All-fiber chirped pulse amplification systems

A fiber chirped pulse amplification system for sub-50 picosecond pulses, comprising:

• a short pulse seed source providing sub-10 picosecond pulses;
• a pulse stretcher configured to temporally stretch the pulses from said seed source;
• at least one non-linear fiber amplifier configured to accept pulses with an input pulse spectrum and emitting amplified pulses with a certain output pulse spectrum, said input pulse spectrum being derived from said seed pulse source, but not necessarily identical to said seed pulse source;
• a pulse compressor having a level of second, third- and higher-order chromatic dispersion,
• wherein said fiber amplifier is configured such that said output pulse spectrum is wavelength-shifted with respect to said input pulse spectrum, and
• said fiber amplifier at least partially compensating for the third order dispersion of said pulse stretcher and compressor by self-phase modulation.

A fiber chirped pulse amplification system for sub-50 picosecond pulses, comprising:

• a short pulse seed source providing sub-10 picosecond pulses;
• a pulse stretcher configured to temporally stretch the pulses from said seed source;
• at least one nonlinear fiber amplifier configured such that an output pulse spectrum is wavelength-shifted with respect to an input pulse spectrum thereof;
• and
• a pulse compressor;
• wherein said fiber amplifier is further configured to at least partially compensate for third order dispersion of said pulse stretcher and compressor by self phase modulation.

A fiber chirped pulse amplification system for sub-50 picosecond pulses, comprising:

• a short pulse seed source providing sub-10 picosecond pulses;
• a pulse stretcher configured to temporally stretch the pulses from said seed source;
• at least one fiber amplifier configured to accept said stretched pulses and outputting amplified cubicon pulses;
• a pulse compressor having a level of second, third- and higher-order chromatic dispersion;
• wherein
• said fiber amplifier is configured such that said cubicon pulses produce a nonlinear pulse chirp that is at least partially compensated by the level of third-order dispersion from said pulse stretcher and said pulse compressor.

A fiber chirped pulse amplification system, comprising;

• a seed source;
• a pulse stretcher for temporally stretching pulses from said seed source;
• a non-linear amplifier configured as a cubicon pulse amplifier;
• and
• a pulse compressor;
• wherein the pulses amplified in said amplifier are subjected to a substantial level of self-phase modulation, and such that there is an observable increase in amplitude modulation of an output spectrum of said pulses as compared to an input spectrum thereof.

A fiber chirped pulse amplification system for sub-50 picosecond pulses, comprising;

• a short pulse seed source providing sub-10 picosecond pulses;
• a pulse stretcher configured to temporally stretch the pulses from said seed source;
• at least one fiber amplifier configured to accept pulses with an input pulse spectrum and emitting amplified pulses with a certain output pulse spectrum, said input pulse spectrum being derived from said seed pulse source, but not necessarily identical to said seed pulse source,
• a pulse compressor having a level of second, third- and higher-order chromatic dispersion,
• wherein said fiber amplifier is configured such that said output pulse spectrum is substantially gain narrowed with respect to said input pulse spectrum, and
• said fiber amplifier being further configured to at least partially compensate for the third order dispersion of said pulse stretcher and compressor.

A fiber chirped pulse amplification system, comprising:

• a short pulse seed source;
• a pulse stretcher configured to temporally stretch the pulses from said seed source;
• at least one fiber amplifier configured as a cubicon pulse amplifier, and
• a pulse compressor having a level of third order dispersion partially corrected by self phase modulation within said fiber amplifier.

A fiber chirped pulse amplification system, comprising:

• a short pulse optical source;
• a pulse stretcher configured to temporally stretch the pulses from said source;
• at least one nonlinear fiber amplifier configured to accept pulses with an input pulse spectrum and emitting amplified pulses with a shifted output pulse spectrum;
• a pulse compressor having a level of third-order chromatic dispersion,
• said nonlinear fiber amplifier being of a type which at least partially compensates for the third order dispersion of at least said compressor, and being operable in a large self-phase modulation regime of 0.3-10π.

A fiber-based higher order dispersion control system, comprising;

• an optical pulse source module producing stretched pulses with a given amount of higher order dispersion;
• a non-linear cubicon pulse amplifier which subjects said pulses to self phase modulation during amplification, said self-phase modulation providing a level of third-order dispersion;
• and
• a pulse compressor having a given amount of higher order dispersion;
• wherein through asymmetric pulse amplitude shaping followed by said self-phase-modulation in said amplifier, dispersion of an output may be controlled.