Multi band, continuously tunable, ultrashort pulse fiber laser

An ultrashort pulsed laser system comprising:

• a source laser configured to emit a source laser pulse having a source central wavelength;
• a splitter optically coupled to the source laser via at least one passive polarization-maintaining optical fiber and configured to split the source laser pulse into first and second optical paths;
• a first thulium-doped fiber amplifier (TDFA) positioned in the first optical path and configured to amplify the source laser pulse, the first TDFA being pumped with a first pump current sufficient to produce soliton fission in the first TDFA to generate a first output laser pulse having a first central wavelength that is red-shifted relative to the source central wavelength based on soliton self-frequency shift, the first central wavelength being in a first spectral range;
• a second TDFA positioned in the second optical path and configured to amplify the source laser pulse, the second TDFA being pumped with a second pump current sufficient to produce soliton fission in the second TDFA to generate an intermediate laser pulse having a central wavelength that is in the first spectral range and red-shifted relative to the source central wavelength based on soliton self-frequency shift;
• and
• a mid-infrared fiber coupled to the second TDFA and configured to red-shift the central wavelength of the intermediate laser pulse to produce a second output laser pulse having a second central wavelength in a second spectral range.

A dual-band ultrashort pulsed laser system comprising:

• a source laser configured to emit a source laser beam comprising a series of ultrashort pulses having a source wavelength;
• a 50/50 splitter configured to split the source laser beam into first and second channels;
• a first module in the first channel and configured to produce, from the source laser beam and using soliton self-frequency shift in a first gain fiber, a first pulsed output laser beam comprising a series of ultrashort pulses having a first output wavelength that is continuously tunable within a first spectral range, the first spectral range being red-shifted relative to the source wavelength and including at least a portion of the short-wave infrared spectrum;
• and
• a second module in the second channel and configured to produce, from the source laser beam and using soliton self-frequency shift in a second gain fiber and in a mid-infrared fiber coupled to the second gain fiber, a second pulsed output laser beam comprising a series of ultrashort pulses having a second output wavelength that is continuously tunable within a second spectral range, the second spectral range being red-shifted relative to the source wavelength and including at least a portion of the mid-wave infrared spectrum.