A diode pumped, solid state laser is provided that can produce over 16 billion, 15 mJ, 10 ns Q-Switched laser pulses with a low measured decay rate. The laser can be integrated into a global biomass measuring instrument, and mounted on the International Space Station (ISS).

Methods and apparatus for producing high power lasers with reduced speckle are provided. Fiber and solid-state lasers comprising terbium-doped lasing material are provided. Embodiments are described for increasing signal reflection bandwidth, reducing coupling and coherency of spatial modes, and equalizing gain of terbium-doped lasers for use in laser display systems. Spectral selectors are described for generating separate wavelengths within a range of interest for use in 3D laser display systems.

An apparatus and method are provided. In particular, at least one first electro-magnetic radiation may be provided to a sample and at least one second electro-magnetic radiation can be provided to a non-reflective reference. A frequency of the first and/or second radiations varies over time. An interference is detected between at least one third radiation associated with the first radiation and at least one fourth radiation associated with the second radiation. Alternatively, the first electro-magnetic radiation and/or second electro-magnetic radiation have a spectrum which changes over time. The spectrum may contain multiple frequencies at a particular time. In addition, it is possible to detect the interference signal between the third radiation and the fourth radiation in a first polarization state. Further, it may be preferable to detect a further interference signal between the third and fourth radiations in a second polarization state which is different from the first polarization state. The first and/or second electro-magnetic radiations may have a spectrum whose mean frequency changes substantially continuously over time at a tuning speed that is greater than 100 Tera Hertz per millisecond.

An amplifier may include a chamber, and first and second mirrors. The chamber may include a pair of discharge electrodes opposed to each other in a first direction, a laser exciting medium, an input window allowing seed light to pass therethrough into the chamber, and an output window allowing amplified laser light to pass therethrough to outside in a second direction intersecting with the first direction. The first and second mirrors may each include a reflection region, and be opposed to each other in a third direction intersecting with the first direction with the pair of discharge electrodes in between. A projected image of the reflection region of the first mirror in the second direction and a projected image of the reflection region of the second mirror in the second direction may provide a gap of a size equal to or greater than zero in between.

A laser system involving coupled distributed resonators disposed serially, with the lasing gain medium located in the main resonator and the output of that resonator being directed into a free space resonator, such that the main resonator output mirror is effectively the free space resonator. The distributed resonators end mirrors are retroreflectors. Interference occurs between light traveling towards the remote mirror of the free space resonator and light reflected therefrom, generating regions of high reflectivity. The coupling of the free space resonator to the regions of high reflectivity of the free space resonator enables the first resonator to lase efficiently, even though the true reflectivity of the main resonator output mirror outside of those regions is insufficient to enable efficient lasing, if at all. This coupled resonator structure enables lasing to occur with a high field of view and the high gain engendered by the high reflectivity regions.

In various embodiments, wavelength beam combining laser systems incorporate optical cross-coupling mitigation systems and/or engineered partially reflective output couplers in order to reduce or substantially eliminate unwanted back-reflection of stray light.

A wavelength-selectable laser device providing spatially-selectable wavelength(s) may be used to select one or more wavelengths for lasing in a tunable transmitter or transceiver, for example, in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical system such as a WDM passive optical network (PON). The wavelength-selectable laser device uses a dispersive optical element, such as a diffraction grating, to disperse light emitted from a laser emitter and to direct different wavelengths of the light toward a reflector at different spatial positions such that the wavelengths may be selected by allowing light to be reflected from selected spatial position(s) back into the laser emitter. Thus, the reflected light with a wavelength at the selected spatial position(s) is allowed to complete the laser cavity.

A diode pumped, solid state laser is provided that can produce over 16 billion, 15 mJ, 10 ns Q-Switched laser pulses with a low measured decay rate. The laser can be integrated into a global biomass measuring instrument, and mounted on the International Space Station (ISS).

A wavelength-selectable laser device providing spatially-selectable wavelength(s) may be used to select one or more wavelengths for lasing in a tunable transmitter or transceiver, for example, in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical system such as a WDM passive optical network (PON). The wavelength-selectable laser device uses a dispersive optical element, such as a diffraction grating, to disperse light emitted from a laser emitter and to direct different wavelengths of the light toward a reflector at different spatial positions such that the wavelengths may be selected by allowing light to be reflected from selected spatial position(s) back into the laser emitter. Thus, the reflected light with a wavelength at the selected spatial position(s) is allowed to complete the laser cavity.

A laser system is provided that includes a master oscillator, a pre-amplifier, a power amplifier, a beam doubler, and a beam tripler. The laser system is configured to generate three different wavelengths, including, for example, wavelengths of 1064 nm, 532 nm, and 355 nm. The pre-amplifier can be optically aligned along a beam path exiting the master oscillator, to receive and pre-amplify a laser beam generated by the master oscillator. The amplifier can be optically aligned along a beam path exiting the pre-amplifier, and can be configured to receive a pre-amplified laser beam generated by the pre-amplifier. The beam doubler and beam tripler can be optically aligned along a beam path exiting the amplifier and can be configured to double and triple, respectively, an amplified laser beam generated by the amplifier.