A method for realizing precise gain control for a hybrid fibre amplifier, and a hybrid fibre amplifier, in which by an erbium-doped fibre amplifier firstly outputting a constant power, a comparable source signal optical power is provided for a raman fibre amplifier of a next stage. A feedback for the gain control may be formed by comparing a source signal optical power calculated after starting pumping of the Raman fibre amplifier and a source signal optical power detected after pumping stops, thereby greatly improving gain control precision of the Raman fibre amplifier. Moreover, the erbium-doped fibre amplifier parts of all the hybrid fibre amplifiers may simultaneously output a constant optical power, and the Raman amplifier parts of all the hybrid fibre amplifiers may simultaneously start calibration, so that the time for starting operation of the entire system may be improved greatly.

A single loop hardware-based system for producing laser pulses in a microsecond scale operational mode includes a GUI to enable a user to select the operational mode of the system; a laser source for producing one or more laser beam pulses, the laser source being a diode laser pump source module; a DSP which enables and disables a hardware-based FPGA. The FPGA controls the diode pump source module. When a user selects one or more microsecond scale laser sub-pulses on the GUI, the DSP transmits to the FPGA the sub-pulse energy level and the sub-pulse on-time selected by the user on the GUI. A photodetector operatively connected to the hardware-based system measures the power of the laser pulse beam that was transmitted to the photodetector and, in a feedback mode, transmits a feedback signal of that power measurement to the FPGA. The FPGA compares the power of the laser beam measured by the photodetector to the power of the laser beam selected by the user on the GUI. If the power level read by the FPGA is higher than the selected power level, the FGPA decreases the power level to the pumping source module for any subsequent laser pulses; and if the power level read by the FPGA is less than the selected power level, the FGPA increases the power level to the pumping source module for subsequent laser pulses.

A laser light-source apparatus includes: a fiber amplifier and a solid-state amplifier to amplify pulse light output from a seed light source serving as a first light source; a nonlinear optical element to perform wavelength conversion on the pulse light output from the solid-state amplifier; an optical switching element to permit or stop propagation of the pulse light from the fiber amplifier to the solid-state amplifier; a second light source disposed on an upstream side of the solid-state amplifier and is configured to output laser light able to be combined with the pulse light output from the seed light source; and a control unit to control the optical switching element in such a manner that the propagation of light is stopped and to perform control in such a manner that the second light source oscillates, at least in an output period of the pulse light from the seed light source.

A laser system including a seed laser and an optical amplification subsystem, receiving an output of the seed laser and providing an amplified laser output, the optical amplification subsystem including a first plurality of amplifier assemblies, each of the first plurality of amplifier assemblies including a second plurality of optical amplifiers, and phase control circuitry including phase modulating functionality associated with each of the first plurality of amplifier assemblies.

A laser system includes a master oscillator, which emits a train of optical seed pulses with variable intervals between the pulses. An optical power amplifier includes an optical gain medium, which receives and amplifies the optical seed pulses from the master oscillator, and a pump, which applies pump radiation to the optical gain medium. A pulse generator applies a control input to the master oscillator, which causes the intervals between the optical seed pulses to vary by at least 50% at a rate of change that is greater than a response frequency of the optical gain medium. A control unit drives the pump responsively to predicted intervals between the optical seed pulses, at a variable pump power selected so that the pulse amplitudes of the output pulses vary by no more than 20% irrespective of the varying intervals between the optical seed pulses.

A fiber laser amplifier system including a non-linear fiber amplifier receiving a seed beam and a pump beam, where the amplifier amplifies the seed beam using the pump beam to provide an output beam having a carrier spectrum. A beam sampler samples off a sample beam from the output beam, a filter receives the sample beam and filters out the carrier spectrum from the sample beam, a photodetector detects beam power of the filtered sample beam and provides a beam power signal, and a controller receives the beam power signal, where the controller controls one or more of an FM drive signal, an AM drive signal and a pump beam to change seed beam FM modulation, seed beam AM modulation and/or pump power in a manner that reduces the beam power of the filtered sample beam and thus beam power outside of the carrier spectrum.

An optical amplifier may include an erbium-doped fiber and an optical coupler coupled to the erbium-doped fiber. In some embodiments, a length of the erbium-doped fiber may be selected for an amplification gain applied by the optical amplifier. The optical coupler may be configured to multiplex one or more optical data signals and an optical pump signal from an optical pump onto the erbium-doped fiber such that the erbium-doped fiber may amplify a first continuous range of wavelengths of the optical data signals. The optical amplifier may further include a filter coupled to the erbium-doped fiber and configured to attenuate a second continuous range of wavelengths. In some embodiments, the second continuous range may be less than the first continuous range and positioned within the first continuous range.

A system includes a laser system having a master oscillator and a planar waveguide (PWG) amplifier having one or more laser diode pump arrays, a pumphead, input optics, and output optics. The system also includes an optical bench and cooling manifold coupled to the pumphead. The optical bench and cooling manifold is configured to provide coolant to the one or more laser diode pump arrays and the pumphead through the optical bench and cooling manifold. The optical bench and cooling manifold is also configured to partially deform during operation of the laser system. A housing of the pumphead is coupled to the input and output optics to maintain optical alignment of the pumphead with the input and output optics.

Disclosed is a method of Controlling a gain of an optical amplifier comprising a gain medium and at least one pumping device. The method comprises the following steps: determining or predicting a change of input signal power to the amplifier, changing the pump power from an initial pump power level to a new pump power level at a first time instant, the initial pump power level being the pump power level applied to the amplifier prior to the change in input signal power, setting the pump power to a second pump power level at a second time instant, wherein the pump power level is varied in an oscillatory manner for at least one period of time starting at a third time instant and ending at a fourth time instant, wherein said third time instant is identical with or later than said first time instant and said fourth time instant is identical with or earlier than said second time instant.

Disclosed are a method, device and system for dynamically controlling a gain of a Raman optical fiber amplifier. The method comprises: determining whether a target gain falls within a gain mask range; if the target gain falls within the gain mask range, directly locking a gain to the target gain; and if the target gain falls outside the gain mask range, locking the gain to a corresponding maximum gain in the gain mask range, and gradually increasing the locked gain according to a preset first step length until the target gain is reached or until at least one pump laser reaches a maximum output power. The invention enables an optical fiber amplifier to respond quickly to a change in an input optical signal, ensures gain stability, and ensures that no power overshoot or undershoot occurs in the non-switched optical channels in an optical path. Moreover, the invention minimizes an amount of time required to complete switching between gains.