Patent ID: 6148011
Filing Date: 2000-11-14
Classification: H01S

Abstract:
A laser to produce pulses of light having predetermined spectral shapes, said laser comprising:an optical waveguide;an optical pump source, coupled to the optical waveguide to inject pumping radiation to propagate therein;a gain medium in said optical waveguide, the pumping radiation inducing a population inversion in said gain medium, the gain medium continuously generating seed radiation by amplified spontaneous emission, the seed radiation propagating along a first direction in the optical waveguide and being composed of a multitude of photons each having a wavelength comprised in a bandwidth of wavelengths;reflecting means in said optical waveguide, for selectively reflecting the seed radiation to generate a reflected beam, said reflected beam comprising photons of different wavelengths propagating at different times in the optical waveguide along a second direction opposed to the first direction; andadjustable modulation means situated between the gain medium and the reflecting means in said optical waveguide, the modulation means allowing radiation to pass therethrough only at predetermined times, the adjustable modulation means thereby pulsing the seed radiation and selecting photons from the reflected beam according to their wavelength to produce the pulses of light having the predetermined spectral shapes.