Abstract: A laser includes a Ti:sapphire gain-medium in the form of a thin-disk. The thin-disk gain-medium is optically pumped by pump-radiation pulses having a wavelength in the green region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The pump-radiation pulses have a duration less than twice the excited-state lifetime of the gain-medium.

Abstract: A laser includes a Ti:sapphire gain-medium in the form of a thin-disk. The thin-disk gain-medium is optically pumped by pump-radiation pulses having a wavelength in the green region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The pump-radiation pulses have a duration less than twice the excited-state lifetime of the gain-medium.

Abstract: A laser includes a Ti:sapphire gain-medium in the form of a thin-disk. The thin-disk gain-medium is optically pumped by pump-radiation pulses having a wavelength in the green region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The pump-radiation pulses have a duration less than twice the excited-state lifetime of the gain-medium.

Abstract: A wavelength-tunable, ultrafast laser includes a resonator having an optically-pumped gain-medium. The resonator includes a pair of group-delay-dispersion compensating prisms and a bandwidth limiting stop. Both prisms and stop are fixed in a predetermined position relative to one another. In one embodiment, a movable beam shifting reflector is placed between the prisms. The reflector shifts the dispersed beam with respect to the second prism and the stop. The stop is arranged, cooperative with the second prism, to select a pulse wavelength within the gain-bandwidth. Tuning of the selected pulse-wavelength is accomplished by translating the beam shifting reflector. Alternatively, a two-reflector arrangement may also select pulse-wavelengths, accomplished by a combination of rotation and translation of the two reflectors.

Abstract: A laser includes a Ti:sapphire gain-medium in the form of a thin-disk. The thin-disk gain-medium is optically pumped by pump-radiation pulses having a wavelength in the green region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The pump-radiation pulses have a duration less than twice the excited-state lifetime of the gain-medium.

Abstract: A beam terminator for a high-power laser beam comprises a thermally conductive body including a beam-trapping chamber. A tapered spiral channel extends into the conductive body for guiding the beam. The beam is partially absorbed while propagating along the channel to the trapping chamber. What remains of the beam is absorbed in the trapping chamber.

Abstract: An original laser-radiation beam having a symmetrical M2 but poor beam quality is sliced in one transverse axis, by a fanned-out stack of parallel transparent plates, into a plurality of beam slices. The beam-slices are also spread by the stack of plates in another transverse axis perpendicular to the first axis. A fanned-out stack of glass blocks aligns the spread beam-slices in the first axis to form what is effectively a single beam having an asymmetric M2, with beam quality improved in one axis and degraded in the other compared with the original beam. The effective single beam is projected into a line of radiation by a cylindrical lens, or by a homogenizing projector including spaced apart cylindrical lens arrays followed by a spherical condenser lens.

Abstract: An original laser-radiation beam having a symmetrical M2 but poor beam quality is sliced in one transverse axis, by a fanned-out stack of parallel transparent plates, into a plurality of beam slices. The beam-slices are also spread by the stack of plates in another transverse axis perpendicular to the first axis. A fanned-out stack of glass blocks aligns the spread beam-slices in the first axis to form what is effectively a single beam having an asymmetric M2, with beam quality improved in one axis and degraded in the other compared with the original beam. The effective single beam is projected into a line of radiation by a cylindrical lens, or by a homogenizing projector including spaced apart cylindrical lens arrays followed by a spherical condenser lens.

Abstract: A beam terminator for a high-power laser beam comprises a thermally conductive body including a beam-trapping chamber. A tapered spiral channel extends into the conductive body for guiding the beam. The beam is partially absorbed while propagating along the channel to the trapping chamber. What remains of the beam is absorbed in the trapping chamber.

Abstract: A frequency-tripled laser-resonator has three resonator-branches. The branches are optically connected with each other by one or more polarization-selective devices. Unpolarized fundamental radiation is generated by optically pumping a gain-element in one branch of the resonator. The polarization-selective device provides that radiation in the other branches is plane-polarized, with the polarization planes of radiation entering the branches perpendicular to each other. Two optically nonlinear crystals are located in one of the branches of the resonator in which the fundamental radiation is plane-polarized and arranged to generate third-harmonic radiation. Three-branch resonators including two gain-elements having a optical relay therebetween, and a three-branch ring-laser-resonator are also disclosed.

Abstract: A frequency-tripled laser-resonator has three resonator-branches. The branches are optically connected with each other by one or more polarization-selective devices. Unpolarized fundamental radiation is generated by optically pumping a gain-element in one branch of the resonator. The polarization-selective device provides that radiation in the other branches is plane-polarized, with the polarization planes of radiation entering the branches perpendicular to each other. Two optically nonlinear crystals are located in one of the branches of the resonator in which the fundamental radiation is plane-polarized and arranged to generate third-harmonic radiation. Three-branch resonators including two gain-elements having a optical relay therebetween, and a three-branch ring-laser-resonator are also disclosed.

Abstract: A laser includes a Ti:sapphire gain-element that is optically pumped by radiation from a semiconductor laser device. In one example the semiconductor laser device is an InGaN diode-laser array and the gain-element is optically pumped by radiation emitted by that array. In another example, the semiconductor laser device is an optically pumped semiconductor laser (OPS-laser) optically pumped by radiation from an InGaN diode-laser array. In a further example the semiconductor device is an intracavity frequency-doubled OPS laser.

Abstract: An optical fiber assembly includes a clad optical fiber having an end-cap thereon. Radiation is focused into the optical fiber via the end-cap. A roughened portion of the fiber cladding behind the end-cap allows any radiation focused into the fiber and propagating in the cladding to escape the optical fiber. A concave reflector surrounding the optical fiber reflects the escaped radiation away from the fiber assembly. A connector for connecting the optical fiber to a laser includes an air-cooled beam-dump for receiving the radiation reflected away from the optical fiber.

Abstract: A method for attenuating an unpolarized laser beam includes separating the laser beam into two plane-polarized beams. The plane-polarized beams are polarization rotated. Each of the polarization-rotated beams is separated into two plane-polarized portions. One of the portions of one polarization-rotated beam is combined with one of the portions of the other polarization-rotated beam to provide an attenuated output-beam.

Abstract: An intracavity frequency-doubled includes a laser resonator including at least one gain element and two optically nonlinear crystals. The two optically nonlinear crystals independently double the frequency of fundamental radiation in the resonator. In one example the crystals are arranged to generate two frequency-doubled beams that are orthogonally plane-polarized with respect to each other. The beams can be combined by a polarization-selective combiner to form a common output.

Abstract: A method for attenuating an unpolarized laser beam includes separating the laser beam into two plane-polarized beams. The plane-polarized beams are polarization rotated. Each of the polarization-rotated beams is separated into two plane-polarized portions. One of the portions of one polarization-rotated beam is combined with one of the portions of the other polarization-rotated beam to provide an attenuated output-beam.

Abstract: A method for attenuating an unpolarized laser beam includes separating the laser beam into two plane-polarized beams. The plane-polarized beams are polarization rotated. Each of the polarization-rotated beams is separated into two plane-polarized portions. One of the portions of one polarization-rotated beam is combined with one of the portions of the other polarization-rotated beam to provide an attenuated output-beam.

Abstract: Time-correlation methods for determining pulse characteristics from a modelocked ultrafast laser include a cross-correlation method and an auto-correlation method. In the cross-correlation method, pulses from the laser and pulses from another modelocked laser are incident on a two-photon detector that responds when the pulses overlap in time. The lasers are synchronized to the same frequency and the phase difference between pulses from the two lasers is varied to vary the temporal pulse overlap while recording the detector response. Pulse characteristics are determined from recorded data representing the detector response as a function of phase difference. In the auto-correlation method, pulses from one laser are divided into two components. One component follows a fixed delay path before being temporally overlapped at the detector with another component that has not been delayed. The temporal overlap is varied by varying the pulse repetition frequency.