An apparatus and method are provided for producing an ultrashort pulsed output beam. A 694 nm pump beam from a first GaN semiconductor laser diode pumped, Q-switched ruby laser is directed into at least one amplifier that includes a broadband gain element doped with trivalent chromium ions (Cr.sup.3+). A spectrally linearly chirped low-intensity seed pulse from a master oscillator is directed into the at least one optically pumped amplifier to produce an amplified linear chirped pulsed output beam. A 694 nm second pump beam from a second GaN semiconductor laser diode pumped, Q-switched ruby laser is directed into a power amplifier that also includes a broadband gain element doped with trivalent chromium ions (Cr.sup.3+). The amplified linear chirped pulsed output beam is directed into the optically pumped power amplifier to produce a high energy linear chirped pulsed output beam which is then directed into a pulse compressor to produce the ultrashort pulsed output beam.

An apparatus for generating and amplifying laser beams at approximately 1 micrometer wavelength is disclosed. The apparatus includes an ytterbium-doped gain-crystal pumped by an ytterbium fiber-laser. The fiber-laser enables a pump wavelength to be selected that minimizes heating of the gain-crystal. The apparatus can be configured for generating and amplifying ultra-fast pulses, utilizing the gain-bandwidth of ytterbium-doped gain-crystals.

An apparatus and method are provided for producing an ultrashort pulsed output beam. A 694 nm pump beam from a first GaN semiconductor laser diode pumped, Q-switched ruby laser is directed into at least one amplifier that includes a broadband gain element doped with trivalent chromium ions (Cr.sup.3+). A spectrally linearly chirped low-intensity seed pulse from a master oscillator is directed into the at least one optically pumped amplifier to produce an amplified linear chirped pulsed output beam. A 694 nm second pump beam from a second GaN semiconductor laser diode pumped, Q-switched ruby laser is directed into a power amplifier that also includes a broadband gain element doped with trivalent chromium ions (Cr.sup.3+). The amplified linear chirped pulsed output beam is directed into the optically pumped power amplifier to produce a high energy linear chirped pulsed output beam which is then directed into a pulse compressor to produce the ultrashort pulsed output beam.

A laser source that generates an optical frequency comb, comprising a pumped laser medium placed inside an optical cavity that incorporates at least one optically-controlled modulator, a detector generating an error signal, and a modulation optical source that is controlled by the error signal and whose radiation is directed onto said optically-controlled modulator thereby stabilizing the Carrier-Envelope Offset (CEO) frequency and/or the CEO phase and/or the repetition rate of said source.

An apparatus for generating and amplifying laser beams at approximately 1 micrometer wavelength is disclosed. The apparatus includes an ytterbium-doped gain-crystal pumped by an ytterbium fiber-laser. The fiber-laser enables a pump wavelength to be selected that minimizes heating of the gain-crystal. The apparatus can be configured for generating and amplifying ultra-fast pulses, utilizing the gain-bandwidth of ytterbium-doped gain-crystals.