Abstract: An optical arrangement includes a disk-shaped laser-active medium configured to create an optical gain upon being pumped within a pump volume, and a laser beam incoupler for input coupling a laser beam as a seed laser beam into the laser-active medium. The laser beam interacts with the laser-active medium. The optical arrangement further includes an auxiliary resonator for creating an auxiliary resonator radiation field. The auxiliary resonator radiation field interacts with the laser-active medium. The auxiliary resonator is configured to suppress at least one mode of the auxiliary resonator radiation field that overlaps with at least one mode of the laser beam in the pump volume.

Abstract: A device for beam shaping of a laser beam includes a prism, a polarization rotator, and a thin-film polarizer. The prism is configured to split an incident laser beam into a first beam half and a second beam half. The first beam half is input coupled into the prism. The first beam half enters the prism at a first incidence side arranged at the Brewster angle vis-à-vis the incident laser beam. The first beam half input coupled into the prism is output coupled from the prism at an exit side of the prism at the Brewster angle. The thin-film polarizer is traversed by the first beam half output coupled from the prism. The polarization rotator rotates a polarization of the second beam half. The second beam half is reflected by the thin-film polarizer. The thin-film polarizer superimposes the first beam half and the second beam half.

Abstract: An apparatus for spectral broadening of laser pulses includes a main body, a plurality of mirror elements fastened to the main body, each having a mirror surface formed thereon and configured to reflect the laser pulses the plurality of mirror elements being fastened to a main body, and at least one nonlinear optical medium for the passage of the laser pulses for the generation of a nonlinear phase (?NL) by self-phase modulation. The at least one nonlinear optical medium may be a sheet-like and disk-shaped solid-state optical medium and/or a gaseous optical medium.

Abstract: An optical fiber unit includes an optical fiber. The optical fiber includes a light guiding region configured for guiding light through the optical fiber, an input coupling end having a first fiber end surface for coupling the light into the light guiding region, and an output coupling end having a second fiber end surface for coupling the light out of the light guiding region. The optical fiber unit further includes a first end piece arranged at one of the input coupling end and the output coupling end. The first end piece is configured to couple the light into the light guiding region or couple the light out of the light guiding region. The first end piece includes a reflection element configured to divert a portion of the light propagating along a direction of propagation through the light guiding region away from the direction of propagation.

Abstract: A laser system includes a laser radiation source for emitting light, and an optical fiber unit that includes an optical fiber. The optical fiber includes a light guiding region, an input coupling end having a first fiber end surface for coupling the light into the light guiding region, and an output coupling end having a second fiber end surface for coupling the light out of the light guiding region. The laser system further includes a coupling device for coupling the light into the optical fiber unit, a reflection element configured to reflect the light coupled out of the light guiding region back toward the second fiber end surface to be coupled back into the light guiding region via the second fiber end surface, and a measuring device configured to capture the light reflected by the reflection element.

Abstract: A laser system for nonlinear pulse compression includes a laser source configured to generate laser pulses with a pulse energy of at least 50 mJ, a spectral broadening device for spectrally broadening the high-energy laser pulses using self-phase modulation, and a compression device including a grating compressor having at least two diffraction gratings and configured to compress the spectrally broadened high-energy laser pulses. The laser system is configured to generate a pulse duration of the high-energy laser pulses of less than 100 fs.

Abstract: An apparatus for spectral broadening of laser pulses includes a main body, a plurality of mirror elements fastened to the main body, each having a mirror surface formed thereon and configured to reflect the laser pulses the plurality of mirror elements being fastened to a main body, and at least one nonlinear optical medium for the passage of the laser pulses for the generation of a nonlinear phase (?NL) by self-phase modulation. The at least one nonlinear optical medium may be a sheet-like and disk-shaped solid-state optical medium and/or a gaseous optical medium.

Abstract: Impingement cooling devices for a laser disk include a carrier plate on the front side of which the laser disk can be secured, and a supporting structure, on the front side of which the rear side of the carrier plate is secured. The supporting structure has a plurality of cooling liquid feed lines from which the cooling liquid emerges in the direction of the rear side of the carrier plate and a plurality of cooling liquid return lines. The feed and return lines run parallel to one another in the longitudinal direction of the supporting structure, and the supporting structure includes a plurality of cutouts or the rear side of the carrier plate that are open toward the supporting structure, and the cooling liquid feed lines lead into and the cooling liquid return lines lead away from the plurality of cutouts.

Abstract: Disclosed are optical arrangements including: a disk-shaped laser-active medium, a deflecting device, having a plurality of mirror elements on which mirror faces for deflecting a laser beam are formed, and having a base body on which the mirror elements are fastened, the mirror faces of the mirror elements being oriented in such a way that the laser beam is deflected by a respective mirror face via the disk-shaped laser-active medium to another mirror face. The mirror elements are formed in one piece or are monolithically joined, and have a connecting section that is formed rotationally symmetrically with respect to a center axis and is rigidly connected by a material-fit connection or a direct connection to the base body.

Abstract: Disclosed are optical arrangements including: a disk-shaped laser-active medium, a deflecting device, having a plurality of mirror elements on which mirror faces for deflecting a laser beam are formed, and having a base body on which the mirror elements are fastened, the mirror faces of the mirror elements being oriented in such a way that the laser beam is deflected by a respective mirror face via the disk-shaped laser-active medium to another mirror face. The mirror elements are formed in one piece or are monolithically joined, and have a connecting section that is formed rotationally symmetrically with respect to a center axis and is rigidly connected by a material-fit connection or a direct connection to the base body.

Abstract: A fiber amplification system is provided for amplifying a laser pulse signal, e.g., an oscillator signal of an oscillator device. The fiber amplification system includes a fiber pre-amplification system having a short, fundamental-mode and step-index fiber configured to pre-amplify the laser pule signal to generate a seed signal and a main amplification system having a large core fiber configured to amplify the seed signal. The short, fundamental-mode step-index fiber can have a length no longer than about 30 cm, and a mode field diameter no less than about 30 ?m, e.g., in a range from 30 ?m to 60 ?m, as well as a high doping concentration needed to provide an absorption length no more than about 30 cm, for providing the seed signal for the large core fiber with low non-linearity.

Abstract: Impingement cooling devices for a laser disk include a carrier plate on the front side of which the laser disk can be secured, and a supporting structure, on the front side of which the rear side of the carrier plate is secured. The supporting structure has a plurality of cooling liquid feed lines from which the cooling liquid emerges in the direction of the rear side of the carrier plate and a plurality of cooling liquid return lines. The feed and return lines run parallel to one another in the longitudinal direction of the supporting structure, and the supporting structure includes a plurality of cutouts or the rear side of the carrier plate that are open toward the supporting structure, and the cooling liquid feed lines lead into and the cooling liquid return lines lead away from the plurality of cutouts.

Abstract: Impingement cooling devices for a laser disk include a carrier plate on the front side of which the laser disk can be secured, and a supporting structure, on the front side of which the rear side of the carrier plate is secured. The supporting structure has a plurality of cooling liquid feed lines from which the cooling liquid emerges in the direction of the rear side of the carrier plate and a plurality of cooling liquid return lines. The feed and return lines run parallel to one another in the longitudinal direction of the supporting structure, and the supporting structure includes a plurality of cutouts or the rear side of the carrier plate that are open toward the supporting structure, and the cooling liquid feed lines lead into and the cooling liquid return lines lead away from the plurality of cutouts.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to laser disk mounting systems and methods. The laser disk mounting systems comprise a disk module with a round disk-shaped heat sink having a front side, a rear side, and an edge surface connecting the front side and the rear side, and a laser disk arranged on the front side of the heat sink, and a radial mounting device with an opening for receiving the disk module, wherein the disk module is mounted in the radial mounting device such that a force action is applied in radial direction on the edge surface.

Abstract: Disclosed are optical arrangements including: a disk-shaped laser-active medium, a deflecting device, having a plurality of mirror elements on which mirror faces for deflecting a laser beam are formed, and having a base body on which the mirror elements are fastened, the mirror faces of the mirror elements being oriented in such a way that the laser beam is deflected by a respective mirror face via the disk-shaped laser-active medium to another mirror face. The mirror elements are formed in one piece or are monolithically joined, and have a connecting section that is formed rotationally symmetrically with respect to a center axis and is rigidly connected by a material-fit connection or a direct connection to the base body.

Abstract: A fiber amplification system is provided for amplifying a laser pulse signal, e.g., an oscillator signal of an oscillator device. The fiber amplification system includes a fiber pre-amplification system having a short, fundamental-mode and step-index fiber configured to pre-amplify the laser pule signal to generate a seed signal and a main amplification system having a large core fiber configured to amplify the seed signal. The short, fundamental-mode step-index fiber can have a length no longer than about 30 cm, and a mode field diameter no less than about 30 ?m, e.g., in a range from 30 ?m to 60 ?m, as well as a high doping concentration needed to provide an absorption length no more than about 30 cm, for providing the seed signal for the large core fiber with low non-linearity.

Abstract: Impingement cooling devices for a laser disk include a carrier plate on the front side of which the laser disk can be secured, and a supporting structure, on the front side of which the rear side of the carrier plate is secured. The supporting structure has a plurality of cooling liquid feed lines from which the cooling liquid emerges in the direction of the rear side of the carrier plate and a plurality of cooling liquid return lines. The feed and return lines run parallel to one another in the longitudinal direction of the supporting structure, and the supporting structure includes a plurality of cutouts or the rear side of the carrier plate that are open toward the supporting structure, and the cooling liquid feed lines lead into and the cooling liquid return lines lead away from the plurality of cutouts.

Abstract: A variety of dense wavelength beam combining (DWBC) apparatuses are described herein that combine a plurality of individual input beams into a single output beam. DWBC apparatuses contemplated herein are open-loop configurations, i.e. configurations where the wavelength selective optics of a feedback generation system are decoupled from abeam combining system that combines a plurality of input beams each having a wavelength selected from a range of different wavelengths. Specifically, each constituent beam of the combined output beam produced by the beam combining system traverses an optical path that does not include the wavelength-selective optics of the feedback generation system. DWBC apparatuses contemplated herein further provide for matching the wavelength-dependent angular dispersion functions of optics of the feedback generation system with the wavelength-dependent angular dispersion functions of optics of the beam combining system.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to laser disk mounting systems and methods. The laser disk mounting systems comprise a disk module with a round disk-shaped heat sink having a front side, a rear side, and an edge surface connecting the front side and the rear side, and a laser disk arranged on the front side of the heat sink, and a radial mounting device with an opening for receiving the disk module, wherein the disk module is mounted in the radial mounting device such that a force action is applied in radial direction on the edge surface.

Abstract: Wavelength-selective external resonators can be used to greatly increase the output brightness of dense wavelength beam combining (DWBC) system beams by stabilizing the wavelengths of the beams emitted by the individual emitters of the DWBC laser source. The present invention pertains to external resonant cavities that utilize thin-film filtering elements as wavelength-selective elements in external resonators. The present invention further pertains to particular embodiments that utilize thin-film filtering elements in DWBC systems as both output beam coupling elements and wavelength selective elements. The present invention provides advantages over the prior art that include decreased cost, increased fidelity of wavelength selection, and increased wall plug efficiency.