Generation of stabilized, ultra-short light pulses and the use thereof for synthesizing optical frequencies

A process for the operation of a laser device having a resonator configuration with a light path, comprising the steps of:

• generating light pulses circulating in the resonator configuration, said light pulses consisting of spectral components corresponding to multiple longitudinal modes of the resonator configuration;
• compensating for the group velocity dispersion of said light pulses;
• and
• inputting a predetermined linear dispersion into the light path of the resonator configuration, so that at least one mode possesses a predetermined frequency or the mode separation between the modes possesses a predetermined value;
• said step of inputting a predetermined linear dispersion comprising changing a spectrally specific effective resonator length in a resonator branch, through which the light pulses traverse spectrally spatially separated after the compensation of the group velocity dispersion.

A laser device for production of short light pulses, having a resonator configuration with

• an active medium;
• a resonator formed with an optical fiber or with a plurality of mirrors, including an incoupling mirror for the coupling in of pump light to the active medium and two or more tilted mirrors for directing resonating light to an outcoupling mirror for the output of light pulses;
• a compensating mechanism for the compensation of the group velocity dispersion of the light pulses;
• a dispersion setting device for the input of a predetermined linear dispersion into the light path of the resonator configuration;
• and
• said dispersion setting device comprising at least one of a transparent plate with a tilting mechanism, a pair of prisms with a sliding mechanism, which are included in the resonator configuration, an apparatus for the variation of the effective pump power of a pump laser, or an apparatus for the variation of the geometrical configuration of the laser device relative to the pump laser.

A laser device for production of short light pulses, having a resonator configuration with

• an active medium;
• a resonator formed with an optical fiber or with a plurality of mirrors, including an incoupling mirror for the coupling in of pump light to the active medium and two or more tilted mirrors for directing resonating light to an outcoupling mirror for the output of light pulses;
• a compensating mechanism for the compensation of the group velocity dispersion of the light pulses;
• a dispersion setting device for the input of a predetermined linear dispersion into the light path of the resonator configuration;
• and
• said dispersion setting device comprising a pivoting mechanism on a tilted mirror functioning as a resonator end mirror and being located in a branch of the resonator on the side of the compensating mechanism facing away from the active medium.