A fiber-based optical amplifier for operation at an eye-safe input signal wavelength λ.sub.S within the 2 μm region is formed to include a section of Holmium (Ho)-doped optical gain fiber. The pump source for the fiber amplifier is particularly configured to provide pump light at a wavelength where the absorption coefficient of the Ho-doped optical gain fiber exceeds its gain coefficient (referred to as an “absorption-dominant pump wavelength”), and is typically within the range of 1800-1900 nm. The selection of an absorption-dominant pump wavelength limits the spontaneous emission of the pump from affecting the amount of gain achieved at the higher wavelength end of the operating region. The amount of crosstalk between the signal wavelength and pump wavelength is also reduced (in comparison to using the conventional 1940 nm pump wavelength).

In various embodiments, optical repositioners and/or angled dispersive elements are utilized to manipulate portions of an input laser beam emitted by a group of laser emitters in order to form a multi-wavelength output beam having a high beam quality factor.

The present description relates, according to one aspect, to a high-peak-power laser pulse generation system (10) comprising at least one first light source (101) for emitting first nanosecond laser pulses (I.sub.L), a fiber device (110) for transporting said first laser pulses, comprising at least one first multimode fiber with a single core designed to receive said first laser pulses, and at least one first optical amplifier (120) arranged at the output of said fiber device for optically amplifying said first laser pulses in order to form said high-peak-power laser pulses.

The present description relates, according to one aspect, to a high-peak-power laser pulse generation system (10), comprising at least one first light source (101) for emitting first laser pulses (I.sub.L), a fiber device (110) for transporting said first laser pulses, comprising at least one first multimode fiber with a single core designed to receive said first laser pulses, and a module (102) for temporally shaping said first laser pulses, arranged upstream of the fiber device, configured so as to reduce the power spectral density of said pulses by reducing the temporal coherence.

Apparatuses and methods are disclosed for applying laser energy having desired pulse characteristics, including a sufficiently short duration and/or a sufficiently high energy for the photomechanical treatment of skin pigmentations and pigmented lesions, both naturally-occurring (e.g., birthmarks), as well as artificial (e.g., tattoos). The laser energy may be generated with an apparatus having a resonator with the capability of switching between a modelocked pulse operating mode and an amplification operating mode. The operating modes are carried out through the application of a time-dependent bias voltage, having waveforms as described herein, to an electro-optical device positioned along the optical axis of the resonator.

A dual-comb measuring system is provided. The dual comb measuring system may include a bi-directional mode-locked femtosecond laser, a high-speed rotation stage, and a fiber coupler. The high-speed rotation stage may be coupled to a pump diode.

The inventive Device is comprising a laser rangefinder for determining the distance along a laser axis between the device and a target object. The laser rangefinder is comprising a pumping laser and a thulium and/or holmium doped fiber laser with a thulium and/or holmium doped fiber section and two Bragg gratings arranged on both sides of the thulium and/or holmium doped fiber section of the thulium and/or holmium doped fiber laser wherein the thulium and/or holmium doped fiber laser is pumped by the pumping laser and configured to emit laser light with a wavelength in the range of 1900 nm to 2150 nm. The inventive device has an improved applicability.

The present invention relates to a solid-state blended polymer system that has the property of tunable lasing wavelength through adjusting the blending ratio. It can be used for health monitoring, environmental monitoring sensor and tissue imaging. Current materials do not have the broad tunable range; from blue to infra-red across the optical range. By using the same two polymers, it is possible to produce laser emitting blue to red colour. It simplifies the design, eases multi-wavelength laser sensor system integration and therefore, making the production cost-effective.

A lidar system comprising with a light source, an optical link, and a sensor head. The light source can include a seed laser to produce pulses of light and an optical preamplifier to amplify the pulses of light. The optical link can convey amplified pulses of light to the sensor head remotely located from the light source. The sensor head can include an optical booster amplifier, a scanner to scan amplified output pulses of light across a field of regard, and a receiver to detect pulses of light scattered by a target located a distance from the sensor head.

Disclosed is a system and method for remote sensing, surface profiling, object identification, and aiming based on two-photon population inversion and subsequent photon backscattering enhanced by superradiance using two co-propagating pump waves. The present disclosure enables efficient and highly-directional photon backscattering by generating the pump waves in properly pulsed time-frequency modes, proper spatial modes, with proper group-velocity difference in air. The pump waves are relatively delayed in a tunable pulse delay device and launched to free space along a desirable direction using a laser-pointing device. When the pump waves overlap in air, signal photons will be created through two-photon driven superradiant backscattering if target gas molecules are present. The backscattered signal photons propagate back, picked using optical filters, and detected. By scanning the relative delay and the launching direction while the signal photons are detected, three-dimensional information of target objects is acquired remotely.