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 mode-locked solid state laser apparatus including an optical film, a gain medium crystal, a Fabry-Perot element, a first mirror, a second mirror, a third mirror and an output coupler is disclosed. The optical film is configured to receive a pumping light having a first wavelength incident in a first direction. The gain medium crystal receives the pumping light passing the optical film, and generates an initial laser beam having a second wavelength, wherein the initial laser beam forms a first optical path starting at one end thereof from the gain medium crystal. The Fabry-Perot element is disposed on the other end of the first optical path opposite to the one end, and reflects the initial laser beam along a second optical path having one end thereof starting from the Fabry-Perot element. The first mirror is disposed on the other end of the second optical path opposite to the one end of the second optical path, and reflects the initial laser beam along a third optical path having one end thereof starting from the first mirror.

A ring laser gyroscope is provided. A light source is configured to generate light of a first wavelength. A plurality primary cavity mirrors are configured to route light of a second wavelength around a primary cavity to a readout device. One primary cavity mirror of the plurality of primary cavity mirrors includes a gain medium. The pumping mirror and the one primary cavity mirror including the gain medium is positioned and configured to reflect the light of the first wavelength back and forth in a pumping cavity through the gain medium, wherein the light of the first wavelength stimulates the gain medium to generate the light of the second wavelength that are reflected around the primary cavity to the readout device.

Included are: a first dielectric multilayer film (15) for transmitting a wavelength band including a wavelength of signal light (2) and reflecting first excitation light (4), the first dielectric multilayer film (15) being disposed on one of two end surfaces of a core (11), a first inner cladding (12), a first outer cladding (13), and a second outer cladding (14); and a second dielectric multilayer film (12) for transmitting a wavelength band including the wavelength of the signal light (2) and reflecting the first excitation light (4), the second dielectric multilayer film (12) being disposed on the other one of the two end surfaces.

A problem with a conventional waveguide type laser device is that in the case in which an isotropic laser medium is used for a core, linearly polarized light is not provided. A ridge waveguide laser device of the present disclosure includes: a substrate; a core joined to the substrate and having a laser medium, the core having a refractive index higher than that of the substrate; and a cladding joined to the core, constituting a ridge waveguide together with the core, and made from a birefringent material having ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices lower than the refractive index of the core, the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices being different.

A multi-wavelength laser device equipped with a linear cavity along which a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction are defined is disclosed. The apparatus includes, along the first direction, a first optical component, a gain and Raman medium, a sum frequency generation crystal, a first second-harmonic generation crystal and a second optical component. The first optical component allows a pumping light to transmit therethrough and be incident in the first direction. The gain and Raman medium receives the pumping light from the first optical component and generates a first infrared base laser light having a first wavelength and a second infrared base laser light having a second wavelength. The first and second optical components form a laser cavity for oscillation of these two infrared base laser lights. The sum frequency generation crystal receives the first and second infrared base laser lights and generates a first visible laser light having a third wavelength. The first second-harmonic generation crystal receives the first infrared base laser light and generates a second visible laser light having a fourth wavelength. The second optical element allows the first and the second visible laser lights to emit out along the first direction.

In accordance with an example embodiment, a laser arrangement is provided, the laser arrangement comprising a light source for generating light output; a collimator assembly for collimating the light output from the light source into a pump beam; an optical resonator assembly for generating pulsed output beam based on the pump beam directed thereat; and a beam displacement assembly for laterally shifting the pump beam to adjust the position at which the pump beam meets a surface of the optical resonator assembly.

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.

A laser frame for holding a plurality of optical components includes a first flexure structure for adjustably holding a first one of the optical components, and a first cellular structure for supporting and cooling a second one of the optical components. The first flexure structure and the first cellular structure are each a unitary structure formed by additive manufacturing. Also, a laser frame for holding an optical component includes a passive cooling cellular structure for supporting and cooling the optical component. The passive cooling cellular structure has a non-uniform density, and the laser frame is a unitary structure formed by additive manufacturing.

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.