A multiple frequency comb source apparatus (100) for simultaneously creating a first laser pulse sequence representing a first frequency comb (1) and at least one further laser pulse sequence representing at least one further frequency comb (2), wherein at least two of the first and at least one further pulse sequences have different repetition frequencies, comprises a laser resonator device (10) comprising multiple resonator mirrors including first end mirrors EM.sub.1,OC.sub.1 providing a first laser resonator (11), a laser gain medium (21, 22) being arranged in the laser resonator device (10), and a pump device (30) being arranged for pumping the laser gain medium (21), wherein the laser resonator device (10) is configured for creating the first and at least one further laser pulse sequences by pumping and passively mode-locking the laser gain medium (21), the resonator minors of the laser resonator device (10) include further end minors EM.sub.2, OC.sub.2 providing at least one further laser resonator (12), the first laser resonator (11) and the at least one further laser resonator (12) share the laser gain medium (21), resonator modes of the first laser resonator (11) and the at least one further laser resonator (12) are displaced relative to each other, wherein the resonator modes are located in the laser gain medium (21) at separate beam path spots, and at least one of the first and further end minors EM.sub.1, EM.sub.2, OC.sub.1, OC.sub.2 is adjustable so that the repetition frequency of at least one of the first and at least one further laser pulse sequences can be set independently from the repetition frequency of the other one of the first and at least one further laser pulse sequences. Furthermore, a spectroscopic measuring method, a spectroscopy apparatus and a multiple frequency comb generation method are described.

A laser transmitter assembly for use in a Coherent Doppler Wind Lidar (“CDWL”) system includes a telescope/scanner assembly, a receiver, and a master oscillator crystal and a power amplifier crystal each constructed of Ho:YAG. The crystals are end-pumped to transmit an output beam through the telescope/scanner assembly with a high repetition rate of 200-300 Hz and 35 mJ of energy. As part of the CDWL system, a pump laser end-pumps the master oscillator and power amplifier crystals using a pump beam having a nominal wavelength of 1.905 μm. A seed laser transmits a seeding beam into the master oscillator crystal at a nominal wavelength of 2.0965 μm. The telescope/scanner assembly transmits the generated laser beam through an atmosphere toward a scene of interest, collects a backscattered return signal, and communicates the backscattered return signal to the receiver during operation of the CDWL system.

Apparatus and methods for producing ultrashort optical pulses are described. A high-power, solid-state, passively mode-locked laser can be manufactured in a compact module that can be incorporated into a portable instrument. The mode-locked laser can produce sub-50-ps optical pulses at a repetition rates between 200 MHz and 50 MHz, rates suitable for massively parallel data-acquisition. The optical pulses can be used to generate a reference clock signal for synchronizing data-acquisition and signal-processing electronics of the portable instrument.

A solid state laser apparatus includes a plurality of cold heads, a cooling apparatus, laser media and a seed light source. The cooling apparatus is configured to cool the plurality of cold heads. The laser media are arranged in contact with each of the plurality of cold heads, and configured to amplify a first laser beam and reflect the first laser beam. The seed light source is configured to irradiate a first laser medium of the laser media with the first laser beam. The first laser medium is arranged on a first of the cold heads. The laser media are configured to reflect the first laser beam irradiated to the first laser medium to a second laser medium of the laser media. The second laser medium is arranged on a second of the cold heads. The cold heads are configured to cool the laser media.

A method generates laser pulses by varying a Q-factor in a resonator. The method includes generating the laser pulses by controlling an optical modulator with a control signal for switching over between a first operating state of the optical modulator for generating a first Q-factor in the resonator and a second operating state of the optical modulator for generating a second Q-factor in the resonator. The second Q-factor is different than the first Q-factor. In order to generate a sequence of the laser pulses in which first laser pulses alternate with second laser pulses different than the first laser pulses, the optical modulator is controlled differently in each case alternately with the control signal for generating a respective first laser pulse, of the first laser pulses, and a respective second laser pulse, of the second laser pulses.

A light source device including: a first light source configured to coaxially combine a plurality of first laser beams, each having a peak wavelength within a first wavelength range, to thereby generate and emit a first wavelength-combined beam; a second light source configured to coaxially combine a plurality of second laser beams, each having a peak wavelength within a second wavelength range that defines a range of peak wavelengths shorter than the peak wavelengths in the first wavelength range, to thereby generate and emit a second wavelength-combined beam; and a wavelength filter configured to coaxially combine the first wavelength-combined beam and the second wavelength-combined beam to thereby generate and emit a third wavelength-combined beam.

A fiber laser apparatus includes: a short-length type fiber to which an active element is added and that has a length of 300 mm or less: a ferrule attached to an end of the fiber; and a housing that accommodates the fiber and supports the fiber with the ferrule. Each of the housing and the ferrule is composed of a material having a first thermal expansion coefficient that is equal to or have a predetermined difference from a second thermal expansion coefficient of a raw material of the fiber. The predetermined difference between the first and second thermal expansion coefficients is within −8.6×10.sup.−6 to 11.4×10.sup.−6/K.

An asymmetric whispering gallery mode resonator device is described. The resonator device includes an asymmetric whispering gallery mode resonator disk (e.g., transparent material, electrooptic material). The resonator disk includes an axial surface along a perimeter of the resonator disk, a top surface, and a bottom surface. A first midplane passes through the axial surface dividing the axial surface into symmetrical halves. The top surface and the bottom surface are substantially parallel, and a second midplane is substantially equidistant between the top surface and the bottom surface. The first midplane and the second midplane are non-coextensive. The asymmetric whispering gallery mode resonator disk can further include a first chamfered edge between the top surface and the axial surface, and a second chamfered edge between the bottom surface and the axial surface. Moreover, the resonator device includes a first electrode on the top surface and a second electrode on the bottom surface.

Apparatus and methods for producing ultrashort optical pulses are described. A high-power, solid-state, passively mode-locked laser can be manufactured in a compact module that can be incorporated into a portable instrument for biological or chemical analyses. The pulsed laser may produce sub-100-ps optical pulses at a repetition rate commensurate with electronic data-acquisition rates. The optical pulses may excite samples in reaction chambers of the instrument, and be used to generate a reference clock for operating signal-acquisition and signal-processing electronics of the instrument.

A quasi-monolithic solid-state laser in which the optical components of the laser cavity are bonded to a common substrate via mounts. The optical components and their mounts are fixedly connected to each other and to the substrate by bonding. While the gain medium is bonded to a mount made of a different material with high thermal conductivity for heat sinking, the cavity's lens and mirror components and their mounts are all made of the same material as the substrate, or a different material that is thermally matched to the substrate, and fixedly mounted on the substrate solely with bonding. The bonding is achieved with adhesive bonding, or some other form of bonding such as molecular bonding, chemically activated direct bonding or hydroxide catalysis bonding.