An electrodeless laser-driven light source includes a laser that generates a CW sustaining light. A pump laser generates pump light. A Q-switched laser crystal receives the pump light generated by the pump laser and generates pulsed laser light at an output in response to the generated pump light. A first optical element projects the pulsed laser light along a first axis to a breakdown region in a gas-filled bulb comprising an ionizing gas. A second optical element projects the CW sustaining light along a second axis to a CW plasma region in the gas-filled bulb comprising the ionizing gas. A detector detects plasma light generated by a CW plasma and generates a detection signal at an output. A controller generates control signals that control the pump light to the Q-switched laser crystal so as to extinguish the pulsed laser light within a time delay after the detection signal exceeds a threshold level.

[Object] To provide a compact and high-performance laser device and a laser apparatus.

[Solving Means] A laser device according to the present disclosure includes an excitation light source having a first reflective layer with respect to a first wavelength; a laser medium having a second reflective layer with respect to a second wavelength on a first surface facing to the excitation light source and a third reflective layer with respect to the first wavelength on a second surface opposite to the first surface; and a saturable absorber having a fourth reflective layer with respect to the second wavelength on a third surface opposite to the laser medium.

Provided is a laser device in which: a laser medium doped with ytterbium emits light upon absorption of excitation light; the light emitted by the laser medium is amplified to obtain output light; and the output light is outputted in the form of a plurality of pulses. In the laser device, a spatial filter is disposed in the optical path of the light emitted by the laser medium or is disposed in the optical path of the output light outputted from an optical resonator, the spatial filter being configured to filter out a portion of the light or of the output light around the optical axis.

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.

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.

An optical resonator, a constituent part of the optical resonator, and a laser device that enable a reduction in size even if a wavelength band limiting element is disposed in the optical resonator, are provided.

An optical resonator including: a laser medium that is disposed between a pair of reflection members, and emits emitted light that has been excited by excitation light that has been predetermined; and a wavelength band limiting element that is disposed on a side of emission of the emitted light between the pair of reflection members, includes two reflection flat faces that are orthogonal to an optical axis of the laser medium, and limits a wavelength band of the emitted light, in which the wavelength band limiting element is disposed in a position that prevents a resonance component outside an intended wavelength range of the wavelength band limiting element from being generated between a reflection member on a laser beam emission side from among the pair of reflection members and the wavelength band limiting element.

A passively Q-switched laser with adjustable pulse parameters and a method of controlling the pulse parameters is described. The laser has a pumped spot size in a gain element that may be adjusted to control the pulse energy. The laser has a laser resonator that may have a variable resonator length to control the pulse duration.

Apparatuses and methods are disclosed for applying laser energy having desired pulse characteristics, including a sufficiently short duration and/or a sufficiently high energy for the photomechanical treatment of skin pigmentations and pigmented lesions, both naturally-occurring (e.g., birthmarks), as well as artificial (e.g., tattoos). The laser energy may be generated with an apparatus having a resonator with the capability of switching between a modelocked pulse operating mode and an amplification operating mode. The operating modes are carried out through the application of a time-dependent bias voltage, having waveforms as described herein, to an electro-optical device positioned along the optical axis of the resonator.

A device utilized for spectrally combining multi lasers or laser emitters into a single high-power beam. Exemplary embodiments of the device consist of a monolithic structure, such as a hollow tube, wherein the input end cap comprises a transform optic and the output end cap comprises a transmission grating.