Abstract: The invention can include an optical pulse source apparatus that includes the nonlinear generation of wavelengths, wherein the optical pulse source can comprise an oscillator for producing optical pulses, the optical pulses having a first wavelength; an optical fiber amplifier for amplifying optical pulses having the first wavelength; a nonlinear optical fiber receiving amplified optical pulses having the first wavelength to nonlinearly produce optical pulses that include wavelengths that are different than the first wavelength; and wherein the optical pulse source is configured so as to be operable to reduce the optical pulse frequency of the nonlinearly produced optical pulses.

Abstract: A method of providing optical supercontinuum pulses can comprise generating optical pump pulses with an optical pump laser, the optical pump pulses having a pump pulse repetition rate; launching optical pump pulses into a nonlinear optical element comprising an optical fiber; generating optical supercontinuum pulses from the optical pump pules via spectral broadening within the optical fiber; selectively providing a plurality of different repetition rates for the optical pump pulses so as to generate optical supercontinuum pulses having different repetition rates; and providing nominally identical spectral broadening of the optical supercontinuum pules having the different repetition rates.

Abstract: Variable repetition rate and wavelength optical pulse source, comprising a fixed or variable repetition rate source of supercontinuum pulses; a wavelength tunable optical bandpass filter to filter the supercontinuum pulses at two or more wavelengths, wherein said source of supercontinuum pulses and said wavelength tunable optical bandpass filter are configured such that the optical pulse source can provide variable repetition rate and variable wavelength optical pulses including a series of repetition rates with selected wavelength-varying pulse trains.

Abstract: A method of providing optical supercontinuum pulses can comprise generating optical pump pulses with an optical pump laser, the optical pump pulses having a pump pulse repetition rate; launching optical pump pulses into a nonlinear optical element comprising an optical fiber; generating optical supercontinuum pulses from the optical pump pules via spectral broadening within the optical fiber; selectively providing a plurality of different repetition rates for the optical pump pulses so as to generate optical supercontinuum pulses having different repetition rates; and providing nominally identical spectral broadening of the optical supercontinuum pules having the different repetition rates.

Abstract: Optical pulse source for generating optical supercontinuum pulses, comprising an optical pump laser operable to generate optical pump pulses at a pump pulse repetition rate Rf; a nonlinear optical element comprising a microstructured optical fiber arranged to receive the optical pump pulses and configured to spectrally broaden the optical pump pulses to generate optical supercontinuum pulses; an optical modulator provided between the optical pump laser and the microstructured optical fiber and operable to selectively control the launch of optical pump pulses into the microstructured optical fiber at a variable, reduced repetition rate Rr=Rf/N, wherein N is a positive integer, to thereby control the repetition rate of optical supercontinuum pulses generated within the nonlinear optical element; and wherein the optical pulse source is configured to provide a plurality of different repetition rates and nominally identical spectral broadening for the different repetition rates.

Abstract: A method of providing supercontinuum illumination in applications involving the excitation of fluorescence, comprising generating, at an optical pump laser, optical pump pulses at a pump pulse repetition rate; selectively controlling with an optical modulator the launch of pump pulses into a nonlinear optical element comprising an optical fiber at a variable, lower repetition rate to thereby selectively control the repetition rate of supercontinuum pulses generated within the optical fiber; and illuminating a sample with supercontinuum pulses to excite fluorescence. The supercontinuum pulses can be wavelength filtered such that the fluorescence is excited with wave length filtered supercontinuum pulses.

Abstract: Optical pulse source, for generating optical supercontinuum pulses, comprising: an optical pump laser operable to generate a number of optical pump pulses at a pump pulse repetition rate; a nonlinear optical element arranged to receive optical pump pulses and configured to generate therefrom optical supercontinuum pulses; and a gating device provided between the pump laser and the nonlinear optical element and operable to selectively limit the number of optical pump pulses received by the nonlinear optical element in order to generate optical supercontinuum pulses at a user selectable repetition rate lower than the pump pulse repetition rate, wherein the optical pulse source further comprises a second gating device provided after the nonlinear optical element.

Abstract: The invention can include an optical pulse source apparatus that includes the nonlinear generation of wavelengths, wherein the optical pulse source can comprise an oscillator for producing optical pulses, the optical pulses having a first wavelength; an optical fiber amplifier for amplifying optical pulses having the first wavelength; a nonlinear optical fiber receiving amplified optical pulses having the first wavelength to nonlinearly produce optical pulses that include wavelengths that are different than the first wavelength; and wherein the optical pulse source is configured so as to be operable to reduce the optical pulse frequency of the nonlinearly produced optical pulses.

Abstract: The invention can include an optical pulse source for providing optical output pulses, comprising a master oscillator comprising a mode locked fiber oscillator producing optical pulses having an optical pulse frequency; at least one optical fiber amplifier optically coupled to the master oscillator, the at least one optical amplifier including a final optical fiber amplifier; a bulk optic amplifier element optically coupled to the output of the final optical fiber amplifier; a nonlinear optical fiber for nonlinearly producing light, the nonlinear optical fiber optically coupled to the output of the bulk optic amplifier element; an optical pulse compressor optically coupled to the output of the nonlinear optical fiber; and a pulse picker operable to reduce the optical pulse frequency of the optical output pulses to be less than the optical pulse frequency of the optical pulses produced by the master oscillator.

Abstract: The invention can include and optical pulse source, comprising a master oscillator comprising a mode locked fibre oscillator producing optical pulses having an optical pulse frequency; at least one optical fibre amplifier optically coupled to the master oscillator, the at least one optical amplifier including a final optical fibre amplifier; a bulk optic amplifier optically coupled to the output of the final optical fibre amplifier; a nonlinear optical fibre for nonlinearly producing light, the nonlinear optical fibre optically coupled to the output of the bulk optic element; an optical pulse compressor optically coupled to the output of the nonlinear optical fibre; and a pulse picker operable to reduce the optical pulse frequency of optical pulses.

Abstract: Optical pulse source comprising optical pump laser for generating optical pump pulses at repetition rate Rf; a nonlinear optical element comprising an optical fiber for generating supercontinuum pulses; a gating device provided operable to selectively control the launch of pump pulses into the optical fiber at a reduced, lower repetition rate Rr=Rf/N in order to generate supercontinuum pulses at different user selectable repetition rates lower than the pump pulse repetition rate; first and second optical amplifiers; wavelength tunable optical bandpass filter; wherein the optical fiber can generate supercontinuum pulses having a supercontinuum spanning from below 450 nm to greater than 2000 nm; and wherein said optical pulse source comprises an all-fiber source wherein said optical pump laser comprises a fiber oscillator, said gating device comprises a fiber coupled optical modulator, and the optical pump pulses are launched into the optical fiber without the use of free space optics.

Abstract: Optical pulse source comprising optical pump laser for generating optical pump pulses at repetition rate Rf; a nonlinear optical element comprising an optical fiber for generating supercontinuum pulses; a gating device provided operable to selectively control the launch of pump pulses into the optical fiber at a reduced, lower repetition rate Rr=Rf/N in order to generate supercontinuum pulses at different user selectable repetition rates lower than the pump pulse repetition rate; first and second optical amplifiers; wavelength tunable optical bandpass filter; wherein the optical fiber can generate supercontinuum pulses having a supercontinuum spanning from below 450 nm to greater than 2000 nm; and wherein said optical pulse source comprises an all-fiber source wherein said optical pump laser comprises a fiber oscillator, said gating device comprises a fiber coupled optical modulator, and the optical pump pulses are launched into the optical fiber without the use of free space optics.

Abstract: Optical pulse source, for generating optical supercontinuum pulses at a repetition rate, comprising: an optical pump laser operable to generate a number of optical pump pulses at a pump pulse repetition rate; a nonlinear optical element arranged to receive the optical pump pulses and configured to generate therefrom optical supercontinuum pulses; and a gating device provided between the pump laser and the nonlinear optical element and operable to selectively limit the number of optical pump pulses received by the nonlinear optical element in order to generate optical supercontinuum pulses at a user selectable repetition rate lower than the pump pulse repetition rate, wherein the optical pulse source further comprises a second gating device provided after the nonlinear optical element.

Abstract: The invention can include an apparatus for producing optical pulses, comprising an oscillator for producing optical pulses at a first optical pulse repetition frequency, the optical pulses having a first frequency of light; a pulse picker for receiving optical pulses having the first optical pulse repetition frequency and operable to reduce the optical pulse repetition frequency to produce optical pulses having the first frequency and a reduced optical pulse repetition frequency that is less than the first optical pulse repetition frequency; an optical fiber receiving optical pulses having the reduced optical pulse repetition frequency and first frequency, to nonlinearly produce light that includes a frequency that is twice the first frequency; and an Ytterbium doped fiber amplifier in optical communication with the pulse picker and the optical fiber and located between the pulse picker and the oscillator.

Abstract: The invention can include an apparatus for producing optical pulses, comprising an oscillator for producing optical pulses at a first optical pulse repetition frequency, the optical pulses having a first wavelength and a first time duration; a pulse picker for receiving optical pulses having the first optical pulse repetition frequency, first wavelength and first time duration and operable to reduce the optical pulse repetition frequency to produce optical pulses having the first wavelength, first time duration and a reduced optical pulse repetition frequency that is less than the first optical pulse repetition frequency; an optical fiber receiving optical pulses at the reduced optical pulse repetition frequency and having the first wavelength and first time duration to produce, at the reduced optical pulse frequency, optical pulses that include one or more nonlinearly produced wavelengths different than the first wavelength.

Abstract: The invention can include an apparatus for producing optical pulses, comprising an oscillator for producing optical pulses at a first optical pulse repetition frequency, the optical pulses having a first wavelength; a first optical fiber amplifier; a second optical fiber amplifier; a pulse picker located between the first and second optical fiber amplifiers, the pulse picker operable to reduce the optical pulse repetition frequency of optical pulses, wherein the first amplifier amplifies optical pulses at the first optical pulse repetition frequency and the second amplifier amplifies optical pulses at a reduced optical pulse repetition frequency that is less than the first optical pulse repetition frequency; a nonlinear optical fiber receiving amplified optical pulses having the reduced optical pulse repetition frequency and the first wavelength to produce, at the reduced optical pulse frequency, optical pulses that include one or more nonlinearly produced wavelengths different than the first wavelength; and

Abstract: An optical pulse source for generating optical supercontinuum pulses comprises an optical pump laser operable to generate optical pump pulses at a pump pulse repetition rate Rf; a nonlinear optical element comprising an optical fiber for generating optical supercontinuum pulses; an optical modulator operable to selectively control the launch of pump pulses into the optical fiber at a reduced, lower repetition rate Rr=Rf/N in order to generate optical supercontinuum pulses at a selectable and lower repetition rate; an optical fiber amplifier located between the optical modulator and the optical pump laser; wherein the optical supercontinuum pulses generated by the optical fiber have a supercontinuum spanning from below 450 nm to greater than 2000 nm; wherein the optical pulse source is provided with a microprocessor configured to determine when supercontinuum pulses are delivered; and wherein the optical pulse source is configured to provide an output trigger signal.

Abstract: The invention can include an apparatus for producing optical pulses, comprising an oscillator for producing optical pulses at a first optical pulse repetition frequency, the optical pulses having a first frequency of light; a pulse picker for receiving optical pulses having the first optical pulse repetition frequency and operable to reduce the optical pulse repetition frequency to produce optical pulses having the first frequency and a reduced optical pulse repetition frequency that is less than the first optical pulse repetition frequency; an optical fiber receiving optical pulses having the reduced optical pulse repetition frequency and first frequency, to nonlinearly produce light that includes a frequency that is twice the first frequency; and an Ytterbium doped fiber amplifier in optical communication with the pulse picker and the optical fiber and located between the pulse picker and the oscillator.

Abstract: The invention can include an apparatus for producing optical pulses, comprising an oscillator for producing optical pulses at a first optical pulse repetition frequency, the optical pulses having a first wavelength and a first time duration; a pulse picker for receiving optical pulses having the first optical pulse repetition frequency, first wavelength and first time duration and operable to reduce the optical pulse repetition frequency to produce optical pulses having the first wavelength, first time duration and a reduced optical pulse repetition frequency that is less than the first optical pulse repetition frequency; an optical fiber receiving optical pulses at the reduced optical pulse repetition frequency and having the first wavelength and first time duration to produce, at the reduced optical pulse frequency, optical pulses that include one or more nonlinearly produced wavelengths different than the first wavelength.

Abstract: Apparatus for producing short optical pulses comprising an oscillator for producing optical pulses at a first optical pulse frequency, the optical pulses having a first wavelength; first and second optical amplifiers; a pulse picker, located between the first and second optical fiber amplifiers, the pulse picker operable to reduce the optical pulse frequency of optical pulses, the amplifier amplifying optical pulses at the first optical pulse frequency and the second amplifier amplifying optical pulses at a reduced optical pulse frequency that is less than said first optical pulse frequency; and a nonlinear optical fiber receiving amplified optical pulses at the reduced optical pulse frequency and having the first wavelength to nonlinearly produce, at the reduced optical pulse frequency, optical pulses that include a wavelength that is different than the first wavelength.