To provide a laser ignition device in which the ignition efficiency is improved and the laser pulse energy necessary for ignition is minimized by optimizing the pulse time width of laser. The laser ignition device includes: a pulse laser oscillator 1 configured to output a beam having a wavelength [m] and a beam quality M.sup.2; an energy controller 2 configured to control energy of pulse laser outputted from the pulse laser oscillator 1; a lens 3 having a focal length f [mm] and configured to focus the pulse laser outputted from the pulse laser oscillator 1; and a pulse time width controller 14 configured to control a time width of the pulse laser, wherein the pulse time width controller 14 controls the time width of the pulse laser to be 0.6 to 2 ns.

An apparatus includes a thermally conductive housing including a reflective chamber, the reflective chamber including a reflective surface on a first side of the reflective chamber and an orifice on a second side of the reflective chamber. The reflective surface includes a converging surface annularly surrounding a central recirculating surface. The apparatus includes a phosphor converter at the orifice of the reflective chamber. The apparatus further includes a plurality of laser diodes arranged annularly around the orifice, the plurality of laser diodes configured to emit laser beams towards the converging surface.

A laser component is provided, including a laser medium and a transparent heat transmitting member, at least one of which is oxide. Bonding surfaces of the laser medium and the transparent heat transmitting member are exposed to oxygen plasma, and thereafter the bonding surfaces are brought into contact without heating. The laser medium and the transparent heat transmitting member are bonded at atomic levels, their thermal resistance is low, and no large residual stress is generated due to the bonding taking place under normal temperature. The process of oxygen plasma exposure ensures transparency of their bonding interface. The laser medium and the transparent heat transmitting member are stably bond via an amorphous layer.

An active element slab for a laser source is presented. The active element slab includes at least one input surface of a pump beam, a first section in the shape of an elongated bar along a longitudinal axis that includes a first doped matrix configured to absorb the beam pump to amplify a laser beam travelling longitudinally, a second section that covers at least partially the first section, the second section that includes a second doped matrix configured to absorb the laser beam and of being transparent to the pump beam.

A method for manufacturing an optical element includes a bonding step of bonding a first and a second element portion to each other without interposing an adhesive therebetween. The bonding step includes: a first step of fixing the first and the second element portion with an intermediate layer disposed between these portion, the intermediate layer containing an element substitutable for a constituent element of a bonded portion in the first and the second element portion, the intermediate layer being colored; and a second step of integrating a part of the intermediate layer with the first and the second element portion, and making a part of the intermediate layer transparent to laser light by irradiating the intermediate layer with giant pulse laser light and causing it to be absorbed into the intermediate layer after the first step.

An apparatus includes a PWG having a core region and a cladding layer. The amplifier is configured to receive pump light. The core region is configured to amplify an input beam using energy from the pump light to generate an amplified output beam. The apparatus also includes a cooling fluid configured to cool the core region. The cooling fluid has a lower refractive index than the core region and the cladding layer in order to support guiding of the input beam and pump light within the amplifier. The amplifier also includes first and second endcaps attached to opposite faces of the core region and cladding layer. The core region, cladding layer, and endcaps collectively form a monolithic fused structure. Each endcap has a major outer surface that is larger in area than a combined area of the faces of the core region and cladding layer to which the endcap is attached.

A compact laser is provided for in accordance with an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure includes a compact resonator structure using a non-planar geometry of bulk components. The laser includes a preferred rotational direction of lasing modes and employs bulk components for establishing the preferred rotational direction of lasing modes within resonator. In some embodiments, the preferred rotational direction of lasing modes is established using a reflective element that is outside the resonator structure. In some embodiments, the reflective element induces polarization shifts in the reflected light that are compensated for by a wave plate, which may be outside the resonator structure.

A monolithic laser cavity (100, 200, 300, 400) for generating an output series of pulses (37) based on an input pump signal 36. This is achieved by a novel cavity design that utilizes a transparent, low-loss, and near zero-dispersion spacer (38) to form an optical resonator without the use of wave-guiding effects. The pulse forming material (32), optical elements (10-16, 30, 31, 33), and the laser gain medium (34) are in direct contact with the spacer and/or each other without any free-space sections between them. Therefore, the light inside the laser cavity never travels through free space.

A method of generating light with a laser-driven light source includes generating a CW sustaining light and propagating the CW sustaining light to a gas filled bulb comprising an ionizing gas. A pump light is generated. A Q-switched laser crystal is irradiated with the generated pump light, thereby generating pulsed laser light. The pulsed laser light is propagated to the gas filled bulb comprising the ionizing gas so as to generate a CW plasma that emits light. The light generated by the CW plasma in the gas filled bulb is detected. The pump light is controlled so as to extinguish the pulsed laser light after the light generated by the CW plasma is detected.

In a planar waveguide laser device (1), a substrate (6) is joined to the upper surface of a waveguide (2). A recess (6a) having a chamfered shape is formed along an edge of an end facet of the substrate (6) on the side of the waveguide (2), the end facet being perpendicular to the direction of laser oscillation. An end facet of the waveguide (2) perpendicular to the oscillation direction of laser light is covered with a coating (7). A wraparound portion (7a) continuing from the coating (7) covers the upper surface of the waveguide (2) facing the recess (6a) of the substrate (6).