APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR UTILIZATION OF A HIGH-SPEED OPTICAL WAVELENGTH TUNING SOURCE

• US 20100254415A1
• Filed: 02/04/2010
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vakoc, Benjamin J., Tearney, Guillermo J., Oh, Wang-Yuhl, Bouma, Brett E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,178,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 372/20
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/10 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/08009 using a diffraction grating
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/08013 Resonator comprising a fibre, e.g. for modifying dispersion or repetition rate the active medium being a fibre H01S3/067
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/08059 Constructional details of the reflector, e.g. shape mirrors in general G02B5/08; mountings for mirrors G02B7/18
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0813 Configuration of resonator
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/083 Ring lasers fibre ring lasers H01S3/06791
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/105 by controlling the mutual position or the reflecting properties of the reflectors of the cavity , e.g. by controlling the cavity lengthH01S3/10076, H01S3/13 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/005 Optical components external to the laser cavity, specially adapted therefor, e.g. for homogenisation or merging of the beams or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping H01S5/026, H01S5/18388 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06216 Pulse modulation or generation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/141 using a wavelength selective device, e.g. a grating or etalon H01S5/146 takes precedence

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of apparatus, source arrangement and method for, e.g., providing high-speed wavelength tuning can be provided. According to one exemplary embodiment, at least one arrangement can be provided which is configured to emit an electromagnetic radiation that (i) has a spectrum whose mean frequency changes at an absolute rate that is greater than about 6000 (or 2000) terahertz per millisecond, (ii) whose mean frequency changes over a range that is greater than about 10 terahertz, and/or (iii) has an instantaneous line width that is less than about 15 gigahertz. According to another exemplary embodiment, at least one arrangement can be provided configured to, periodically and as a function of time, select at least one first electro-magnetic radiation based on a mean frequency of the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation, with the periodic selection being performed at a first characteristic period. The mean frequency can vary linearly over time, wherein the apparatus can emit at least one second electromagnetic radiation that has a spectrum whose mean frequency changes periodically as a function of time with a second characteristic period. Further, the first characteristic period can be greater than the second characteristic period.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one arrangement configured to emit an electromagnetic radiation that has a spectrum whose mean frequency changes (i) at an absolute rate that is greater than about 6000 terahertz per millisecond, and (ii) over a range that is greater than about 10 terahertz.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mean frequency changes repeatedly at a repetition rate that is greater than 5 kilohertz.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the spectrum has a tuning range whose center is approximately centered at 1300 nm.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the spectrum has an instantaneous line width that is smaller than 100 gigahertz.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the spectrum has an instantaneous line width that is smaller than 35 gigahertz.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a polygon arrangement which is configured to receive at least one signal that is associated with the emitted electromagnetic radiation, and at least one of reflect or deflect the at least one signal to a further location.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a laser resonating system forming an optical circuit, and configured to control a spatial mode of the emitted electromagnetic radiation.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus causes the emitted electromagnetic radiation to propagate substantially unidirectionally within at least one portion of the laser resonating system.

9. An apparatus comprising:

an arrangement configured to emit an electromagnetic radiation that has (i) a spectrum whose mean frequency changes at an absolute rate that is greater than about 2000 terahertz per millisecond, and (ii) an instantaneous line width that is less than about 15 gigahertz.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a polygon arrangement which is configured to receive at least one signal that is associated with the emitted electromagnetic radiation, and at least one of reflect or deflect the at least one signal to a further location.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a laser resonating system forming an optical circuit, and configured to control a spatial mode of the emitted electromagnetic radiation.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the apparatus causes the emitted electromagnetic radiation to propagate substantially unidirectionally within at least one portion of the laser resonating system.

13. An apparatus comprising:

at least one arrangement configured to, periodically and as a function of time, select at least one first electro-magnetic radiation based on a mean frequency of the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation, the periodic selection being performed at a first characteristic period,

wherein the mean frequency varies linearly over time,

wherein the apparatus is configured to emit at least one second electromagnetic radiation that has a spectrum whose mean frequency changes periodically as a function of time with a second characteristic period, and

wherein the first characteristic period is greater than the second characteristic period.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first characteristic period is at least two times that of the second characteristic period.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the at least one second electromagnetic radiation has a spectrum whose mean frequency changes at an absolute rate that is greater than about 2000 terahertz per millisecond.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the at least one second electromagnetic radiation has an instantaneous line width that is less than about 15 gigahertz.

17. An apparatus comprising:

at least one arrangement configured to select at least one first electro-magnetic radiation based on a mean frequency of the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation, the selection being performed by the at least one arrangement with a first characteristic free spectral range,

wherein the apparatus emits at least one second electromagnetic radiation that has a spectrum whose mean frequency changes periodically as a function of time with a second characteristic free spectral range, and

wherein the first characteristic free spectral range is greater than the second characteristic free spectral range.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the first characteristic period is at least two times that of the second characteristic period.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the at least one second electromagnetic radiation has a spectrum whose mean frequency changes at an absolute rate that is greater than about 2000 terahertz per millisecond.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the at least one second electromagnetic radiation has an instantaneous line width that is less than about 15 gigahertz.

21. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the mean frequency varies linearly over time.

22. An apparatus comprising:

at least one arrangement configured to, periodically and as a function of time, select at least one first electro-magnetic radiation based on a mean frequency of the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation, the periodic selection being performed at a first characteristic period,

wherein the apparatus is configured to emit at least one second electromagnetic radiation that has a spectrum whose mean frequency changes periodically as a function of time with a second characteristic period, and

wherein the first characteristic period is greater than two times the duration of the second characteristic period.