Patent ID: 7535934

Claim:
An optical source suitable for generating both a continuum spectrum and additional light peaks at the output thereof, the optical source comprising a laser pulse source capable of generating output light pulses suitable for creating continuum radiation; a section of highly nonlinear optical waveguiding medium coupled to receive the output light pulses from the laser pulse source, wherein the propagation of pulses through the highly nonlinear optical waveguiding medium generates an optical continuum spectrum exhibiting optical energy from a lower, short wavelength edge to a higher, long wavelength edge; and at least one Bragg grating inscribed along the section of highly nonlinear optical waveguiding medium, the at least one Bragg grating exhibiting a resonant wavelength outside of the generated optical continuum for creating at least one light peak beyond the generated optical continuum, the resonant wavelength at a region where the power spectral density of the continuum, in the absence of any Bragg gratings and measured at any point along the waveguide, is less than 1/1000 th of the average power spectral density of the optical continuum.