Abstract: A superbroadband or multiwavelength laser transmitter source for wavelength-division multiplexing, two-wavelength interferometry, differential lidar and optical storage applications. Contrary to conventional tunable laser sources that can switch between different lasing wavelengths in a given wavelength band, the superbroadband laser simultaneously emits at multiple wavelengths. The basic idea of this system is to maintain simultaneous lasing operation in an optical active gain medium at different wavelengths. The system uses a novel dispersive cavity. By designing this cavity structure appropriately, the system creates its own microcavities each lasing at a different wavelength within the fluorescence band of the gain medium. Mode competition in the proposed cavity is absent and spectral range of simultaneous multi-frequency generation is considerably enhanced practically to the spectral width of the active media luminescence spectrum.

Abstract: Rare-earth doped single-crystal amplifiers serve to simultaneously amplify member channels of an optical fiber WDM system. A tailored amplification bandwidth sufficient for this purpose is the result of a variety of "defects" which after the local crystal field as "seen" by dopant ions.

Abstract: The subject invention relates to a new regime of lasing--superbroadband or pre-assigned spectral composition lasing. A new cavity construction and application of room temperature operable LiF color center crystals provide generation with a spectral width in one pulse practically coinciding with the luminescence spectrum of the active medium.