Patent ID: 8848748

Claim:
A laser-based system, comprising: a source of high peak power optical pulses, wherein said source is configured to generate optical pulses having a pulse width less than about 100 ps; an end use apparatus located remotely from said source and optically connected to said source; and an optical delivery fiber between said source and said end use apparatus, said optical delivery fiber and said source configured such that said optical pulses have sufficient peak power to exceed a threshold for Raman soliton (RS) generation in said optical delivery fiber, said optical delivery fiber configured to receive said optical pulses at a delivery fiber input end and, via Raman soliton generation and propagation, to provide wavelength shifted pulses at an output end thereof, wherein said source is disposed in a laser head connected to said end use apparatus via said optical delivery fiber, and wherein a wavelength shifted pulse is delivered to said end use apparatus via said optical delivery fiber.