Raytheon Company

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Hughes Aircraft Company

Robert D Stultz

David M Filgas

Milton Birnbaum

Brian F Boland

Marly B Camargo

David S Sumida

Hans W Bruesselbach

Tzeng S Chen

John J Wootan

Juan Carlos Sotelo

Donald E Narhi

Michael Ushinsky

Maurice J Halmos

Eran Marcus

Mario P Palombo

Victor Leyva

Todd O Clatterbuck

Donald R Dewhirst

Matthew J Klotz

Jean-Paul Bulot

Milan Kokta

Steven C Matthews

Aaron B Potter

Ashok B Patel

N Peter Davis

Julie L Bentley

Aleksandr S Radunsky

Derek M Hendry

Billie G Hendry

Katherine V Palombo

David R Rockafellow

Daniel E Maguire

Michael E Ehritz

A laser transmitter including a waveform controller arranged to generate a waveform script having at least one of a pulse repetition frequency setting, a pulse duration setting, and a pulse amplitude pre-warp setting. The transmitter also includes an optical waveform generator arranged to: i) receive the waveform script, ii) generate pre-warped signal pulses based on the waveform script to compensate for gain distortion effects of a laser power amplifier, and iii) output the pre-warped signal pulses. The laser power amplifier is arranged to: i) receive the pre-warped signal pulses, ii) receive a continuous wave signal, and iii) output amplified signal pulses that maintain a substantially constant drive intensity at the input of a non-linear wavelength converter. The non-linear wavelength converter is arranged to receive the amplified signal pulses and emit wavelength-converted pulses.

Systems and methods for control of waveform-agile laser transmitter

An apparatus includes a plurality of front-end nonlinear optical crystals and a plurality of back-end nonlinear optical crystals. The front-end nonlinear optical crystals are arranged in a chain and are configured to amplify a received signal. The back-end nonlinear optical crystals are arranged in the chain after the front-end nonlinear optical crystals and are configured to further amplify the received signal and generate an amplified signal. The back-end nonlinear optical crystals are made from a different nonlinear optical crystal than the front-end nonlinear optical crystals.

Hybrid material optical parametric amplifier

A laser radar (LADAR) system includes a laser transmitter configured to (i) emit laser pulses at a first wavelength and (ii) emit amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in a spectrum concentrated around the first wavelength. The LADAR system also includes a non-linear converter configured to (i) convert the laser pulses to a second wavelength and (ii) allow the ASE to remain substantially unconverted in the spectrum concentrated around the first wavelength. The LADAR system further includes a receiver configured to receive and detect reflected laser pulses, where the reflected laser pulses include the laser pulses at the second wavelength after reflection from at least one target. In addition, the LADAR system includes a spectral filter configured to (i) allow passage of the laser pulses or the reflected laser pulses and (ii) substantially filter the ASE and prevent the filtered ASE from being detected by the receiver.

Optical pulse contrast improvement using nonlinear conversion

A laser radar (LADAR) system includes a laser transmitter configured to emit laser pulses at a first wavelength, a non-linear converter configured to convert the laser pulses to a second wavelength prior to spectral filtering of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) that is emitted from the laser transmitter in a spectrum concentrated around the first wavelength, and a spectral filter configured to substantially filter the ASE and allow the laser pulses at the second wavelength to pass.

A planar wave guide (PWG) having a first end for coupling to a light pump and a second end opposite to the first end and including a first cladding layer; a second cladding layer; and a uniformly doped core layer between the first cladding layer and the second cladding layer, wherein the core layer is tapered having a smaller thickness at the first end and a larger thickness at the second end, and wherein a ratio of the core thickness to thickness of the cladding layers is smaller at the first end and larger at the second end.

End pumped PWG with tapered core thickness

A system for generating an optical signal having a preselected waveform includes: a laser source; a first waveform generator configured to apply a first signal to the laser source to create a laser output; an intensity modulator configured to receive the laser output; a second waveform generator configured to apply a second signal to the intensity modulator, the intensity modulator being configured to generate a pre-distorted laser signal based on the second signal and the laser output.

System and method for generating high energy optical pulses with arbitrary waveform

A microchip laser includes a microchip laser base comprising a gain region and a passive Q-switch region. The microchip laser also includes a solid etalon coupled to the microchip laser base, and an interfacial coating disposed between the microchip laser base and the solid etalon. In some embodiments, the microchip laser further includes a dichroic coating disposed on a surface of the microchip laser base opposite the interfacial coating.

Microchip laser with single solid etalon and interfacial coating

Method and apparatus for beam coupling. In one example, a beam coupler includes a first beam displacer configured to receive a linearly-polarized signal seed having a first wavelength, and an unpolarized pump beam having a second wavelength, the unpolarized pump beam including first and second linear polarization components, the first beam displacer being further configured to spatially translate the first linear polarization component to co-locate the first linear polarization component with the linearly-polarized signal seed, a second beam displacer configured to spatially translate the second linear polarization component and recombine the first and second linear polarization components of the unpolarized pump beam, and to co-locate the unpolarized pump beam with the linearly polarized signal seed, and a dual-wavelength waveplate interposed between the first and second beam displacer, and configured to rotate polarizations of each of the first linear polarization component, second linear polarization component, and linearly-polarized signal seed.

Walk-off pump coupler

An optical parametric amplifier and methods for idler extraction therein. Certain examples provide a method of extracting the idler at intermediate points within the optical parametric amplifier chain to improve conversion efficiency and/or maintain high beam quality (high Strehl ratio), where the pump beam has non-uniform profile. In one example, optical parametric amplifier includes an amplifier chain having a plurality of gain stages, each gain stage including a non-linear optical crystal, the plurality of gain stages configured to receive a signal seed and a pump beam and to produce an idler and an amplified signal, the pump beam having a non-uniform spatial profile, and a plurality of idler extractors interspersed with the plurality of gain stages and configured to extract the idler from intermediate points within the amplifier chain. The idler extractors can include polarizers, beam displacer crystals, or dichroic mirrors, for example.

Methods and apparatus for idler extraction in high power optical parametric amplifiers

A laser system comprises a pump diode, fiber, relay optics, and a microchip laser crystal. The pump diode produces light at a first wavelength. The fiber receives the light from the pump diode and produces a round, homogeneous light spot at an output of the fiber. The relay optics receives the light from the fiber. The microchip laser crystal receives the light from the relay optics and produces a linearly polarized single frequency output at a second wavelength. The microchip laser crystal includes a first layer and a second layer. The first layer absorbs the light at the first wavelength and emits light at the second wavelength. The second layer receives the light at the second wavelength and either provides a polarization dependent loss at the second wavelength or maintains a polarization of the light at the second wavelength.

Laser system and method for producing a linearly polarized single frequency output using polarized and non-polarized pump diodes

An optical device, a method of making a laser gain medium, and a method of suppressing parasitics in a laser device include a core region comprising a plurality of a first type of ions that absorb energy at a first wavelength and transfer the absorbed energy to a plurality of a second type of ions that lase at a second wavelength after receiving the transferred energy. A cladding region coupled to the core region comprising another plurality of the second type of ions that suppress parasitics in the optical device by absorbing energy of at least a transverse portion of the second wavelength that enters the cladding region.

System and method for suppressing parasitics in an optical device

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a multi-stage Lyot filter comprises a plurality of prisms, a polarizing block, and a non-rotating, single-adjustment birefringent element. Each of the prisms is configured to receive light and to reflect the light. The polarizing block is configured to provide polarization discrimination of the light. The birefringent element is configured to tune the Lyot filter. The prisms are further configured to pass the light through the birefringent element multiple times.

Multi-stage Lyot filter and method

A laser includes a pump source that provides pump energy at a first wavelength and a laser cavity. The laser cavity includes a laser gain medium that receives the pump energy from the pump source and creates gain at a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, and a mode stripping portion coupled to the laser gain medium. The mode stripping portion causes the laser cavity to have a low Fresnel number so as to allow only the lowest-order fiber mode to resonate in the laser cavity. Higher-order fiber modes are discriminated against so as to generate a laser output having a substantially diffraction limited beam in a single transverse mode at the second wavelength.

Eye-safe Q-switched short pulse fiber laser

A lasing method including the steps of providing a laser resonator; utilizing birefringence compensation in said resonator whereby said resonator is induced to operate in a Laguerre-Gaussian higher order mode; and utilizing polarized outcoupling of lasing energy at said higher order mode from said resonator. In the illustrative application, the laser resonator is a high-power, solid-state laser resonator. In the specific embodiment, the inventive method further includes the step of changing an outcoupling preference for a non-degenerate high-order Laguerre-Gaussian mode. In one embodiment, the step of changing outcoupling preference includes the step of changing an outcoupling polarization. In another embodiment, the step of changing outcoupling preference includes the step of changing an orientation of a roof edge of a prism in the laser resonator. Lower order Laguerre modes are discouraged from appearing in an output of the resonator by adding loss at the center of the rod aperture of the resonator or detuning the orientation of a first or a second quarter-wave plate. In the illustrative embodiment, the gain lifetime of the resonator is longer than an interpulse period thereof.

Intra-cavity non-degenerate laguerre mode generator

A multifunctional laser ( ) which, in a first operational mode, outputs a mode-locked beam for vibration sensing applications and, in a second operational mode, outputs a Q switched illumination beam for imaging applications. The inventive laser ( ) includes a resonant cavity ( ); a gain medium ( ) disposed with the cavity; a first arrangement ( ) in communication with the medium for causing a Q-switched signal to be transmitted from the cavity; a second arrangement ( ) in communication with the medium for causing a mode-locked signal to be transmitted from the cavity; and a mechanism ( ) for switching between the first arrangement and the second arrangement.

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Cypress, CA, United States of America

Robert D Stultz