Patent ID: 9653867
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: G01J,G02B,G02F,H01S

Claim:
1. Optical apparatus comprising; a mode-locked ytterbium-doped laser system delivering an optical pulse having a center wavelength characteristic of ytterbium doped gain-media; a length of optical fiber arranged to receive the optical pulse and spectrally broaden the pulse into a spectral continuum, the spectral continuum characterized as having at a first side-lobe having a center wavelength shorter than that of the optical pulse and a second side-lobe having a center wavelength longer than that of the optical pulse; a spectrally selective pulse-compressor including a wavelength dispersive device; the spectrally selective pulse-compressor being configured such that the spectrally broadened pulse is received by the wavelength dispersive device, the spectral continuum of the spectrally broadened pulse is spatially spread by the wavelength dispersive device, a portion of the spatially spread spectral continuum in at least one of the first and second side-lobes thereof is selected and returned by a reflective optic to the wavelength dispersive device, and the selected side-lobe portion of the spectral continuum is delivered from the wavelength dispersive device as an output-pulse having a center wavelength within the selected side-lobe portion of the spectral continuum and wherein the selected side-lobe portion of the spectral continuum is compressed before being delivered from the wavelength dispersive device.