Optical parametric amplification, optical parametric generation, and optical pumping in optical fibers systems
First Claim
1. A pulsed light source based on optical parametric amplification comprising:
- a seed source;
a pump laser downstream from the seed source, configured to output optical pulses having a pulse width of about 10 nanoseconds or less; and
a nonlinear periodically poled crystal with a substantially uniform poling period, wherein said crystal comprises lithium-niobate, KTP, periodically-twinned quartz, RTA, lithium tantalate, or potassium niobate,wherein said optical pulses from said pump laser pump said nonlinear crystal, said non-linear crystal configured as an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) having a small signal gain bandwidth of at least about 200 nm.
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Abstract
Embodiments described herein include a system for producing ultrashort tunable pulses based on ultra broadband OPA or OPG in nonlinear materials. The system parameters such as the nonlinear material, pump wavelengths, quasi-phase matching periods, and temperatures can be selected to utilize the intrinsic dispersion relations for such material to produce bandwidth limited or nearly bandwidth limited pulse compression. Compact high average power sources of short optical pulses tunable in the wavelength range of 1800-2100 nm and after frequency doubling in the wavelength range of 900-1050 nm can be used as a pump for the ultra broadband OPA or OPG. In certain embodiments, these short pump pulses are obtained from an Er fiber oscillator at about 1550 nm, amplified in Er fiber, Raman-shifted to 1800-2100 nm, stretched in a fiber stretcher, and amplified in Tm-doped fiber. To produce short pulses in the 900-1050 nm wavelength range, the pulses are frequency-doubled with a chirped frequency doubler for nearly bandwidth-limited output.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. A pulsed light source based on optical parametric amplification comprising:
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a seed source; a pump laser downstream from the seed source, configured to output optical pulses having a pulse width of about 10 nanoseconds or less; and a nonlinear periodically poled crystal with a substantially uniform poling period, wherein said crystal comprises lithium-niobate, KTP, periodically-twinned quartz, RTA, lithium tantalate, or potassium niobate, wherein said optical pulses from said pump laser pump said nonlinear crystal, said non-linear crystal configured as an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) having a small signal gain bandwidth of at least about 200 nm. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A pulsed light source based on optical parametric amplification comprising:
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a pump fiber amplifier generating optical pump pulses; a continuum source generating broadband optical pulses having a bandwidth between approximately 40 nm and 2000 nm at an output of said continuum source; and a nonlinear crystal that receives said optical pump pulses from said pump fiber amplifier and said broadband optical pulses from said continuum source, said pulsed light source configured such that said optical pump pulses and said broadband pulses from said continuum source propagate along separate optical paths at a time prior to being received by said nonlinear crystal, said broadband optical pulses from said continuum source being amplified by optical parametric amplification in said nonlinear crystal, wherein said optical pulses from said pump fiber amplifier and said broadband optical pulses from said continuum source are derived from a common laser source, thereby providing substantial time synchronization between said pump fiber amplifier and said continuum source. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A pulsed light source based on optical parametric amplification, comprising:
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an optical pump source generating pump pulses; a seed source; and a nonlinear periodically poled crystal that receives optical pump pulses from said optical pump source and optical pulses from said seed source, said pulsed light source configured such that said pump pulses and said pulses from said seed source propagate along separate optical paths at a time prior to being received by said nonlinear crystal, said optical pulses from said seed source being amplified by optical parametric amplification in said nonlinear crystal, wherein said non-linear crystal is configured as an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) having a small signal gain bandwidth of at least about 200 nm; wherein said optical pump source and said seed source are configured to provide substantial optical synchronization between optical pulses from said optical pump source and said optical pulses from said seed source, and wherein said nonlinear crystal has a substantially uniform poling period. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A pulsed light source based on optical parametric amplification comprising:
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an optical pump source; a secondary seed source comprising a nonlinear fiber; a primary seed source located upstream of said secondary source and said optical pump source, said primary seed source further configured to seed the secondary seed source and the optical pump source, such that said optical pump source and secondary seed source are substantially synchronized in time; and a nonlinear periodically poled crystal having a uniform poling period, said crystal receiving optical pulses from said optical pump source and optical pulses from said secondary seed source, said pulsed light source configured such that said pump pulses and said pulses from said secondary seed source propagate along separate optical paths at a time prior to being received by said nonlinear crystal, said nonlinear crystal producing spectral emission as a result of optical parametric amplification, said spectral emission having a spectral range exceeding a width of about 200 nanometers. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification