Abstract: In a Q-switched solid-state laser having a resonator (3, 30) in the form of a linear resonator or a ring resonator having an active laser material (1) and at least one first and one second mirror (4, 5) and a resonator length (a) of less than 50 mm, preferably less than 25 mm, in the case of the configuration as a linear resonator and of less than 100 mm, preferably less than 50 mm, in the case of the configuration as a ring resonator, at least substantially only one longitudinal mode oscillates in the resonator (3). The resonator (3, 30) is in the form of an unstable resonator, with one of the mirrors (4, 5) being a gradient mirror.

Abstract: A passively Q-switched solid-state laser includes a resonator (1) with an active laser material (2) and a decoupling end mirror (6) for decoupling laser pulses that have a pulse duration of less than 1 ns from the resonator (1), an optical fiber (13), into which the laser pulses decoupled from the decoupling end mirror (6) are injected, and a chirped volume Bragg grating (17), at which the laser pulses are reflected after they have passed through the optical fiber (13) for shortening the pulse duration. The pulse duration after the reflection on the chirped volume Bragg grating (17) is less than 30 ps. The active laser material (2) is Nd:YAG and a saturable absorber (3) that is formed from Cr:YAG and has a transmission in the unsaturated state of less than 50% is also arranged in the resonator. The length (a) of the resonator (1) is from 1 mm to 10 mm and the laser pulses decoupled at the decoupling end mirror (6) have a pulse energy from 1 ?J to 200 ?J.

Abstract: A passively Q-switched solid-state laser includes a resonator (1) with an active laser material (2) and a decoupling end mirror (6) for decoupling laser pulses that have a pulse duration of less than 1 ns from the resonator (1), an optical fiber (13), into which the laser pulses decoupled from the decoupling end mirror (6) are injected, and a chirped volume Bragg grating (17), at which the laser pulses are reflected after they have passed through the optical fiber (13) for shortening the pulse duration. The pulse duration after the reflection on the chirped volume Bragg grating (17) is less than 30 ps. The active laser material (2) is Nd:YAG and a saturable absorber (3) that is formed from Cr:YAG and has a transmission in the unsaturated state of less than 50% is also arranged in the resonator. The length (a) of the resonator (1) is from 1 mm to 10 mm and the laser pulses decoupled at the decoupling end mirror (6) have a pulse energy from 1 ?J to 200 ?J.

Abstract: In a Q-switched solid-state laser having a resonator (3, 30) in the form of a linear resonator or a ring resonator having an active laser material (1) and at least one first and one second mirror (4, 5) and a resonator length (a) of less than 50 mm, preferably less than 25 mm, in the case of the configuration as a linear resonator and of less than 100 mm, preferably less than 50 mm, in the case of the configuration as a ring resonator, at least substantially only one longitudinal mode oscillates in the resonator (3). The resonator (3, 30) is in the form of an unstable resonator, with one of the mirrors (4, 5) being a gradient mirror.

Abstract: The invention relates to a microchip laser having a monolithic resonator (1) which has a birefringent laser crystal (2), wherein a laser beam (9) decoupled from the resonator, (1) which has a laser wavelength, exits the resonator (1) along a laser beam axis (12) and the length (L) of the resonator (1) is less than 150 ?m based on a direction of the laser beam axis (12). The laser crystal (2) has a thickness (D) based on the direction of the laser beam axis (12) such that, in the case of a light beam (16) having the laser wavelength occurring in the direction of the laser beam axis (12) being incident on the laser crystal (2) between the ordinary and extraordinary beam (17, 19), in which the light beam (16) is divided in the laser crystal (2), a phase shift in the range of ?/2+/??/4 occurs in a single pass through the laser crystal (2).

Abstract: The invention relates to a microchip laser having a monolithic resonator (1) which has a birefringent laser crystal (2), wherein a laser beam (9) decoupled from the resonator, (1) which has a laser wavelength, exits the resonator (1) along a laser beam axis (12) and the length (L) of the resonator (1) is less than 150 ?m based on a direction of the laser beam axis (12). The laser crystal (2) has a thickness (D) based on the direction of the laser beam axis (12) such that, in the case of a light beam (16) having the laser wavelength occurring in the direction of the laser beam axis (12) being incident on the laser crystal (2) between the ordinary and extraordinary beam (17, 19), in which the light beam (16) is divided in the laser crystal (2), a phase shift in the range of ?/2 +/??/4 occurs in a single pass through the laser crystal (2).

Abstract: A solid-state laser has an amplifying laser medium for producing a laser beam and a pump device that has at least one laser diode and that produces a pump radiation that impinges on a first side face of the laser medium, which side face is parallel to a z axis and parallel to a y axis that is at right angles to the z axis. On a second side face, which is opposite the first side face, the laser medium is cooled by a heat sink. The length of a y?1/e2 region of the pump radiation is shorter than the length of the first side face of the laser medium in the direction of the y axis, wherein the y?1/e2 region of the pump radiation denotes a section of the y axis over which the intensity of the pump radiation on the first side face of the laser medium has a value that is more than the maximum intensity of the pump radiation on the first side face of the laser medium divided by e2.

Abstract: A pump device for pumping an amplifying laser medium (1), having a radiation source (13) with a plurality of laser diodes (15, 16) that emit laser beams (17) which have parallel beam axes (a) extending in the direction of a z axis and which diverge at least twice as much in the direction of an x axis perpendicular to the z axis as in the direction of a y axis perpendicular to the z axis and to the x axis. The pump device also has at least one optical component (22, 22?, 22?) with at least one cylinder surface (23), with which at least some of the laser beams (17) emitted by the laser diodes (15, 16) interact. The cylinder surface (23) lies parallel to the x axis and is curved on a plane perpendicular to the x axis.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optically pumped ultrashort pulse microchip laser for generating a laser emission having femto- or picosecond pulses, comprising a substrate, an amplifying laser medium, a first resonator mirror that is at least partially transparent to optical pump radiation, and in particular a saturable absorber structure. The laser medium is applied to the resonator mirror and the substrate and subsequently reduced from the original material thickness to a thickness of less than 200 ?m. In order to achieve satisfactory power absorption despite said low thickness, the optical pump radiation is coupled into the laser medium such that resonance occurs for the laser emission and excess intensity increases occur for the pump radiation.

Abstract: A pump device for pumping an amplifying laser medium (1), having a radiation source (13) with a plurality of laser diodes (15, 16) that emit laser beams (17) which have parallel beam axes (a) extending in the direction of a z axis and which diverge at least twice as much in the direction of an x axis perpendicular to the z axis as in the direction of a y axis perpendicular to the z axis and to the x axis. The pump device also has at least one optical component (22, 22?, 22?) with at least one cylinder surface (23), with which at least some of the laser beams (17) emitted by the laser diodes (15, 16) interact. The cylinder surface (23) lies parallel to the x axis and is curved on a plane perpendicular to the x axis.

Abstract: The use of reflecting surfaces that are inclined towards one another enables the multiple reflection of a beam path to be achieved in a laser structure. This permits the realization of compact laser assemblies. The introduction of beam-influencing media between the reflective surfaces or the configuration of said reflective surfaces from or using media of this type allows the use of the multiple reflection for influencing parameters of the radiation or radiation field.

Abstract: In a laser pump arrangement for a laser medium that amplifies a laser beam, comprising at least one laser pump source (1?) with a plurality of emitters for generating partial pumping streams (TPS1?, TPS2?), the partial pumping streams (TPS1?, TPS2?) are led through a coupling optic to a homogenizer (3?) and then are thoroughly mixed in one axis through multiple reflections. In the process, the homogenizer (3?) and the laser medium are designed and disposed such that the pump stream exiting the homogenizer (3?) is led directly onto or into the laser medium while maintaining divergence in the mixing axis (DA), wherein the partial pumping streams (TPS1?, TPS2?) are projected, in particular focused, directly onto or into the laser medium in a projection axis (PA) that is perpendicular to the mixing axis (DA).

Abstract: A laser having a standing wave resonator including a first resonator section, which has at least a first end mirror and a second resonator section, which has at least a second end mirror. At least one of the optical elements of the first resonator section is embodied in focusing fashion. Accordingly, the beam axes of the laser beam which arrives upon respective tiltings of at least one of the optical elements in the second resonator section have at least one crossing point, which lies in the pump region of the laser medium or is at a distance from the pump region which amounts to less than the Rayleigh length. The radius (w) of the laser beam is less than five times the radius (w) of the laser beam in the pump region of the laser medium.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optically pumped ultrashort pulse microchip laser for generating a laser emission having femto- or picosecond pulses, comprising a substrate, an amplifying laser medium, a first resonator mirror that is at least partially transparent to optical pump radiation, and in particular a saturable absorber structure. The laser medium is applied to the resonator mirror and the substrate and subsequently reduced from the original material thickness to a thickness of less than 200 ?m. In order to achieve satisfactory power absorption despite said low thickness, the optical pump radiation is coupled into the laser medium such that resonance occurs for the laser emission and excess intensity increases occur for the pump radiation.

Abstract: A laser amplification arrangement comprising a laser medium for producing an amplified laser emission as output signal from a useful signal to be amplified and a pump source has a switching component for coupling the useful signal into the laser medium. Laser medium and switching component are formed and arranged so that a division of an input signal (ES) into the useful signal and a background signal is effected, the background signal being passed through the laser medium at a time immediately before and/or after the coupling-in of the useful signal to be amplified.

Abstract: In a laser pump arrangement for a laser medium that amplifies a laser beam, comprising at least one laser pump source (1?) with a plurality of emitters for generating partial pumping streams (TPS1?, TPS2?), the partial pumping streams (TPS1?, TPS2?) are led through a coupling optic to a homogenizer (3?) and then are thoroughly mixed in one axis through multiple reflections. In the process, the homogenizer (3?) and the laser medium are designed and disposed such that the pump stream exiting the homogenizer (3?) is led directly onto or into the laser medium while maintaining divergence in the mixing axis (DA), wherein the partial pumping streams (TPS1?, TPS2?) are projected, in particular focused, directly onto or into the laser medium in a projection axis (PA) that is perpendicular to the mixing axis (DA).

Abstract: An ultra-short pulse laser system comprising an amplifying laser medium for producing a laser emission, a laser resonator having at least one resonator mirror and a pump source has a gas-filled section with a filling gas, the latter consisting of a single gas or a filling gas mixture differing from the composition of air, whose nonlinear refractive index n2 substantially corresponds to that of air and which has a rotational Raman effect which is smaller in comparison with air.

Abstract: In a laser arrangement comprising at least one laser medium for producing a laser emission, a laser resonator having a beam path with a length of at least 20 cm and with at least one end mirror, the beam path within the laser resonator is formed at least partly by free-beam optics. A resonator element arranged in the beam path has at least two optical surfaces as surfaces interacting with the radiation led via the beam path, these optical surfaces being rigidly connected to one another and being adjustable together in the beam path in such a way that, on tilting by an angle error, they achieve substantially the same effect on the guidance of the beam path but with opposite sign, so that mutual compensation of tilt errors takes place.

Abstract: The invention relates to a highly repetitive laser system operating according to the reproducible amplifier principle. Said system comprises at least one amplified laser medium, a laser resonator provided with at least one resonator mirror and at least one modulator and a pump source, in particular, a laser diode source, which is used to pump the laser medium. The highly repetitive laser system is compact by virtue of the fact that a pulse extensor, having a highly dispersive effect as a result of the structure or material thereof, is integrated into the laser resonator.

Abstract: A high-repetition laser system for generating ultra-short pulses according to the principle of pulse decoupling is described. This is achieved by the use of an amplifying laser medium, a laser resonator with at least one resonator mirror and at least one pulse decoupling component, a saturable absorber mirror, and a pump source for pumping the laser medium wherein the pulse decoupling component is an electro-optical modulator.