Abstract: A method of, and apparatus for controlling and compensating for high order frequency chirp in a fast tuned laser. Optical means in the form of chirped Bragg gratings, preferrably in-fiber gratings, are used to compensate for one or more orders of the frequency chirp. Alternatively, or in combination with the optical compensation, an electrical compensation scheme employs integrators in one or more parallel compensation channels to create a composite compensation signal to compensate for specific order nonlinearities. The present invention allows for the generation of shorter bandwidth-limited optical pulses with spectra containing the complete tuning range of the tunable laser.

Abstract: Chirped Bragg gratings are used both for stretching and compressing of ultrashort optical pulses in a chirped pulse amplification system, so that even femtosecond pulses can be stretched and recompressed back to their initial shape and duration. When used in chirped pulse amplification systems instead of bulk diffraction grating stretchers and compressors, Bragg gratings offer unprecedented compactness, robustness and system efficiency.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to providing compact systems and methods for producing and amplifying chirped pulses to provide high energy ultrashort pulses. Further, the present invention is directed to providing a compact system which is reliable and cost effective to fabricate. In accordance with exemplary embodiments, relatively compact tunable lasers can be used to directly generate long chirped optical pulses. For example, compact monolithic semiconductor lasers which have relatively small dimensions (e.g., dimensions smaller than large frame solid state lasers) and which permit their emission wavelength to be tuned (i.e., changed) relatively fast during the generation of an optical pulse can be used. These pulse sources eliminate any need for bulk components in the cavity of, for example, a mode-locked femtosecond laser. The relatively long chirped optical pulses can subsequently be amplified in plural amplification stages to increase their energy content.