A multi-clad optical fiber design is described in order to provide low optical loss, a high numerical aperture (NA), and high optical gain for the fundamental propagating mode, the linearly polarized (LP) 01 mode in the UV and visible portion of the optical spectrum. The optical fiber design may contain dopants in order to simultaneously increase the optical gain in the core region while avoiding additional losses during the fiber fabrication process. The optical fiber design may incorporate rare-earth dopants for efficient lasing. Additionally, the modal characteristics of the propagating modes in the optical core promote highly efficient nonlinear mixing, providing for a high beam quality (M.sup.2<1.5) output of the emitted light.

Provided is a quantum sensor based on a rare-earth-ion doped optical crystal, having: a rare-earth-ion doped optical crystal; a low temperature providing unit, which provides a low temperature operating environment to the rare-earth-ion doped optical crystal; a constant magnetic field generation unit, which applies a constant magnetic field to the rare-earth-ion doped optical crystal; a light field generation unit, which provides a light field performing optical pumping on the rare-earth-ion doped optical crystal to prepare the rare-earth-ions in an initial spin state, and a light field for exciting Raman scattering of the rare-earth-ion doped optical crystal; a pulsed magnetic field generation unit, which applies a pulsed magnetic field perpendicular to the constant magnetic field to the rare-earth-ion doped optical crystal to make the rare-earth-ion doped optical crystal generate a spin echo; and a heterodyne Raman scattering light field detection and analysis unit, which detects and analyzes a Raman scattering light field radiated from the rare-earth-ion doped optical crystal. Further provided are uses of this quantum sensor for magnetic field sensing and electric field sensing as well as a sensing method.

A solid state ring laser gyroscope comprises a laser block including a resonant ring cavity having an optical closed loop pathway; a plurality of mirror structures mounted on the block and including respective multilayer mirrors that reflect light beams around the closed loop pathway; and a pump laser assembly in optical communication with the closed loop pathway through one of the mirror structures. One or more of the multilayer mirrors includes a rare-earth doped gain layer operative to produce bidirectional optical amplification of counter-propagating light beams in the closed loop pathway. In some embodiments, the gain layer comprises a rare-earth dopant other than neodymium that is doped into a glassy host material comprising titania, tantalum oxide, alumina, zirconia, silicate glass, phosphate glass, tellurite glass, fluorosilicate glass, or non-oxide glass. Alternatively, the gain layer can comprise a neodymium dopant that is doped into a glassy host material other than silica.

A solid-state optical amplifier is described, having an active core and doped cladding in a single chip. An active optical core runs through a doped cladding in a structure formed on a substrate. A light emitting structure, such as an LED, is formed within and/or adjacent to the optical core. The cladding is doped, for example, with erbium or other rare-earth elements or metals. Several exemplary devices and methods of their formation are given.

An optical signal amplifier using a praseodymium doped fiber is described. The optical signal amplifier includes a signal laser, a first optical isolator, a second optical isolator a pump laser, a wave division multiplexer, a silica based glass optical fiber, a second optical isolator, an optical power meter, and an optical spectrum analyzer (OSA). The signal laser generates a signal laser beam. The pump laser generates a pumped laser beam. The wave division multiplexer combines the signal laser beam and the pumped laser beam and generates a combined laser beam. The silica based glass optical fiber has a preferred concentration of praseodymium ions of about 50?10.sup.24 ions/m.sup.3 and a length of about 5.7 m. The silica based glass optical fiber receives the combined laser beam, amplifies photons in the combined laser beam, and generates an amplified laser beam.

The invention provides a light generating device (1000), wherein: (I) the light generating device (1000) comprises: (a) a first light source (110) configured to generate first light source light (111) having a first light source light spectral power distribution, wherein the first light source (110) comprises a first laser light source (10) configured to generate first laser light source light (11); (b) a first luminescent material (210) configured to convert at least part of the first light source light (111) into first luminescent material light (211) having a first luminescent material spectral power distribution having an emission at one or more wavelengths selected from the wavelength range of 590-780 nm, wherein the first luminescent material (210) is configured in an optical resonator (230); (II) the first light source (110) and the first luminescent material (210) are configured to generate first luminescent material laser light (1211) having a first luminescent material laser light spectral power distribution comprising at least part of the first luminescent material light (211); (III) the first light source light spectral power distribution and the first luminescent material laser light spectral power distribution mutually differ; and (IV) the light generating device (1000) is configured to generate in one or more operational modes white device light (1001) comprising the first luminescent material laser light (1211).

In various example embodiments, hybrid waveguide devices are disclosed based on a silicon nitride waveguide conformally coated with a tellurium oxide layer. A tellurium oxide layer is deposited over a silicon nitride waveguide such that the tellurium oxide layer forms a conformal layer that inherits the underlying shape of the silicon nitride waveguide, thereby forming a conformal raised region above the silicon nitride waveguide, while also forming planar regions that extend laterally from the silicon nitride waveguide. The present example hybrid waveguide structures enable the formation of a guided single mode that extends from the raised region of the tellurium oxide layer that resides above the silicon nitride waveguide into the silicon nitride waveguide, and the dimensions of the structure may be selected such that a majority of the optical mode is confined within the tellurium oxide layer, at least over a portion of the infrared region.

The invention relates to rare-earth-doped ternary sulfides. The rare-earth-doped ternary sulfides may be used as an active material for mid-wave infrared and long-wave infrared lasers and amplifiers. Methods for producing laser materials including rare-earth-doped ternary sulfides, as well as lasers and amplifiers incorporating the laser materials, are also provided.

The present invention relates to a novel stand-off distance chemical detector system such as can be used, for example, for standoff detection of explosives. Instead of a conventional lasing medium, a Pr:YAG or Pr:BYF based UV laser is used which can be advantageously implemented in Raman spectroscopy.

The invention relates to a ceramic material (14) for generating light when irradiated with radiation, wherein the ceramic material comprises a stack of layers (15, 16) having different compositions and/or different dopings. The ceramic material may be used in a spectral computed tomography (CT) detector, in order to spectrally detect x-rays, or it may be used as a ceramic gain medium of a laser such that temperature gradients and corresponding thermo-mechanical stresses within the gain medium can be reduced.