A generator device for generating an arbitrary optical pulse pattern includes: a light source to provide primary laser pulses, a distributor to provide a plurality of primary optical pulses by distributing light of the primary laser pulses (LB00.sub.k) into a plurality of branches, a combiner to form an output signal by combining modulated optical signals from the branches, and a controller unit to provide control signals for controlling optical modulators of the branches, wherein a first branch comprises a first optical modulator to form a first modulated optical signal from primary optical pulses of the first branch, wherein a second branch comprises a second optical modulator to form a second modulated optical signal from primary optical pulses of the second branch, and wherein a propagation delay of the second branch is different from a propagation delay of the first branch.

In a LIDAR device (100) a laser light source (110) generates first laser light having a first laser frequency which is frequency modulated with a first frequency modulation. A non-linear optical element (120) receives the first laser light and generates therefrom second laser light having a comb-like frequency spectrum with a plurality of second laser frequencies which are each frequency modulated with a second frequency modulation defined by the first frequency modulation. A frequency excursion of the second frequency modulation is smaller than a spacing of the second laser frequencies. A diffractive element (140) spatially separates the second laser light according to the second laser frequencies and directs the spatially separated second laser light towards a ranging region (200), with each of the second laser frequencies being directed towards a corresponding spatially distinct target position in the ranging region (200). A detector (150) receives reflections of the second laser light from the ranging region (200) and measures, by simultaneously detecting a frequency modulation of the reflections for each of the second laser frequencies, a distance and/or a velocity at the target position corresponding to the second laser frequency.

Examples herein relate to optical systems. In particular, implementations herein relate to an optical system including an optical transmitter configured to transmit optical signals. The optical transmitter includes a first optical source coupled to an input waveguide and configured to emit light having different wavelengths through the input waveguide. The optical transmitter includes a Mach-Zehnder interferometer that includes a first arm and a second arm. The MZI further includes a first optical coupler configured to couple the emitted light from the input waveguide to the first and second arms and an array of two or more second optical sources coupled to the first arm. Each of the two or more second optical sources are configured to be injection locked to a different respective wavelength of the emitted light transmitted from the first optical source. The MZI further includes a second optical coupler configured to combine the emitted light from the first and second arms after propagating therethrough.

Examples of the present disclosure include the use of a topological system including an array of coupled ring resonators that exhibits topological edge states to generate frequency combs and temporal dissipative Kerr solitons. The topological edge states constitute a travelling-wave super-ring resonator causing generation of at least coherent nested optical frequency combs, and self-formation of nested temporal solitons that are robust against defects in the array at a mode efficiency exceeding 50%.

A planar optical resonator capable of parametrically generating frequency combs includes two optical waveguide cores forming inner and outer loops, the resonator having two sections, in which laterally adjacent segments of the cores are resonantly optically coupled to each other at two separate wavelength regions causing separate peaks in the second order dispersion. The resonator sections may be configured to suppress integrated dispersion of the resonator in a broad spectral range favorably for generating a spectrally uniform frequency comb.

Examples herein relate to optical systems. In particular, implementations herein relate to an optical system including an optical transmitter configured to transmit optical signals. The optical transmitter includes a first optical source coupled to an input waveguide and configured to emit light having different wavelengths through the input waveguide. The optical transmitter includes a Mach-Zehnder interferometer that includes a first arm and a second arm. The MZI further includes a first optical coupler configured to couple the emitted light from the input waveguide to the first and second arms and an array of two or more second optical sources coupled to the first arm. Each of the two or more second optical sources are configured to be injection locked to a different respective wavelength of the emitted light transmitted from the first optical source. The MZI further includes a second optical coupler configured to combine the emitted light from the first and second arms after propagating therethrough.

Disclosed herein is a pulse repetition rate multiplier including a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) including cascading Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs). An input may be connected to one end of the PIC and an output may be connected to the other end of the PIC such that a signal from the input runs through the cascading MZIs and out the output. The input may be configured to receive an input pulsed signal and the output may be configured to output a repetition rate multiplied signal. Advantageously, using a PIC as opposed to an optical fiber-based pulse rate multiplier allows for accurate fabrication of a pulse repetition rate multiplier configured to accept higher frequency pulsed signals.

A dispersion measurement apparatus includes a pulse forming unit, a correlation optical system, a photodetection unit, and an operation unit. The pulse forming unit forms a light pulse train including a plurality of light pulses having time differences and center wavelengths different from each other from a measurement target light pulse output from a pulsed laser light source. The correlation optical system receives the light pulse train output from the pulse forming unit and outputs correlation light including a cross-correlation or an autocorrelation of the light pulse train. The photodetection unit detects a temporal waveform of the correlation light output from the correlation optical system. The operation unit estimates a wavelength dispersion amount of the pulsed laser light source based on a feature value of the temporal waveform of the correlation light.

Disclosed are ideas to produce an add-on device which turns widely used high repetition rate lasers used for 2-photon microscopy into a light source which can be used for 3-photon microscopy. The add-on encompasses a device to reduce the pulse repetition rate of the high repetition rate (>50 MHz) laser source (laser or OPO) to less than 10 MHz which allows for higher pulse energies while maintaining reasonable average powers. If the high repetition sources operate below 1250 nm the add-on shifts or broadens the seed light to cover 1.3 μm to 1.8 μm before amplification. If the high repetition rate source operates at or around 1.3 μm the add-on only needs to amplify the pulse after downshifting the repetition rate. In another implementation the add-on shifts or broadens the 1.3 μm light to cover the spectral range out to 1.8 μm before amplification.

Examples of the present disclosure include the use of a topological system including an array of coupled ring resonators that exhibits topological edge states to generate frequency combs and temporal dissipative Kerr solitons. The topological edge states constitute a travelling-wave super-ring resonator causing generation of at least coherent nested optical frequency combs, and self-formation of nested temporal solitons that are robust against defects in the array at a mode efficiency exceeding 50%.