receive the secondary laser pulses, in order to form as output a group of spatially superposed pulses.

A passively Q-switched solid-state laser includes a resonator (1) with an active laser material (2) and a decoupling end mirror (6) for decoupling laser pulses that have a pulse duration of less than 1 ns from the resonator (1), an optical fiber (13), into which the laser pulses decoupled from the decoupling end mirror (6) are injected, and a chirped volume Bragg grating (17), at which the laser pulses are reflected after they have passed through the optical fiber (13) for shortening the pulse duration. The pulse duration after the reflection on the chirped volume Bragg grating (17) is less than 30 ps. The active laser material (2) is Nd:YAG and a saturable absorber (3) that is formed from Cr:YAG and has a transmission in the unsaturated state of less than 50% is also arranged in the resonator. The length (a) of the resonator (1) is from 1 mm to 10 mm and the laser pulses decoupled at the decoupling end mirror (6) have a pulse energy from 1 J to 200 J.

A micro femtosecond laser with reduced radiation and temperature sensitivity is provided. The laser includes a housing with a radiation shield. Optical components that include a micro gain element are received within the housing. An input end of a pump light delivering fiber is positioned outside the housing. An output end of the pump light delivering fiber is positioned within the housing to deliver input beams to the optical components. A light signal generating pump is used to generate the input beams that are communicated to the input end of the pump light delivering fiber. A first end of a hollow core fiber is positioned within the housing to be in optical communication with the optical components. A second end of the hollow core fiber is positioned outside the housing. A partially reflective output coupling mirror is in optical communication with the second end of the hollow core fiber.

A method and a system for controlling an output of an optical system, the method comprising generating a plurality of optical signal components having different optical properties and passing the generated optical signal components as input to an optical system comprising an optical device and/or an optical medium; an output of the optical system being based on interactions of the signal components within the optical device and/or the optical medium; and relative proportions of the optical signal components that are generated and individual optical properties thereof being selected to control the output of the optical system.

Methods and apparatus for controlling laser firing timing and hence bandwidth in a laser capable of operating at any one of multiple repetition rates.

Methods and laser systems are disclosed for generating amplified output laser pulses with individually specified pulse energies and/or pulse shapes at individually specified time points at an output by providing a first pulse sequence of input laser pulses with a same pulse energy and a same temporal pulse distance smaller than a temporal pulse distance between adjacent output laser pulses, selecting input laser pulses arriving at the output at or close to the specified time points to form a second pulse sequence of input laser pulses, coupling at least one sacrificial laser pulse (energy balance or temporal balance) into the second pulse sequence, amplifying the second pulse sequence of input laser pulses with the sacrificial laser pulse, and coupling out the amplified sacrificial laser pulse from the amplified second pulse sequence upstream of the output to obtain the amplified output laser pulses.