The disclosure describes aspects of laser cavity repetition rate tuning and high-bandwidth stabilization of pulsed lasers. In one aspect, an output optical coupler is described that includes a cavity output coupler mirror, a piezoelectric actuator coupled to the cavity output coupler mirror, a locking assembly within which the cavity output coupler mirror and the piezoelectric actuator are positioned, and one or more components coupled to the locking assembly. The components are configured to provide multiple positional degrees of freedom for tuning a frequency comb spectrum of the pulsed laser (e.g., tuning a repetition rate) by adjusting at least one position of the locking assembly with the cavity output coupler mirror. A method of adjusting an output optical coupler in a pulsed laser is also described. These techniques may be used in different applications, including quantum information processing.

Examples of compact control electronics for precision frequency combs are disclosed. Application of digital control architecture in conjunction with compact and configurable analog electronics provides precision control of phase locked loops with reduced or minimal latency, low residual phase noise, and/or high stability and accuracy, in a small form factor.

A higher-order-mode (HOM) fiber of a fiber laser has step index and guidance diameter (GD) defining wavelength-dependent dispersion characteristics and effective areas for corresponding HOMS of optical signal propagation. One HOM has anomalous dispersion and effective area defining a first wavelength and first power of a pulse optical signal for conversion to a second wavelength and second power by soliton self-frequency shifting (SSFS). By controlling step index and GD, the dispersion and effective area of a HOM are adjusted to bring the second wavelength into a desired range, enabling applications requiring non-conventional fiber laser wavelengths. HOMS may share a predetermined group index and group velocity at wavelengths established by a Raman gain peak to effect wavelength conversion by interpulse and intermodal Raman scattering, which may occur in a cascaded fashion to yield multicolor lasers with desired wavelengths, pulse energies and pulse widths.

Optical pulse sources. In one example, the pulse source includes an optical fiber ring resonator with at least one normal dispersion fiber segment characterized by a positive group velocity dispersion (GVD) per unit length and at least one anomalous dispersion fiber segment characterized by a negative GVD per unit length. In another example, the pulse source includes an optical fiber ring resonator with one or more fiber segments having a positive net group velocity dispersion (GVD); and an intracavity spectral filter optically coupled to the one or more fiber segments. The pulse source is configured to generate one or more optical solitons in the optical fiber ring resonator.

The present technology provides large mode area optical fibers engineered to have normal dispersion around 1600 nm, enabling high power Raman amplification at eye safer wavelengths. The fibers can have a main core and one or more side cores disposed relative to the main core so that modes of the main core and the one or more side cores hybridize into supermodes with modified dispersion.

Disclosed is an optical-fibre laser system including an injector generating a source pulse, a spectro-temporal shaping module, at least one final optical-fibre amplifier having a length less than ten metres, the final amplifier being suitable for receiving a filtered pulse from a spectral filter and generating an amplified pulse with controlled chirp, a volume compressor which has a predetermined linear chirp and is suitable for receiving the amplified pulse and forming a compressed pulse having a duration of less than 3 picoseconds and an electronic unit for adjusting the duration of the compressed pulse, the electronic duration adjusting unit being formed by adjusting the energy of the source pulse and/or the amplified pulse, the duration of the compressed pulse being tunable according to the energy setting.

A self-starting, passively modelocked figure-8 fiber laser is specifically configured to self-start into a low noise mode by controlling one or more operating parameters of the laser including, but not limited to, the coupling ratio between the uni-directional fiber loop and the bi-directional mirror loop, the accumulated dispersion within the figure-8 structure, and the amount of power present in the laser cavity. A self-starting passive modelocked figure-8 laser may also be made to self-start by initially increasing the pump current above its lasing threshold. Including a band-pass filter in the uni-directional loop has been found to ensure that the laser will enter a low noise lasing mode.

A self-starting, passively modelocked figure-8 fiber laser is specifically configured to self-start into a low noise mode by controlling one or more operating parameters of the laser including, but not limited to, the coupling ratio between the uni-directional fiber loop and the bi-directional mirror loop, the accumulated dispersion within the figure-8 structure, and the amount of power present in the laser cavity. A self-starting passive modelocked figure-8 laser may also be made to self-start by initially increasing the pump current above its lasing threshold. Including a band-pass filter in the uni-directional loop has been found to ensure that the laser will enter a low noise lasing mode.

A spectroscopy system includes a light source having an input light source, including semiconductor diodes generating an input beam with a wavelength shorter than 2.5 microns. Cladding-pumped fiber amplifiers receive the input beam and form an amplified optical beam having a spectral width. A nonlinear element broadens the spectral width of the amplified optical beam to 100 nm or more through a nonlinear effect forming an output beam that is pulsed. A filter is coupled to at least one of a lens and a mirror that receives the output beam and delivers the filtered output beam to a sample. A detection system includes detectors configured to receive the output beam reflected or transmitted from the sample. The detection system is configured to use a lock-in technique with the pulsed output beam and the spectroscopy system is adapted to detect chemicals in the sample.

The present invention concerns a multiple soliton comb generation method comprising the steps of: providing a single optical resonator configured to support a plurality of distinct spatial modes in which light can propagate; providing an optical pump laser source; simultaneously optically pumping a plurality of distinct spatial modes of the single optical resonator to simultaneously generate independent soliton states in the distinct spatial modes and generate a plurality of frequency combs.