A laser device configured to emit a coherent optical radiation is provided. The laser device has an amplifier system having a single interferometric optical amplification arrangement or a plurality of interferometric optical amplification arrangements in series, an optical return path of an optical beam emerging from the amplifier system and entering the amplifier system to form an optical ring resonant structure, and a radiation output for extracting a portion of the optical beam emerging from the amplifier system and deliver the extracted portion of the optical beam emerging from the amplifier system as output laser radiation of the laser device.

A laser device (100), being configured for generating laser pulses by Ken lens based mode locking, comprises a laser resonator (10) with a plurality of resonator mirrors (11.1, 11.2, 11.3) spanning a resonator beam path (12), a solid state gain medium (20) being arranged in the laser resonator (10), a Kerr medium device (30) being arranged with a distance from the gain medium (20) in the laser resonator (10), wherein the Kerr medium device (30) includes at least one Ken medium being arranged in a focal range of the resonator beam path and being configured for forming the laser pulses by the nonlinear Kerr effect, and a loss-modulation device (31, 32) having a modulator medium, which is capable of modulating a power loss of the laser pulses generated in the laser resonator (10), wherein the Kerr medium device (30) includes the modulator medium of the loss-modulation device (31, 32) as the at least one Kerr medium having an optical non-linearity being adapted for both of creating the Kerr lens based mode-locking in the laser resonator and modulating the power loss in the laser resonator. Furthermore, a method of generating laser pulses by Kerr lens based mode locking is described, wherein a loss-modulation device (31, 32) is used for both of introducing a Ken effect in the laser resonator (10) and modulating the power loss.

Provided is a semiconductor laser element including: a resonator structure; and a first reflection film and a second reflection film provided on a non-emission end surface of the resonator structure and an emission end surface of the resonator structure, respectively. Reflectance R of the second reflection film at a gain wavelength satisfies the following relational expression: R1≤R≤R(Oc)×C where R1 is reflectance of the second reflection film when the resonator structure performs laser oscillation with power 1.4 times a minimum value of threshold power which is minimum power for the resonator structure to perform the laser oscillation, R(Oc) is reflectance of the external resonance mirror, and C is a ratio of light, which is reflected by the external resonance mirror and is incident in the resonator structure, to light which is reflected by the external resonance mirror.

Laser amplifier apparatus 100 includes gain medium 10 for receiving seed pulse(s) 2 and pump pulse(s) 3 and for emitting laser pulse(s) 1, resonator device 20 including gain medium and resonator mirrors spanning resonator beam path 25 with multi-pass geometry, coupler arrangement 30 for coupling seed pulse(s) and pump pulse(s) to resonator device and coupling output laser pulse(s) out of resonator device, and gain medium cooling device 40A. Resonator mirrors include first and second telescope mirrors 21, 22 with mutual distance and common focal section therebetween and defining optical axis z of resonator device, and first and second groups of end mirrors 23, 24 between mirrors 21 and 22 for forming path 25, wherein end mirrors are on ring-shaped section surrounding optical axis z, and resonator are arranged such that emitting sections of the gain medium are imaged in themselves. A method of amplifying laser pulses is also described.

An amplified laser device is provided with one or more Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Arrays (MMAs) having tip, tilt and piston capability positioned on either side of the optical amplifier to correct the profile of the beam to improve the gain performance of the optical amplifier or to compensate for atmospheric distortion while steering the amplified beam over a FOR. The MEMS MMAs may be positioned in front of, behind or on both sides of the amplifier. The MEMS MMAs can be configured to optimize the combined amplifier performance, static and time varying, and compensation for atmospheric distortion together or separately.

A laser apparatus including an optical element made of a CaF.sub.2 crystal and configured to transmit an ultraviolet laser beam obliquely incident on one surface of the optical element, the electric field axis of the P-polarized component of the laser beam propagating through the optical element coinciding with one axis contained in <111> of the CaF.sub.2 crystal, with the P-polarized component defined with respect to the one surface. A method for manufacturing an optical element, the method including causing a seed CaF.sub.2 crystal to undergo crystal growth along one axis contained in <111> to form an ingot, setting a cutting axis to be an axis inclining by an angle within 14.18±5° with respect to the crystal growth direction toward the direction of another axis contained in <111>, which differs from the crystal growth direction, and cutting the ingot along a plane perpendicular to the cutting axis.

A radial polarization disk laser, including a pumping source, a collimator lens, a focusing lens, a laser gain medium, a Brewster axial cone, and a output lens, which are sequentially arranged along a laser light path. An angle formed between the conical surface and the bottom surface of said Brewster axial cone is a Brewster's angle. Said laser gain medium is bonded with said bottom surface; said laser gain medium and said output lens form a laser harmonic oscillator cavity therebetween. The pumped laser light emitted by said pumping source passes through said collimator lens and said focusing lens, then is focused on the laser gain medium, and. the generated photons oscillate in said laser harmonic oscillator cavity, and then a radial polarized laser beam is finally output by said output lens.

An asymmetric whispering gallery mode resonator device is described. The resonator device includes an asymmetric whispering gallery mode resonator disk (e.g., transparent material, electrooptic material). The resonator disk includes an axial surface along a perimeter of the resonator disk, a top surface, and a bottom surface. A first midplane passes through the axial surface dividing the axial surface into symmetrical halves. The top surface and the bottom surface are substantially parallel, and a second midplane is substantially equidistant between the top surface and the bottom surface. The first midplane and the second midplane are non-coextensive. The asymmetric whispering gallery mode resonator disk can further include a first chamfered edge between the top surface and the axial surface, and a second chamfered edge between the bottom surface and the axial surface. Moreover, the resonator device includes a first electrode on the top surface and a second electrode on the bottom surface.

An optical arrangement has a light source, which emits a light beam along a first optical axis. A first reflector is provided, and a second reflector reflects light reflected by the first reflector. The first reflector has a transverse offset from the first optical axis to reflect light along a second optical axis which has a parallel offset of two times the transverse offset of the first optical axis. The second reflector reflects the light beam back to the first reflector along a third optical axis having a parallel offset with a fixed amount in a fixed transverse direction in relation to the second optical axis. The light beam is reflected by the first reflector along a fourth optical axis which has a parallel offset in relation to the first optical axis with a fixed amount counter to the fixed transverse direction.

A method and apparatus for characterizing an optical element. The optical element is part of a laser and is mounted on a translation stage to scan the optical element transverse to an intracavity laser beam. A performance characteristic of the laser is recorded as a function of position of the optical element.