A deformometer includes: a cavity body; entry and exit optical cavity optics, such that the optical cavity produces filtered combined light from combined light; a first laser that provides first light; a second laser that provides second light; an optical combiner that: receives the first light; receives the second light; combines the first light and the second light; produces combined light from the first light and the second light; and communicates the combined light to the entry optical cavity optic; a beam splitter that: receives the filtered combined light; splits the filtered combined light; a first light detector in optical communication with the beam splitter and that: receives the first filtered light from the beam splitter; and produces a first cavity signal from the first filtered light; and a second light detector that: receives the second filtered light; and produces a second cavity signal from the second filtered light.

The quadratic electro-optic effect (Kerr coefficients) is measured for metal nanoparticles within a transparent dielectric medium. In particular, gold nanoparticles in glass are studied. Measurements are made using a field-induced birefringence method. The magnitudes of the Kerr coefficients for different sizes of gold nanoparticles in glass are measured. The magnitudes significantly increase for smaller sizes of nanoparticles. These results imply a broad range of applications of metal nanoparticles in dielectric media, such as glass, in ultrafast (up to 100 GHZ or more) electro-optic modulation/switching, low-cost Kerr cells and other uses in optoelectronics. These results may be extended to various metal nanoparticles within various other transparent dielectric media such as polymers/plastics and ceramics, as well as in glass.

Methods and systems wherein laser induced refractive index changes by focused femtosecond laser pulses in optical polymeric materials or optical tissues is performed to address various types of vision correction.

Methods and systems wherein laser induced refractive index changes by focused femtosecond laser pulses in optical polymeric materials or optical tissues is performed to address various types of vision correction.

A laser gas regeneration system for an excimer laser includes a first pipe capable of supplying a laser chamber with a first laser gas, a second pipe capable of supplying the laser chamber with a second laser gas having a halogen gas concentration higher than that of the first laser gas, a third pipe allowing a gas exhausted from the laser chamber to pass therethrough, a gas refiner that refines the gas having passed through the third pipe, a branch that causes the refined gas to divide and flow into a fourth pipe and a fifth pipe, a first regenerated gas supplier that supplies the first pipe with a gas having divided and flowed into the fourth pipe, and a second regenerated gas supplier that adds a halogen gas to a gas having divided and flowed into the fifth pipe and supplies the second pipe with the halogen-added gas.

A ring laser gyroscope comprises a laser block that includes a resonant internal cavity defined by a plurality of surfaces of an optical closed loop pathway, and a plurality of electrodes coupled to the laser block. The electrodes are configured to generate a pair of counter-propagating laser beams from a lasing gas in the optical closed loop pathway. The ring laser gyroscope also includes a field reducer shield comprising an electrically conductive material, with the field reducer shield located completely within the laser block. The field reducer shield is configured to modify an electric field generated by the plurality of electrodes to substantially prevent ions in the laser block from migrating toward the plurality of surfaces of the optical closed loop pathway.

Disclosed is a device for generating a laser radiation including a box and an electrode, the electrode including a column extending along an axial direction and a collar surrounding the column and having a first face perpendicular to the axial direction and a second face parallel to the first face, the second face facing the box. The generating device includes a ring having a third face bearing against the box, the ring defining a hole emerging on the third face and accommodating the collar, the hole being defined along the axial direction by a bearing face arranged in the ring, perpendicular to the axial direction and facing the box, the first face bearing against the bearing face.

The line narrowed laser apparatus configured to perform a plurality of burst oscillations including a first burst oscillation and a second burst oscillation next to the first burst oscillation to output a pulse laser beam. The line narrowed laser apparatus comprises a laser resonator, a chamber provided in the laser resonator, a pair of electrodes provided in the chamber, an electric power source configured to apply a pulsed voltage to the pair of electrodes, a wavelength-selecting element provided in the laser resonator, a spectral width varying unit provided in the laser resonator, a wavelength variable unit configured to change a selected wavelength selected by the wavelength-selecting element, and a controller. The controller is configured to control the wavelength variable unit based on an amount of control of the spectral width varying unit in a period from a time of ending the first burst oscillation to a time of starting the second burst oscillation.

A method of identifying the material and determining the physical thickness of each layer in a multilayer structure is disclosed. The method includes measuring the optical thickness of each of the layers of the multilayer object as a function of wavelength of a light source and calculating a normalized group index of refraction dispersion curve for each layer in the multilayer structure. The measured normalized group index of refraction dispersion curves for each of the layers is then compared to a reference data base of known materials and the material of each layer is identified. The physical thickness of each layer is then determined from the group index of refraction dispersion curve for the material in each layer and the measured optical thickness data. A method for determining the group index of refraction dispersion curve of a known material is also disclosed.

Systems and methods for preventing or reducing contamination enhanced laser induced damage (C-LID) to optical components are provided including a housing enclosing an optical component, a container configured to hold a gas phase additive and operatively coupled to the housing; and a delivery system configured to introduce the gas phase additive from the container into the housing and to maintain the gas phase additive at a pre-selected partial pressure within the housing. The gas phase additive may have a greater affinity for the optical component than does a contaminant and may be present in an amount sufficient to inhibit laser induced damage resulting from contact between the contaminant and the optical component. The housing may be configured to maintain a sealed gas environment or vacuum.