Patent ID: 8537864

Claim:
A pulsed fiber laser amplification system comprising: a modelocked fiber oscillator outputting optical pulses, said modelocked fiber oscillator comprising a temperature-controlled saturable absorber module and an oscillator pump that optically pumps said modelocked fiber oscillator; a fiber amplifier optically connected to said modelocked fiber oscillator via a first optical path, said amplifier amplifying said optical pulses; a variable optical attenuator in the first optical path between said modelocked fiber oscillator and said fiber amplifier, said variable optical attenuator having an adjustable transmission such that optical energy coupled from the modelocked fiber oscillator to the fiber amplifier is reduced, said variable optical attenuator comprising: a polarization selective optical component and providing an adjustable transmission such that an amplitude of said optical pulses that are coupled from said mode-locked fiber oscillator to said fiber amplifier can be reduced; an optical pump source optically connected to said fiber amplifier; a pulse compressor optically coupled to receive said amplified optical pulses output from fiber amplifier via a second optical path; and (i) a first optical tap in said first optical path between said modelocked fiber oscillator and said fiber amplifier, and a first feedback loop from said first tap to control said modelocked fiber oscillator based on measurement of output from said first optical tap, said first feedback loop from said first tap controlling at least said oscillator pump, and (ii) a second optical tap in said second optical path between said fiber amplifier and said compressor, and a second feedback loop from said second tap to control said fiber amplifier based on measurement of output from said second optical tap.