A passively, Q-switched laser operating at an eye safe wavelength of between 1.2 and 1.4 microns is described. The laser may operate at a lasing wavelength of 1.34 microns and use a gain element of Nd:YVO.sub.4 and a saturable absorber element of V:YAG. The position of the resonator axial mode spectrum relative to a gain peak of the gain element is controlled to yield desired characteristics in the laser output.

A single-frequency laser apparatus comprises a mirror and a volume Bragg grating (VBG) reflector defining a laser cavity therebetween and an optical gain material for emitting and amplifying an intra-cavity beam in the laser cavity. The optical gain material comprises a transition-metal doped crystal such as a crystal doped with transition-metal ions selected from one or more of Ti.sup.3+ ions, Cr.sup.2+ ions, Cr.sup.3+ ions or Cr.sup.4+ ions. A reflectivity spectrum of the VBG reflector and an optical length of the laser cavity are selected so that a beam output from the laser cavity is a single-frequency output beam and/or includes only one longitudinal mode of the laser cavity. The laser apparatus may provide a robust, compact, low cost, high-power wavelength adjustable (from approximately 650 to 950 nm), narrow linewidth (<100 kHz), single frequency laser source which is suitable for a wide range of applications from laser sensing, spectroscopy, and high precision frequency metrology sectors.

A single-frequency laser apparatus comprises a mirror and a volume Bragg grating (VBG) reflector defining a laser cavity therebetween and an optical gain material for emitting and amplifying an intra-cavity beam in the laser cavity. The optical gain material comprises a transition-metal doped crystal such as a crystal doped with transition-metal ions selected from one or more of Ti.sup.3+ ions, Cr.sup.2+ ions, Cr.sup.3+ ions or Cr.sup.4+ ions. A reflectivity spectrum of the VBG reflector and an optical length of the laser cavity are selected so that a beam output from the laser cavity is a single-frequency output beam and/or includes only one longitudinal mode of the laser cavity. The laser apparatus may provide a robust, compact, low cost, high-power wavelength adjustable (from approximately 650 to 950 nm), narrow linewidth (<100 kHz), single frequency laser source which is suitable for a wide range of applications from laser sensing, spectroscopy, and high precision frequency metrology sectors.

An optically pumped on-chip solid-state laser includes a solid gain media substrate and a laser generating structure disposed above the solid gain media substrate. The laser generating structure includes a resonator, a pump light input structure, and a laser light output structure; and the resonator is disposed between the pump light input structure and the laser light output structure, and is propped against or is in clearance fit with the solid gain media substrate.

Systems, methods, and other embodiments for a new compact narrowband diode-pumped solid-state laser device enabled by Volume Bragg Grating (VBG) technology and capable of operating at the watt or higher output power level. This laser is stable, operates in a transverse electromagnetic (TEM) output mode, and with a single-narrowband (<1 kHz FWHM) longitudinal mode with acceptable relative intensity noise (RIN) performance from 1-100 GHz. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the TEM output mode is a TEM.sub.00 Gaussian output mode.

A polarization-based generator of duality modulated electromagnetic radiation, and a related method, by which the duality ratio of the energy-based irradiance and wave-based intensity may be selectively altered. A linearly polarized coherent radiation beam is incident on a polarizer configuration. Relative angular alignment of the beam's polarization and the polarizer configuration selectively provides output beams ranging from totally energy-depleted radiation to significantly energy-enriched radiation.

A polarization-based generator of duality modulated electromagnetic radiation, and a related method, by which the duality ratio of the energy-based irradiance and wave-based intensity may be selectively altered. A linearly polarized coherent radiation beam is incident on a polarizer configuration. Relative angular alignment of the beam's polarization and the polarizer configuration selectively provides output beams ranging from totally energy-depleted radiation to significantly energy-enriched radiation.

Apparatus and methods for altering one or more spectral, spatial, or temporal characteristics of a light-emitting device are disclosed. Generally, such apparatus may include a volume Bragg grating (VBG) element that receives input light generated by a light-emitting device, conditions one or more characteristics of the input light, and causes the light-emitting device to generate light having the one or more characteristics of the conditioned light.

There may be provided a laser unit including a display configured to display one or both of electric power consumed by the laser unit and electric energy consumed by the laser unit.

An optical resonator device, which can be implemented in a Brillouin laser, comprises a first waveguide ring resonator having a first diameter, and one or more second waveguide ring resonators adjacent to the first waveguide ring resonator. The one or more second waveguide ring resonators each have a second diameter that is less than the first diameter. The one or more second waveguide ring resonators optically communicate with the first waveguide ring resonator, such that an optical signal in the first waveguide ring resonator optically couples into the one or more second waveguide ring resonators. The one or more second waveguide ring resonators is configured such that when the optical signal resonates within the first waveguide ring resonator and the one or more second waveguide ring resonators, the optical signal within the first waveguide ring resonator is suppressed.