Patent ID: 8724215

Claim:
Apparatus for producing optical pulses, comprising: an oscillator for producing optical pulses at a first optical pulse repetition frequency, the optical pulses having a first wavelength; a first optical fiber amplifier; a second optical fiber amplifier; a pulse picker, located between the first and second optical fiber amplifiers, said pulse picker operable to reduce the optical pulse repetition frequency of optical pulses, wherein said first amplifier amplifies optical pulses at the first optical pulse repetition frequency and said second amplifier amplifies optical pulses at a reduced optical pulse repetition frequency that is less than said first optical pulse repetition frequency; a nonlinear optical fiber receiving amplified optical pulses having the reduced optical pulse repetition frequency and the first wavelength to produce, at the reduced optical pulse frequency, optical pulses that include one or more nonlinearly produced wavelengths different than the first wavelength; and wherein said pulse picker and said first and second optical fiber amplifiers are located between the oscillator and the nonlinear optical fiber.