A gain medium is pumped by a source. An optical wave passes through a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) that comprises: a substrate comprising Silicon, a plurality of photonic structures, an input port coupling an optical wave into a waveguide formed in the PIC, and an output port coupling an optical wave out of a waveguide formed in the PIC. Propagation of an optical wave circulating around a closed path of a laser ring cavity is limited using an optical isolator such that, when the pump source exceeds a lasing threshold, the optical wave propagates in a single direction through the gain medium and the PIC. From output coupler, an output that is provided that comprises a fraction of the power of an optical wave that is incident upon the output coupler, and remaining power of the optical wave is redirected around the closed path of the laser ring cavity. The fraction can be greater than 0.5.

A laser light source includes an inner ring and an outer ring. The inner ring includes a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA), a pair of optical circulators, a first optical filter, and a first optical waveguide connecting those in series. The outer ring includes the SOA, a pair of optical circulators, a second optical filter, an output port, and a second optical waveguide connecting those in series except for a portion shared. The inner ring operates as a gain-clamped SOA with a feedback control light defined by the first optical filter. The outer ring generates a laser output in a gain region of the clamped SOA, and with multiple peak wavelengths defined by the second optical filter, in a range from L Band to U band, applicable to WDM network systems. A WDM network system and a method of controlling the laser light source are also disclosed.

A measurement apparatus that includes a laser apparatus outputting a frequency-modulated laser beam, a branching part branching the frequency-modulated laser beam into a reference light and a measurement light, a beat signal generation part generating a beat signal by mixing the reference light and a reflected light that is reflected by radiating the measurement light onto an object to be measured, an extraction part extracting a signal component corresponding to a resonator frequency of the frequency-modulated laser beam, a clock signal generation part generating a first clock signal on the basis of the signal component, a conversion part converting the beat signal into a first digital signal using the first clock signal, and a calculation part calculating a difference in a propagation distance between the reference light and the measurement light on the basis of the first digital signal.

A measurement apparatus that includes a laser apparatus outputting a frequency-modulated laser beam, a branching part branching the frequency-modulated laser beam into a reference light and a measurement light, a beat signal generation part generating a beat signal by mixing the reference light and a reflected light that is reflected by radiating the measurement light onto an object to be measured, an extraction part extracting a signal component corresponding to a resonator frequency of the frequency-modulated laser beam, a clock signal generation part generating a first clock signal on the basis of the signal component, a conversion part converting the beat signal into a first digital signal using the first clock signal, and a calculation part calculating a difference in a propagation distance between the reference light and the measurement light on the basis of the first digital signal.

A laser apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a master oscillator configured to emit a laser beam, an amplifier including an optical resonator and configured to amplify the laser beam emitted by the master oscillator in the optical resonator, and a phase shift structure disposed on an optical path between the master oscillator and the amplifier at a position closer to the amplifier than a middle point of the optical path. The phase shift structure includes a plurality of cells having different phase shift amounts for the laser beam. The cells have a disposition interval of 80 μm to 275 μm inclusive.

A method or apparatus for narrowing the linewidth of a single mode laser is provided. The linewidth of a single mode laser is narrowed by injecting an optical feedback simultaneously into the first laser cavity mirror and the second laser cavity mirror of the single mode laser.

A laser. In some embodiments, the laser includes an optical amplifier, and an output reflector. The output reflector may be configured to receive light from the optical amplifier and to reflect light at a first wavelength back toward the optical amplifier. The output reflector may include a wavelength-selective element, and a coupler configured to receive the light from the optical amplifier and to couple a portion of the light to the wavelength-selective element.

Systems and methods here may include improved tunable lasers having a tunable filter and a tunable channel selector that can control precisely the wavelength and the bandwidth of the light emitted by the laser, while suppressing light that may otherwise be emitted by the laser outside the desired wavelength and bandwidth with unidirectional ring lasers having a resonator of which forms a ring and where light propagates only in one of the two possible directions.

A ring optical resonator and one or more input optical waveguides are arranged on a substrate, and are arranged and positioned to establish evanescent optical coupling between them. The ring optical resonator, the substrate, or both include one or more nonlinear optical materials. To detect an electromagnetic signal at frequency ν.sub.EM incident on the resonator, an input optical signal at frequency ν.sub.IN propagates along the waveguide and around the resonator. The incident electromagnetic signal and the input optical signal generate one or more sideband optical signals at corresponding optical sideband frequencies ν.sub.SF=ν.sub.IN+ν.sub.EM or ν.sub.DF=ν.sub.IN−ν.sub.EM. To generate an electromagnetic signal to propagate away from the resonator, input optical signals at frequencies ν.sub.IN1 and ν.sub.IN2 propagate along one or more waveguides and around the resonator and generate the electromagnetic signal incident at frequency ν.sub.EM=|ν.sub.IN1−ν.sub.IN2|.

A ring optical resonator and one or more input optical waveguides are arranged on a substrate, and are arranged and positioned to establish evanescent optical coupling between them. The ring optical resonator, the substrate, or both include one or more nonlinear optical materials. To detect an electromagnetic signal at frequency ν.sub.EM incident on the resonator, an input optical signal at frequency ν.sub.IN propagates along the waveguide and around the resonator. The incident electromagnetic signal and the input optical signal generate one or more sideband optical signals at corresponding optical sideband frequencies ν.sub.SF=ν.sub.IN+ν.sub.EM or ν.sub.DF=ν.sub.IN−ν.sub.EM. To generate an electromagnetic signal to propagate away from the resonator, input optical signals at frequencies ν.sub.IN1 and ν.sub.IN2 propagate along one or more waveguides and around the resonator and generate the electromagnetic signal incident at frequency ν.sub.EM=|ν.sub.IN1−ν.sub.IN2|.