Method and apparatus for providing supercontinuum pulses
First Claim
1. 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 said optical pulse source is configured to provide a plurality of different repetition rates Rr and nominally identical spectral broadening for the different repetition rates.
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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.
75 Citations
23 Claims
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1. Optical pulse source for generating optical supercontinuum pulses, comprising:
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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 said optical pulse source is configured to provide a plurality of different repetition rates Rr and nominally identical spectral broadening for the different repetition rates. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of providing optical pulses, comprising:
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generating optical pump pulses with an optical pump laser, wherein the optical pump pulses are generated at a pump pulse repetition rate Rf; selectively controlling the launch of optical pump pulses into a nonlinear optical element comprising an optical fiber at a variable, lower repetition rate Rr=Rf/N, where N is a positive integer, to thereby control the repetition rate of optical supercontinuum pulses generated via spectral broadening within the optical fiber; and selectively providing a plurality of different repetition rates Rr, wherein nominally identical spectral broadening is provided for the different repetition rates. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. Optical pulse source for generating optical supercontinuum pulses, comprising:
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an optical pump laser operable to generate optical pulses at an optical pulse repetition rate Rf; a nonlinear optical element comprising a microstructured optical fiber arranged to receive the optical pulses and configured to spectrally broaden the optical 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 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 said optical pulse source is configured such that pulse energy of optical pulses is fixed as the pulse to pulse separation is increased with reducing repetition rate.
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18. A method of providing optical pulses, comprising:
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generating optical pulses with an optical pump laser, wherein the optical pulses are generated at an optical pulse repetition rate Rf; selectively controlling the launch of optical pulses into a nonlinear optical element comprising an optical fiber at a variable, lower repetition rate Rr=Rf/N, where N is a positive integer, to thereby control the repetition rate of optical supercontinuum pulses generated via spectral broadening within the optical fiber; and selectively providing a plurality of different repetition rates Rr, wherein the pulse energy of optical pulses is fixed as the pulse to pulse separation is increased with reducing repetition rate.
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19. A method of providing optical pulses, comprising:
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generating optical pump pulses with an optical pump laser comprising a modelocked fiber oscillator, wherein the optical pump pulses are generated at a pump pulse repetition rate Rf; receiving optical pump pulses from the modelocked fiber oscillator at an optical fiber amplifier and amplifying the optical pump pulses, wherein the modelocked fiber oscillator and the optical fiber amplifier together form a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA); selectively controlling, at a gating means, the launch of optical pump pulses into a nonlinear optical element comprising an optical fiber at a variable, lower repetition rate Rr=Rf/N, where N is a positive integer greater than 1, to thereby control the repetition rate of optical supercontinuum pulses generated within the nonlinear optical element, the gating means being located between the modelocked fiber oscillator and the optical fiber amplifier that forms the MOPA with the modelocked fiber oscillator; and wherein the lower repetition rate is selected while the average power of the pulses is reduced such as to provide optical pump pulses of fixed pulse energy to thereby provide nominally identical spectra for each of a plurality of selectable repetition rates. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. An optical pulse source comprising:
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an optical pump laser comprising a modelocked fiber oscillator operable to generate optical pump pulses at a pump pulse repetition rate Rf; an optical fiber amplifier configured to receive optical pump pulses from the modelocked fiber oscillator and operable to amplify the optical pump pulses, wherein the modelocked fiber oscillator and the optical fiber amplifier together form a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA); a nonlinear optical element comprising a microstructured optical fiber; a gating means provided between the optical pump laser output and the nonlinear optical element, and arranged to selectively control the launch of optical pump pulses into the nonlinear optical element at a variable, lower repetition rate Rr=Rf/N, where N is a positive integer greater than 1, to thereby control the repetition rate of optical supercontinuum pulses generated within the nonlinear optical element; and wherein the MOPA is configured to provide optical pump pulses of fixed pulse energy when a lower repetition rate is selected such that nominally identical spectra are achieved for each of a plurality of selectable repetition rates. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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Specification