Abstract:
The present disclosure relates to a methods and systems for high speed laser surgery. In some implementations, the combination of mid-infrared (mid-IR) laser radiation with micro-scanning technology allows for large tissue ablation rates with minimal thermally affected zones, where micro-scanning distributes the heat generated by laser surgery over a large tissue area. Micro-scanning technology is compatible with hollow core fiber technology which can be implemented to deliver near diffraction limited mid-IR laser beams into the vicinity of the target area. Micro-scanning technology is compatible with hand tools for direct replacement of mechanical surgical tools such as scalpels as well as robotic surgery. Micro-scanning technology is also compatible with endoscopic beam delivery and can be combined with endoscopic tissue analysis. Tissue analysis can be performed with optical imaging technology as well as other analytical tools such as mass spectrometers.
Abstract:
This disclosure relates to polarizing optical fibers and polarization maintaining optical fibers, including active and/or passive implementations. At least one embodiment includes a polarizing (PZ) optical fiber. The fiber includes stress applying parts (SAPs) disposed in a first cladding region, the SAPs comprising a material with a thermal expansion coefficient, α SAP . A core region is at least partially surrounded by cladding features and the SAPs. The core includes a glass with a thermal expansion coefficient, α core. The arrangement of the SAPs satisfies the relations: R sc = d SAP /D sc, where D sc is the SAP center to core center distance, and d SAP is the average SAP diameter, and dα = lα SAP - α core l- In various embodiments, Rsc and dα are sufficiently large to induce stress birefringence into the core and to provide for a polarized output. Active fibers in which a portion of the fiber is doped may be implemented for application in fiber lasers, fiber amplifiers, and/or optical pulse compressors.
Abstract:
The invention provides a method of communicating between two devices performed by transmitting a series of pulses over an optical medium between the first device and the second device, the method including amplifying the pulses in an optical amplifier having a characteristic generally described by the NLSE with gain to yield parabolically shaped pulses.
Abstract:
Examples of robust self-starting passively mode locked fiber oscillators are described. In certain implementations, the oscillators are configured as Fabry-Perot cavities containing an optical loop mirror on one cavity end and a bulk mirror or saturable absorber on the other end. The loop mirror can be further configured with an adjustable line phase delay to optimize modelocking. All intra-cavity fiber(s) can be polarization maintaining. Dispersion compensation components such as, e.g., dispersion compensation fibers, bulk diffraction gratings or fiber Bragg gratings may be included. The oscillators may include a bandpass filter to obtain high pulse energies when operating in the similariton regime. The oscillator output can be amplified and used whenever high power short pulses are required. For example the oscillators can be configured as frequency comb sources or supercontinuum sources. In conjunction with repetition rate modulation, applications include dual scanning delay lines and trace gas detection.
Abstract:
Various embodiments described herein comprise a laser and/or an amplifier system including a doped gain fiber (1404) having ytterbium ions in a phosphosilicate glass. Various embodiments described herein increase pump absorption to at least about 1000 dB/m - 9000 dB/m. The use of these gain fibers provide for increased peak -powers and/or pulse energies. The various embodiments of the doped gain fiber (1404) having ytterbium ions in a phosphosilicate glass exhibit reduced photo-darkening levels compared to photo-darkening levels obtainable with equivalent doping levels of an ytterbium doped silica fiber.
Abstract:
High power parallel fiber arrays for the amplification of high peak power pulses are described. Fiber arrays based on individual fiber amplifiers as well as fiber arrays based on multi-core fibers can be implemented. The optical phase between the individual fiber amplifier elements of the fiber array is measured and controlled using a variety of phase detection and compensation techniques. High power fiber array amplifiers can be used for EUV and X-ray generation as well as pumping of parametric amplifiers.
Abstract:
Various embodiments include modelocked fiber laser resonators that may be coupled with optical amplifiers. An isolator may separate the laser resonator from the amplifier, although certain embodiments exclude such an isolator. A reflective optical element on one end of the resonator having a relatively low reflectivity may be employed to couple light from the laser resonator to the amplifier. Enhanced pulse-width control may be provided with concatenated sections of both polarization-maintaining and non-polarization-maintaining fibers. Apodized fiber Bragg gratings and integrated fiber polarizers may be also be included in the laser cavity to assist in linearly polarizing the output of the cavity. Very short pulses with a large optical bandwidth may be obtained by matching the dispersion value of the fiber Bragg grating to the inverse of the dispersion of the intra-cavity fiber. Frequency comb sources may be constructed from such modelocked fiber oscillators. In various exemplary embodiments, low dispersion and an in-line interferometer that provides feedback, assist in controlling the frequency components output from the comb source.
Abstract:
A pulse transformer for modifying the amplitude and phase of short optical pulses includes a pulse source and an adaptively controlled stretcher or compressor including at least one fiber Bragg grating (FBG) configured to receive pulses from the pulse source and having a first second-order dispersion parameter (D21). The pulse transformer further includes at least one optical amplifier configured to receive pulses from the FBG and a compressor configured to receive pulses from the at least one optical amplifier. The compressor has a second second-order dispersion parameter (‑D22), an absolute value of the first second-order dispersion parameter (|D21|) and an absolute value of the second second-order dispersion parameter (|‑D22|) that are substantially equal to one another to within 10%.
Abstract:
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.
Abstract:
An optimized Yb: doped fiber mode-locked oscillator and fiber amplifier system for seeding Nd: or Yb: doped regenerative amplifiers. The pulses are generated in the Yb: or Nd: doped fiber mode-locked oscillator, and may undergo spectral narrowing or broadening, wavelength converting, temporal pulse compression or stretching, pulse attenuation and/or lowering the repetition rate of the pulse train. The conditioned pulses are subsequently coupled into an Yb: or Nd: fiber amplifier. The amplified pulses are stretched before amplification in the regenerative amplifier that is based on an Nd: or Yb: doped solid-state laser material, and then recompressed for output.