Super radiant light source

A light source comprising:

• an optical fiber of finite length having a first and a second end and having a core and cladding, said fiber including active material positioned to overlap propagating modes of said fiber, and said material absorbing light of at least one wavelength and emitting light of at least one other wavelength;
• and
• means for directing pump light from a source of said one wavelength into said fiber near a first end thereof for absorption by said material, the intensity of the pump light being sufficient to cause amplified spontaneous emission by said material from said second end.

An intensely bright, essentially point source of light comprising:

• an optical fiber of selected length that includes a core surrounded by a cladding having an index of refraction greater than that of said core, said core having a diameter of less than twenty microns and said fiber being at least in part doped with an active laser material;
• and
• means for directing pump light from a source having a given wavelength within the absorption band of said material into said core at one location for absorption by said active laser material, the intensity of the pump light being sufficient to cause said active laser material to emit predominately incoherent light from said core at another location spaced from said first location.

A light source for an optical gyroscope of the type that includes an optical fiber circumscribing a space, means for dividing the light from a light source into counter travelling light beams within said fiber, and means for detecting differences between the counter travelling light beams, said light source comprising:

• a single-mode optical fiber having a core and cladding, said fiber including active laser material positioned to overlap the propagating single mode of the fiber;
• and
• means coupled to said fiber for pumping light from a source into said fiber for absorption by said active laser material, the intensity of the pumping light being sufficient to cause amplified spontaneous emission by said active material from a remote end of said fiber.

A method of producing intense light having low temporal coherence, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing an optical waveguide having a core and cladding, said fiber including an active material that absorbs light at one wavelength and emits light at another wavelength;
• and
• pumping light of said one wavelength at a given location into said fiber for absorption by the material to thereby emit light at the other wavelength, the intensity of the pumping light controlled to cause emission of substantially amplified spontaneous light from another location in said fiber remote from said given location.