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.

A low-repetition-rate (10-Hz), picosecond (ps) optical parametric generator (OPG) system produces higher energy output levels in a more robust and reliable system than previously available. A picosecond OPG stage is seeded at an idler wavelength with a high-power diode laser and its output at ˜566 nm is amplified in a pulsed dye amplifier (PDA) stage having two dye cells, resulting in signal enhancement by more than three orders of magnitude. The nearly transform-limited beam at ˜566 nm has a pulse width of ˜170 ps with an overall output of ˜2.3 mJ/pulse. A spatial filter between the OPG and PDA stages and a pinhole between the two dye cells improve high output beam quality and enhances coarse and fine wavelength tuning capability.

A difference frequency generation optical transmitter and sum frequency generation optical receiver operating in the mid-infrared wavelength range for use in free space optical satellite communications are described. By using mid-infrared light, the transmitter/receiver can mitigate atmospheric scintillation, scattering, and other non-ideal optical effects in the communication channel. This is achieved through the use of nonlinear optical crystals designed for difference frequency generation in the case of the transmitter and sum frequency generation for the receiver. High-speed modulated communication signals can thus be frequency converted to the mid-infrared wavelength range by a relatively low cost, compact and high-power optical communication system.

Methods, systems and methods for reducing temporal coherence of laser systems are described. One example laser system includes a seed laser having a continuous wave output and operable at a first wavelength, a phase modulator positioned to receive laser light from the seed laser and to impart phase modulation to the seed laser. The laser system also includes an optical parametric amplifier positioned to receive phase-modulated laser light at one of its inputs and a pump laser light at another input, and to produce an output beam having spectral characteristics of the phase-modulated laser light that is amplified according to a temporal feature of the pump laser light. In the example laser system, an output of the optical parametric amplifier has a lower temporal coherence compared to the seed laser.

A visible light source includes a substrate, a first reflector and a second reflector configured to reflect infrared light and arranged vertically to form a vertical cavity on the substrate, an active region in the vertical cavity and configured to emit infrared light, a micro-resonator on the substrate and configured to receive the infrared light emitted by the active region and generate visible light through optical parametric oscillation, and an output coupler configured to couple the visible light generated in the micro-resonator out of the micro-resonator.

A pulsed third-harmonic laser system includes a pulsed laser, an extra-cavity nonlinear crystal, and an intracavity nonlinear crystal. The pulsed laser generates fundamental laser pulses and couples out a portion of each fundamental laser pulse out of the laser resonator to undergo second-harmonic-generation in the extra-cavity nonlinear crystal. Resulting second-harmonic laser pulses are directed back into the laser resonator and mixes with the fundamental laser pulses in the intracavity nonlinear crystal to generate third-harmonic laser pulses. The pulsed third-harmonic laser system thus maintains a non-zero output coupling efficiency regardless of the efficiency of the second-harmonic-generation stage, while the third-harmonic-generation stage benefits from the intracavity power of the fundamental laser pulses.

A continuous optical beat laser element for generating terahertz (THz) waves and a laser source using same includes periodically poled lithium niobate (ppLN) crystals arranged along a predetermined direction forming a surface generally parallel to the predetermined direction. A Ti diffused region is applied on the surface and an array of gold nanowires are applied on the Ti diffused region to form a gold metal-insulator-metal (MIM) element that optimizes coupling and channeling of THz radiation from the crystals into the gold nanowires. The system provides a simple, stable, compact and cost-effective THz source using a widely tunable C-band SOA-based laser to excite a non-linear photo-mixer to produce terahertz radiation that ranges from 0.8 to 2.51 THz at room temperature. This laser source can be modified into an all fiber-based THz generator by embedding ppLN crystals in a fiber filament configuration resulting in less absorption and producing high output power.

A laser assembly is provided that includes a laser pump chamber that emits a first light through a laser cavity at a first wavelength, and a polarization assembly that receives the first light and converts the first light into a pulsed light that includes the first light at the first wavelength and a first polarization. The laser assembly also includes a second light at the first wavelength and a second polarization.

Optical transmitters and optical receivers utilizing long wave infrared light for use with an earth-orbiting satellite communication system, and a structure including an intracavity optical nonlinear process, are described herein. The transmitters include a pumping laser diode with a fast-axis collimating lens and a pumping wavelength λ0, operating in a continuous wavelength (CW) mode. The transmitters also include a laser cavity having a beam combiner or a dichroic mirror, a laser crystal with a lasing wavelength λ1 and a difference frequency generation orientation patterned semiconductor to generate long wave-IR light. The transmitters also include a second laser at a wavelength λ2, operating in a modulation mode. The receivers have a similar structure to the transmitters, utilizing a sum frequency generation orientation patterned semiconductor to convert long wave-IR light into the short wave-IR.

A laser light source includes a nonlinear optical medium and a pump laser source configured to generate a pump laser beam to form a signal beam and an idler beam in the nonlinear optical medium by parametric down conversion. The laser light source further includes a seed light source configured to generate a seed signal beam and/or a seed idler beam having a coherence length lesser than a coherence length of the pump laser beam, and a superpositioning device configured to superposition the seed signal beam and/or the seed idler beam with the pump laser beam for joint coupling into the nonlinear optical medium.