The invention relates to a supercontinuum light source comprising a microstructured optical fiber and a pump light source. The microstructured optical fiber comprises a core and a cladding region surrounding the core, as well as a first fiber length section, a second fiber length section and an intermediate fiber length section between said first and second fiber length sections. The first fiber length section comprises a core with a first characteristic core diameter. The second fiber length section comprises a core with a second characteristic core diameter, smaller than said first characteristic core diameter, where said second characteristic core diameter is substantially constant along said second fiber length section. The intermediate length section of the optical fiber comprises a core which is tapered from said first characteristic core diameter to said second characteristic core diameter over a tapered length.

A smart spool is configured to be optically coupled between a pumping light source and optical point-loss sources in an optical fiber transmission line. The smart spool comprises a probe signal transmitter that transmits an optical probe signal into the transmission line. An optical detector receives probe signals scattered in the transmission line. A loss-measuring device is coupled to the optical detector and operable to measure aggregate losses in the transmission line and report the aggregate losses to a network manager. The spool comprises a fiber of sufficient length to offset the aggregated losses to enable a distributed Raman amplifier to pump the transmission line. The smart spool prevents the distributed Raman amplifier from shutting down and allows the distributed Raman amplifier to achieve entitled gain by pumping the fiber in the spool.

Systems and methods are provided for optimizing the energy output of a laser system, such as a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system, by allowing the laser system to be tuned while the laser is in operation. For example, in an embodiment, a sensor, such as a photoresistor, is used to perform a scan to determine whether turning the crystal will result in increased energy. Crystal turners, such as servo motors, can be used to turn the crystal until the energy stops increasing.

In a case where a variation in reflection resistance among fiber lasers occurs, a reflection resistance of a fiber laser system as a whole is restored by reducing the variation while maintaining an output power of the fiber laser system as a whole. The fiber laser system includes a control section (C) configured to increase a proportion of a backward excitation power (PBi) in a fiber laser (FLi) so that fiber lasers (FL1 through FLn) less vary in reflection resistance.

A laser system generates laser pulses having a determined carrier-envelope-offset, CEO. The laser system includes a Cr-doped II-VI based laser oscillator system having a resonator cavity, which emits laser pulses having a peak power of at least 0.75 MW. The laser system further includes a nonlinear optical element for spectrally broadening at least a part of the emitted laser pulses irradiated onto the nonlinear optical element to provide the laser pulses with octave-spanning spectral components, and a frequency-doubling element for generating second harmonic spectral components of at least a part of the octave-spanning spectral components. In addition, the laser system includes an f-2f-interferometry device for generating a beating signal of at least a part of the overlapping spectral components exiting the frequency-doubling element and interfering with each other at the f-2f-interferomtry device and for determining and/or controlling the CEO of the emitted laser pulses based on the beating signal.

A control system for a laser source includes a light extraction unit connected to a signal transmission port of a pump combiner of the laser source, and a microprocessor. The signal transmission port detects a leakage light signal from an optical resonator via the pump combiner to obtain a light parameter. The microprocessor unit is configured to determine an output power of the output laser signal based on the light parameter, and when it is determined that the output power differs from a preset power value, transmit an adjustment signal for adjusting an input power supplied to a plurality of pump sources.

A laser system may include a controller configured to direct a plurality of temporally spaced-apart electrical pulses to a device that optically pumps a lasing medium, and a lasing medium configured to output a quasi-continuous laser pulse in response to the optical pumping. The plurality of temporally spaced-apart electrical pulses may include (a) a first electrical pulse configured to excite the lasing medium to an energy level below a lasing threshold of the lasing medium, and (b) multiple second electrical pulses following the first electrical pulse. The quasi-continuous laser pulse is output in response to the multiple second electrical pulses.

A passive Q switching laser device according to an embodiment of the present technology includes: a passive Q switching laser; a signal source; a modulation unit; and a power source unit. The passive Q switching laser includes an excitation light source that emits excitation light, and a resonator that is excited by the excitation light to emit oscillation light. The signal source outputs a drive signal for driving the excitation light source. The modulation unit modulates, on the basis of emission timing at which the oscillation light is emitted from the passive Q switching laser, the drive signal output from the signal source. The power source unit drives, on the basis of the drive signal modulated by the modulation unit, the excitation light source to emit the excitation light.

Phase modulation of an output optical signal from a phase-sensitive amplifier may be used to perform phase adjustment for optimal phase-sensitive amplification. Specifically, when the optical pump is phase modulated to suppress SBS, a second phase modulator may be used to counter dither the first phase modulator. Both phase modulators may be controlled by a phase shifter. Intensity modulation of the output optical signal may also be performed to reduce noise. In this manner, the OSNR of the output optical signal may be increased.

The present invention provides systems and methods for optical frequency comb generation with self-generated optical harmonics in mode-locked lasers for detecting the carrier envelope offset frequency. The mode-locked laser outputs an optical frequency comb and a harmonic output. The harmonic output provides an optical heterodyne resulting in a detectable beat note. A carrier envelope offset frequency detector detects the beat note and generates an optical frequency comb signal. The signal can be used to stabilize the optical frequency comb output.