Abstract: The invention relates to a device (1) for generating short pulses, said device being characterised in that it comprises: a polarised pulse laser (10, 2, 3) having a polarisation direction; a bi-refringent optical fibre (6) having bi-refringence axes, wherein said polarisation direction is not co-linear with said bi-refringence axes; an output polariser (9) provided at the output of said fibre, said polariser being capable of selecting a polarisation at the output of said fibre; wherein said pulse laser in a longitudinally quasi-single mode laser.

Abstract: A high power electric pulse generator includes a charge storage device, a high voltage source for charging the charge storage device, a first photoconductor element connected to the reference potential and to the storage device, a second photoconductor element connected to the storage device and to a useful load, a first light source for delivering a pulse of light to the first photoconductor, a second light source for delivering a pulse of light to the second photoconductor and a synchronization device for synchronizing the emission delay between the first light source and the second light source. The first photoconductor and the second photoconductor are passive semiconductor elements with a linear regime forming photosensitive switches, with the first and second photoconductors being doped silicon photoconductors.

Abstract: A device for producing a polychromatic light including an optical pump that delivers a first radiation at a first wavelength; a light guide; and a selective injector that injects the radiation into the guide, the guide being arranged to generate a harmonic corresponding to the selected injector and provide a polychromatic light at an outlet, by non-linear excitation of the first radiation and the harmonic.

Abstract: A high power electric pulse generator includes a charge storage device, a high voltage source for charging the charge storage device, a first photoconductor element connected to the reference potential and to the storage device, a second photoconductor element connected to the storage device and to a useful load, a first light source for delivering a pulse of light to the first photoconductor, a second light source for delivering a pulse of light to the second photoconductor and a synchronization device for synchronizing the emission delay between the first light source and the second light source. The first photoconductor and the second photoconductor are passive semiconductor elements with a linear regime forming photosensitive switches, with the first and second photoconductors being doped silicon photoconductors.

Abstract: A system for carrying out fibered multiphoton microscopic imagery of a sample (10) for use in endoscopy or fluorescence microscopy includes: a femtosecond pulsed laser (1, 2) for generating a multiphoton excitation laser radiation; an image guide (8) having a number of optical fibers and permitting the sample to be illuminated by a point-by-point scanning in a subsurface plane; pre-compensating elements (4) for pre-compensating for dispersion effects of the excitation pulses in the image guide (8), these elements being situated between the pulsed laser and the image guide (8); scanning elements for directing, in succession, the excitation laser beam in a fiber of the image guide, and; in particular, an optical head (9) for focussing the excitation laser beam exiting the image guide in the sample (10).

Abstract: The laser generator includes a device for phase-locking the mode of the laser generator, the device being placed between the amplifying active medium (3) and the rear reflecting mirror (1) and comprising, firstly a non-dispersive non-linear medium (5) placed in contact with said rear mirror (1), and secondly means (11 to 16) for transforming a Gaussian beam having circular symmetry coming from the amplifying medium into a beam whose morphology is adapted to soliton propagation in said non-linear medium (5). The invention avoids the use of acousto-optical type modulators and may be applied to a very wide range of wavelengths.

Abstract: The optical phase modulator device comprises a source of short laser pulses, a material having self-induced variation in refraction index, and an interferometer device interposed between the source of short laser pulses and the material having self-induced variation of refractive index in order to form four fragmented waves for which the average value of the correlation product is zero. The device enables stable optical phase shifts of more than 2.pi. radians to be obtained in beams having a regular geometrical structure, and it is also applicable to high power laser amplification.