We have obtained the first measurements with a sodium laser beacon of focus anisoplanatism over large aperture, at the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT). Focus anisoplanatism sets the fundamental limit to wavefront correction of large telescopes. An artificial star, of visual magnitude 12.5, was created by a 0.5 W beam from a continuous-wave dye laser tuned to the sodium D2 resonance line, projec...

Vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs) are the most versatile laser sources, combining unique features such as wide spectral coverage, ultrashort pulse operation, low noise properties, high output power, high brightness and compact form-factor. This paper reviews the recent technological developments of VECSELs in connection with the new milestones that continue to pave the ...

In this work, efficient visible Ho3+-doped fluorozirconate glass (Ho:ZBLAN) all-fiber lasers operating in continuous-wave (CW) and Q-switching regimes are experimentally demonstrated. The combination of a direct blue pump, a highly-doped Ho:ZBLAN fiber and the fiber end-facet mirrors contributes to a simple all-fiber configuration. A tunable laser emission in the green spectral range of 543-550...

1 Thin film specifications continue to push the envelope of manufacturing capabilities. Many advanced commercial and military applications require ultra low loss films that are extremely difficult to deposit using conventional Electron beam or Ion Assisted Deposition (IAD) technology. Ring Laser Gyroscope (RLG) mirrors for instance require high packing density, minimal defects, and negligible a...

We demonstrate a diode-pumped femtosecond-laser-inscribed Yb:YAG channel waveguide laser, Q-switched by using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) near 1029 nm. We used saturable absorber mirrors (SAMs) fabricated by depositing SWCNTs on three different output couplers. Best performance of the 9.3-mm-long ultra-compact Q-switched waveguide laser is obtained with an output coupling transmissi...

A diode-pumped passively mode-locked Yb:Lu2Si2O7 (Yb:LPS) laser is demonstrated for the first time, to our knowledge. Using a commercial semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) as the mode locker and a pair of GiresTournois interferometer (GTI) mirrors for group-velocity dispersion (GVD) compensating, we have obtained stable femtosecond mode locked pulses. Two output couplers of transmi...